Funds’ Council Urges Strong Support of U.J.A. Drive; Goal is $23,000,000

The agreement for a United Jewish Appeal campaign in 1940 had the strong backing today of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, which last night concluded its seventh General Assembly here.

The goal of the 1940 drive was unofficially announced as $23,000,000, an increase of $3,000,000 over the 1939 objective.

It was announced that three representatives of the Council will serve on the Allocations Committee set up to distribute the campaign funds among the three component groups, the National Refugee Service, the Joint Distribution Committee and the United Palestine Appeal. They will serve on the committee with two representatives from each of the component bodies.

The resolution adopted by the Council “urges all member welfare funds and all other fund-raising groups participating in united campaigns to exert the fullest strength and influence to achieve maximum results in behalf of overseas, refugee and Palestinian agencies that are now or may during the campaign be included within the scope of the United Jewish Appeal, as well as in behalf of other agencies as have by record and performance merited and received support from American Jewish communities.”

The resolution endorses as a progressive step the bringing of Council and welfare fund agencies into closer association with administrative forces in fund-raising agencies through a proposed budget committee. It approves establishment of an auditing service to evaluate expenditures and program and urges the United Jewish Appeal to continue to work out satisfactory cooperative relationships with the functioning bodies for the three U.J.A. agencies.

Formation of a youth division of the Council, to function as a constituent body, was advocated at a youth session yesterday, the first in the Council’s history.

Both approval of and dissatisfaction with the General Jewish Council were voiced by speakers at a session Sunday night devoted to the organization on which are represented the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, the B’nai B’rith and the Jewish Labor Committee.

B’nai B’rith President Henry Monsky, vice-chairman of the Council, reviewing its history, declared the Council had proved useful and appealed for patience. He said the main purpose of the group was not to amalgamate the four constituent agencies into a functional agency but to coordinate policies of the organizations which were separated by different ideologies.

Simon Shetzer, president of the Detroit Jewish Community Council, took issue with Mr. Monsky, expressing dissatisfaction that the Council had not yet created a single agency. Sigmund David, of Chicago, voiced agreement with Mr. Shetzer, while E.J. Schanfarber, of Columbus, urged patience and asked that the Council be given further opportunity to prove its worth.

Mr. Monsky, summing up, expressed the belief that through the Council the four agencies had made an effective effort and that the experiences and experts they were placing at the disposal of the Council had proved valuable.