Community Leaders Stress Need for Long Range Planning of Aid

Resolutions emphasizing the need for long range planning “for vital services at home and abroad” rather than on a year-to-year emergency basis and the necessity to continually attract and train additional leadership to carry out these programs, were adopted at a two-day parley of Jewish community leaders here marking the 16th annual conference of the New York-Ontario Region of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.

The Conference also adopted a resolution reaffirming support for Israel’s Four Point program. The resolution emphasized that the “particular responsibility” of Jewish communities was to raise maximum “free philanthropic dollars.” It called for coordination on local and national levels of all efforts including bonds, inter-governmental aid and private investment–to provide “maximum aid for Israel.”

The resolutions were adopted following addresses and a general discussion of the economic climate for fund-raising in 1982 and Israel’s current economic situation. Principal speakers where Joseph Markel, president of the United Jewish Federation of Buffalo, Meyer W. Gasner, campaign chairman of the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Toronto, Harold Glasser, director of the C.J.F.W.F. Institute on Overseas Studies, and Philip Bernstein, associate director of the C.J.F.W.F.

RISING COST OF JEWISH PHILANTHROPIC SERVICES CITED

Despite the “record-breaking prosperity” generally predicted for the United States this year, Mr. Glasser declared, continued rising costs of philanthropic services would bring “sharp reductions” in local national and overseas programs supported by American Jewry unless substantially higher sums are raised in 1952. He added that the general economic picture sustained the expectation than larger funds could be raised.

Considering Israel’s current “severe economic crisis,” Mr. Glasser said that there was now general recognition that the key to attainment of economic self-sufficiency and reduction of the present gap in foreign exchange was a tremendous expansion of agricultural production. He pointed out that this task was a primary target of American Jewish philanthropic aid, and that Israel had the potential to achieve economic self-sufficiency for its population.

In discussing long range planning, the 75 leaders from the Jewish communities in the New York-Ontario Region urged that such planning include analysis of needs, stress on information and education programs, maximum participation in community service, and thoughtful programs of recruiting and development of leadership. In particular, the delegates urged, each central community organization should work with its Bureau of Jewish Education, Jewish centers, congregations, and other youth groups in informing and training Jewish youth for future leadership preparation.

“The leadership we need as community leadership. “Mr. Bernstein declared in his address, “are people concerned with the totality of Jewish need – overseas, national and local – and concerned with the larger community of which we are a part. We need a leadership which sees the whole as greater than any of its parts, that is concerned with what is best for all, that can rise above partisanship. We need leaders who look at both sides of any difference who do not react to vague slogans but rather look at the real facts, leaders who do their own thinking and don’t let others think for them.”

Mr. Bernstein added that there is “a vast reservoir of ability which still needs to be more fully tapped for development into leadership.” He cited as examples men who have shown outstanding qualities in business, professions and various phases of Jewish activity. Pointing out that women “constitute half of our communities but only a small fraction of boards and committees,” he declared that they have organizational training and experience, time, widespread following, and often an unusual understanding of Jewish and welfare needs.

“We can draw also much more from among our young people” Mr. Bernstein added, “many of whom often have organizational experience, are interested, intelligent and informed, and bring new ideas and an independent approach to problems.”

CARE OF AGED JEWS BECOMES MAJOR PROBLEM IN COMMUNITIES

In a session on problems and trends in homes for Jewish aged, delegates demonstrated awareness that care of the aged is rapidly becoming a major problem in Jewish welfare programs, and that a broader relationship between homes for the aged and central Jewish community organizations and community-wide services is becoming increasingly necessary. A resolution growing out of this discussion declared that since “experience in recent years has proved that longer life is creating new problems for the aged, it is desirable to obtain coordination of the activities of the home for aged with the central planning body in the Jewish community.”

At a workshop on community organization problems, representatives of larger cities in the region discussed current trends and exchanged experience on specific problems. They passed a resolution recognizing the need “for a greater interchange of experience, problems and actions” of the communities in the region in matters of national and international Jewish services supported by the welfare funds. The resolution urged communities to “concern themselves with programs and policies of national and overseas agencies, and that community opinions should be conveyed to those organizations, either directly, or through the C.J.F.W.F.”

Arthur Markson, of Utica, was re-elected regional president for 1952. Other regional officers elected for 1952 were Gurston S. Allen, Toronto; Joseph Goldstein, Rochester, Lewis Lurie, Schenectady, and Howard T. Saperston, Buffalo, vice-presidents. Sidney LaCholter, Albany, was chosen treasurer and finance chairman; Sol Boxer, Troy, secretary; Morris Berinstein, Syracuse, regional representative to the U.J.A.; and Sol M. Reiter, Newburgh, regional representative to the United Israel Appeal.