Jewish Community Relations Council, Boston, Massachusetts

              
Minutes of the meeting of the Community
Relations Committee held at the Council
office January 29, 1953 at 3 p.m.
Present were: Chairman Schoenberg, Messrs. Fine, Greenfield, Leve, Rabbis
Korff and Wurzburger and Dr. Silver. Present as invited consultants were Jules
Bernstein and Saul Cohen, and Mr. Gluck,
This meeting was called at the suggestion of the Administrative Committee to
take up the matter of advising the Council regarding the molding of opinion locally in
connection with the Russian anti-Semitid situation.
Mr. Saul 0ohen, chairman of the Zionist Council's committee to work on the
protest, said that on January 28 the American Zionist Council came to the decision to
hold meetings all over the country and that the local Zionist Council had voted to ask
the Jewish Community Council to organize such a meeting. He said they wanted the
Council to serve as an address center.
Mr. Schoenberg stated that Mr, Ehrmann had told him that he was sorry he
could not attend this meeting but that he felt that if a protest meeting were held
it should be non sectarian.
i
Mr, Greenfield stated that he felt that a mass meeting should be the center
of protest, Mr, Saul Cohen said that the Zionist Council wanted it to be a Jewish
mass meeting. Mr. Leve inquired as to how rabbis felt about the matter.
Rabbi Wurzburger said that we have a real threat to all Jews behind the
Iron Curtain but he still had his doubts as to the necessity of a mass meeting. Rabbi
Korff said that we should be guided by past experience with the Hitlerian episodes.
He said that Russia has been strangling Jews spiritually and now Russia has embarked
upon a program of mass^extermination so it is logical riot to make it specifically a
Jewish protest. ,
Mr. Fine stated that a mass meeting would not alleviate the problem; that it
is difficult to get people to come to large meetings today. Mr. Hurwitz disagreed with
this point of view. He said that it is important to register the indignation of Jewish
people. He stated that this is an attempt to destroy the Jewish people and a Jewish
state. He went on to say that the Jews waited too long to have anti-Nazi mass meetings
and added that non-Jews would not come to a general meeting. Mr. Gluck, representing
Mizrachi, said that the non-Jews did not ask us to protest and added that we should
show the world that the Jews and Comraunistsare two different items.
Rabbi Korff said that now two important points had now been raised: (1) If
the mass meeting is Jewisi-sponsored it will sdw that we are anti-Communist; (2) the
Israeli Government wants it under Jewish auspices.
Rabbi Wurzburger stated that in his opinion we should protest the murder of
Jews as Jews. Mr. Fine asked whether effort couldn't be extended better in other ways.
Mr. Saul Cohen stated that he hoped the standing committee would be set up by the
Council to handle the Russian problem.
Following this discussion and after a number of other comments were made
the following votes were passedmanimously:
1. That the Community Relations Committee
mass meeting.
recommend that there be a