David Rockefeller, philanthropist and civic leader, and Senator Herbert H. Lehman received last night the 1953 World Brotherhood Awards of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in recognition of their contributions to the ideal of human fellowship. The awards were presented by Dr. Louis Finkelstein, chancellor, of the seminary, at its World Brotherhood Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Accepting the award, Senator Lehman declared that efforts to apply the doctrine of brotherhood to the specific problems of our times are often likely to be called “silly and sentimental, or even dangerous, and subversive.” He cited as examples the proposal to prevent racial and religious discrimination in employment, the move to abolish segregation in the schools, in public housing and other facilities the United Nations covenant to advance the cause of human rights; and the move to eradicate racial and national prejudice from immigration laws.
It is increasingly obvious, he went on, that “unless men learn to respect and cherish each other and to live in peace and justice together in the brotherhood of cooperation, their destiny may be to die together in the brotherhood of destruction.” Mr. Rockefeller said that Americans may take pride in the progress made in recent decades toward overcoming prejudice and reducing practices of segregation and discrimination against racial and national minorities.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
