Jewish Community Relations Council, Boston, Massachusetts

              NEW ENGLAND COUNCILnew ENGLAND REGION
UNION OF AMERICAN HEBREW CONGREGATIONS UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF AMERICA
January 29, 1965
Mr. Herman Snyder, President
Jewish Community Council
72 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Dear Mr. Snyder:
On behalf of the New England Regions of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
and United Synagogue of America, we are writing you regarding the representation of
our respective organizations on the Jewish Community Council of Greater Boston. We
hereby respectfully request that our representation on the Council be increased from
one delegate to three per organization. Below are some of the reasons for this
request.
1. The number of delegates from constituent members of the Council was fixed some
twenty years ago. Obviously, the structure and character of the Jewish Community
has changed radically since that time, a chief feature of which has been the
active emergence of the Synagogue into the areas of community relations and
Social Action. This is particularly true in suburbia as it is generally.
2. The UAHC and United Synagogue are two of the six major national organizations
belonging to the NCRAC - the coordinating agency of the above as well as local
Community Councils of which our own Council is one. The UAHC, now in existence
for nearly a century and the United Synagogue for over 50 years, are two of the
six national religious bodies which comprise the Synagogue Council of America -
the central voice of religious Jewry in America on Social Action, Church State
and other community relations matters,
3. The New England Regions of the UAHC and United Synagogue (excluding Connecticut)
is comprised of over 100 affiliated congregations with a total constituency of
over 100,000 Jews - certainly the largest single grouping of Jews in Greater
Boston and New England. Our organizations are comprised of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and National Womens League with some 90 Sisterhoods;
the National Federations of Temple Brotherhoods and Jewish Mens Clubs with some
50 Brotherhoods; the National Federation of Temple Youth and United Synagogue
Youth with over 100 local chapters and close to 5,000 teenagers; our respective
College-age organizations; and our professional associations of Cantors, Educators
and Synagogue Administrators.
L». Both our Regional organizations have extremely active Commissions on Social Action
which bespeak the voice of our Rabbinic and lay constituencies. We have been
involved through our respective Commissions and some £0 local Temple Social Action
Committees in every aspect of Jewish Community relations activity. Our Social
Action Commissions receive much material and guidance from our respective National
Commissions on Social Action. It should be mentioned too that our constituents
our Regional Sisterhood, Brotherhood and Youth Organizations both nationally and
regionally - have comprehensive and intensive Social Action programs which have
made important contributions in this field.
5. In light of the vast changes in Jewiah life over the padt twenty years and in
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