The Denver Jewish news., 1924-10-16
Conference Called to Consider
Natl Jewish Community Chest
Conference Will Be Called This Winter to Consider the
Desirability of National Jewish Community Chest
in America-Inquiries Sent Out BY the Jewish Tele.
graphic Agency Bring Many Replies, Opinions Vary.

w "'''hl'' W lnt IrfSeHt ciFtUfl
stances, the creation Of Jewish ma.
iional Chest for purely American pnr.
= poses.
IT Is quite iruc that especially for
the purposes Of foreign charitable nc.
tivitics, ii would he highly desirable
To create some organization which
would unity the various agencies that
are now appealing from various points
OF view to American Jcwry for funds.
but until some understanding Is
brought about, IT would be impossible
To ncr1nplish this. And certainly II Is
lilo al To unite in one body, our home
charities and our foreign charities.
might even say 1t is un.Jewish. For
II is well known that the Jewish law
declares that the demands Of the poor
in cur own city, come before those Of
another city. and in our own country,
before those OF II foreign land. Now,
to create one body that shall have the
disposal of all these funds, and shall
Distribution. as to what shall be done
with the funds collected, Is contrary
To our traditions and will not produce
good results.
Furthermore. there Is n limit to the
idea OF organization. ] think you can
get more money by making appeals for
rar!ons purposes. especially when these
have to he made on a national scale,
than you could II this contemplated or.
sanization came into existence and ap-
preached the Individual with the re-
quest for one sun OF money to the ma.
tional Chest. Furthermore, It would
formalize, and institutionalize and me.
chanize Jewish charity and Jewish 80
'cial service by simply becoming a tax
agency and making the giver R funds
feel that he is paying communal tux.
1t il good In matters OF charity to leave
some scope for personal interest and
personal enthusiasm and local judg.
ment. Such nm organization, as u ma.
|
that al! the philanthropic activities for
American and foreign purposes in our
country, would in the last analysis. be
conducted by one Board OF Estimate
and Apportionment.
Il know that perhaps In the be.
ginning, 1t would call itself merely
collecting agency and would make stip.
ulatlons calculated to meet the inter.
ests and needs of existing organiza.
tions. In the end. however. 1t would
| inevitably tend to become also the Anal
authority In distribution. am only a
Rabbi and am somewhat different in
offering an opinion as to the limits OF
the size Of organization But just be.
cause am Rabbi, perhaps the moral
and spiritual aspects OF such n plan, the
/ imponderables connected with it, wiegh
very much with me. l am opposed to
such n project.
Even IL such national Chest were
/ desirable for some purposes, / certainly
would exclude educational activities
from Its scope. For whatever force
there is in my argument, If there be
any certainly applies above nll, TO edu.
cational activities. American Judaism
we hope some day will be established.
And for the present, various tendencies
Of thought are still contending. And
believe that freedom should be given TO
sincerely held convictions on the ques
tionS of religious education. on matters
concerning the ideals to be held up be
fore American Jewry. which ideals
must necessarily influence educational
activities. To create nm organization
which would approach the individual
with n request for lump sum of money
even for educational purposes, and then
leave it to the Board Of the national
Chest to decide how the collected money
should be distributed, might bring about
II very tyrannous spiritual condition in
American Jewry.'
From Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, Cleve-
land:
''Such plan would conserve energ,
and eliminate waste and duplication OF
effort,
by all means educational activities
should be included in the proposed plan
"Details concerning the orgnniGat ion
OF the Board and the distribution OF
funds can be worked out at some future
time.
II rather think that Palcstinian nc
tivities should not be included In this
national chest. They are quite distinc
: tive and OF too large n scope to he nb
sOrbed by IN ngency'