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The Southern Israelite
Jewish JUmen Urge National Cooperation
By ESTELLE M. STERNBERGER
Jewish womanhood in America has
expressed its ideals through the es
tablishment of several national organi
zations. The first of these, the National
Council of Jewish Women, was formed
in 1893. In 1912, the Hadassah, the
women’s Zionist organization, was es
tablished, and a few months later, in
January, 1913, the National Federation
of Temple Sisterhoods. In order to
meet the needs of the conservative
synagogues, the Women’s League of
the United Synagogues of America, was
founded in 1918, and in 1920, the
Women’s branch of the Union of Or
thodox Jewish Congregations was
formed.
With the establishment of these sev
eral national organizations, many real
ize that though each served a specific
and distinct purpose, there was need
for establishing some form of relation
ship between them that would enable
them to function to the benefit and
welfare of the American Jewish com
munity, through the avoidance of con
flicts, misunderstandings and needless
duplication. In some cities, the move
ment towards such co-operation arose
without external stimulation and in re-
sponce to mutual advantages that had
already been foreseen. By May, 1922,
six local associations, or conferences of
Jewish women’s organizations, had been
launched in the cities of Chicago, Bos
ton, Baltimore, Cleveland, Nashville,
and Atlanta.
As part of its program to further a
broad community understanding among
the various Jewish groups, the National
Council of Jewish Women stimulated
the organization of local associations of
Jewish Women’s Organizations, with
the result that within the first year of
this activity, twenty local associations
of Jewish women’s organizations were
organized, through the Committee on
Civic and Communal Affairs. By May,
1929, their number had increased to
fifty-six.
The chief benefits that have proceed
ed from this program of co-operation
are the following: In the cities where
the conferences or associations have
been established, one no longer finds
two or more local Jewish women’s or
ganizations meeting on the same day,
and at the same hour, disregarding the
fact that many women belong to several
local women’s organizations. The in
centive is provided for enabling each
organization to obtain a more depend
able and clearer understanding of the
aims and purposes of the other organi
zations in the world of Jewish woman
hood. Antagonisms have been avoided
through this sympathetic understand
ing. In some communities, the several
local organizations have taken counsel
together on the most favorable dates
for scheduling their respective affairs
for money-raising purposes, and sO se
cured a maximum of support on the
part of the community. Educational
programs, including cultural courses,
Council lectures and public demonstra
tions in the interest of world peace,
have been jointly sponsored. Consid
eration has also been given to the re
spective programs, so as to avoid dupli
cation of activity, with its unnecessary
financial waste.
At the call of the National Federation
of Temple Sisterhoods, following its
convention in New York city in 1923,
the representatives of three national
organizations, namely, the National
Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, the
National Council of Jewish Women,
and the Women’s League of the United
Synagogue of America, met in St. Louis
in 1925, and formed the Conference
Committee of National Jewish Women's
Organizations, to secure for the na
tional organizations the same advant-
ESTELLE M. STERNBERGER
ages that had been achieved hy the
local associations. Immediately there
after, the Hadassah and the Women’s
Branch of the Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations joined the Con
ference Committee, which now repre
sents almost 2tX),(XXl Jewish women.
One of the first acts of this Confer
ence Committee was to give its en
dorsement to the movement developing
among local organizations, by its de
cision to urge the formation of such
local federations or associations of Jew
ish women’s organizations in every
community, and to make available lit
erature for guiding local communities
in their efforts towards this end. It
announced its readiness to co-operate
with the United States Government in
any hour or occasion of national crisis
or distress by immediately rallying the
entire force of Jewish womanhood.
In some communities, it was observed,
there was a tendency to ignore the fact
that the membership of Jewish women
of varying religious outlooks in any
particular organization, made it not
only desirable, but necessary, that their
religious point of view be considered
and respected. It was particularly in
connection with luncheons and dinners
that unpleasant incidents occurred. This
Conference Committee of National
Jewish Women’s Organizations, through
its authorized representatives, resolved
to urge upon every Jewish women’s or
ganization in the land to observe the
dietary laws at all dinners and public
functions, held under Jewish auspices,
and which appealed to Jewish men and
women of various groups. This resolu
tion was animated by an earnest desire
to further co-operation in the Jewish
community and to avoid the develop
ment of any practices that tended to
divide its members. In keeping with
this spirit, the Conference Committee
addressed an appeal to the several
Jewish women’s organizations, through
the respective member national organi
zations, to further the observance of
the Jewish Sabbath in all public insti
tutions maintained by the Jewish com
munity.
1 he Jewish community frequently
voiced its outraged feelings and objec
tions to the missionary efforts of
Christianity, but overlooked the fact
that, in some instances, one group of
the Jewish community would conduct
religious activities for the benefit of
another religious group, and lose sight
of the principles that should animate
such activities. The Conference Com
mittee agreed that any religious work
sponsored by its member national or
ganizations and their constituent local
organizations, shall always be in ac
cordance with the point of view of the
particular group for whom such religi
ous program is sponsored. A decision
of this character elevated inter-com
munal activity to the highest degree of
altruism and disinterestedness.
Since Judaism is acknowledged as
the fountain-head of these several or
ganizations, the Conference Committee
provided for the calling of a Cultural
Activities Conference, for the consid
eration of the Jewish educational pro
grams of these several bodies. Complete
information on these programs was
submitted in advance of the Cultural
Activities Conference and copies made
available to the representatives of the
several organizations when they as
sembled last May in New York City.
Out of this conference have proceeded
several definite suggestions and agree
ments, on the basis of which a further
conference is to be held during the
month of January, 1931. It is anticipated
that papers on various Jewish subjects
of common interest, will be made avail
able and distributed to all Jewish
women’s organizations, through the
auspices of the Conference Comm
Such activity will be the means <>:
pressively conveying to the J.
women of America that, though th<
organized into several national ami
units, there are fundamental int
in Judaism, Jewish life and h:
past and present, that they treasu
common.
Among other questions, on which
Conference Committee has acted,
those of calling attention to the h- .hi,
needs of European Jewry and the >
vice rendered in this direction bv the
O. Z. E. and the T. O. Z.; the appeal
to its member organizations to it
erate with the League for Safeguarding
the Fixity of the Sabbath Against Fu
sible Enroachment Through Calendar
Reform; the discussion of the marriage
and divorce problems in modern Jewish
life; the need for the better observance
of the Jewish Sabbath in the honu-s oi
every Jewish family in America, and
the inclusion of a discussion of Pales
tine in the year’s program of each
organization.
At the present moment, a study
being made of the existing local Fed
erations or Associations of Jewisl
Women’s Organizations, in order to
ascertain the activities in which they
arc engaged, the benefits they have
received from the program of co-opera
tion that underlies their establishment,
and the problems in inter-organization
co-operation that are still to be solved.
The next meeting of the Conferem
Committee of the National Jewish
Women’s Organizations will be held in
connection with the annual meeting o
the Women’s Branch of the I'nio
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
America. At this writing, each natioi
organization will present an exhibit of
its program and activities, so a
convey a graphic account of their
nature and scope.
Great advances have been made dur
ing these six years in directing the
work of American Jewish womanh
in the spirit of understanding, of co
operation and of an overwhelming
acknowledment of their common allegi
ance to Judaism. The Conference Com
mittee is the conscience of American
Jewish womanhood that summons all
Jewish women to minister at the com
mon altar of the Jew’ish community
for any selfish aggrandizement, bt;'
the enlargement of the Jewish ml,
for the wealth of every member -
Jewish community, and for the
hancement of modern Jewry’s si ■• ce -
to humankind.