American Jewry Will Mourn on Wednesday for Jews Murdered by Nazis in Europe

Leading American Jewish organizations joined today in an appeal to the Jews of the United States and to the Jews of free lands throughout the world to observe Wednesday, December 2, as a day of mourning and prayer for the Jewish victims of Hitlerism.

Signatories, to the appeal include the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress. B’nai B’rith, Synagogue Council of America, the American branches of the Zionist movement, including the Mizrachi and Poale Zion, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis in America, and the American branch of the Agudath Israel.

At the same time, the Jewish Labor Committee made known that members of trade unions will observe the day of mourning on December 2 through a fifteen minute stoppage of work. This time, however, will be made up in order not to retard the war effort. In their appeal to the free Jews of the world, the American Jewish organizations point out “that the greatest calamity in Jewish history has befallen Jewish communities” and that “nearly two million Jews have been cruelly done to death while the remaining millions live in the shadow of impending doom.”

Supporting the proclamation of the American Jewish organizations, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization, joined with Dr. Stephen S. Wise and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, heads of the World Jewish Congress, in cabling twenty-nine communities in various sections of the world to observe December 2 in their own countries as a day of mourning, fasting and prayer “for the Jewish victims of the greatest crime against humanity.” Jewish communities invited by them to join in the world-wide observance of the day of mourning include Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Ecuador, England, Guatemala, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Panama, Nicaragua, Peru, Costa Rica, South Africa, Sweden, San Domingo, Syria, San Salvador, Mexico, Trinidad, Uruguay, and Venezuela.