Newspaper Page Text
|j, of the anti-poverty pro-
gi on has community relations
ip, plications.
SO, IAL CHANGE AND
RO CIVIL RIGHTS
wish involvement in the
attainment of Negro civil
rights is of particular import
ance to Southern Jewry. There
has been considerable misin
formation and misunderstand
ing of the role of the Jew in
ihi South in what has come
to be known as the Negro
revolution.
Great social changes are tak
ing place in Southern life.
These have been accelerated in
recent years by the rapid ur
banization and industrializa
tion of the region. We must
also see the changes in the
background of the emergence
of strong Negro leadership.
Until recent years there
were committees and Councils
on inter-racial cooperation in
many communities in the
South. Jews as individuals
were active in many of these
committees. While these coun
cils were inter-racial in mem
bership their strength, leader
ship. and financial support
came from the white group.
Their activities were gradual
ist in nature and were within
the framework of accepting
the status quo merely trying
to ameliorate conditions. In
that period Jewish women
were active a 1 o n gside of
Protestant and Catholic church
women in trying to build bet-
ter understanding among
groups without challenging the
basic patterns of segregation.
After a long list of court
victories in breaking the pat
terns of segregation in political
primaries, in inter - state
transportation, in certain edu
cational institutions, that the
final breach in the wall of
separation came with the de
cisions of 1954 that the doctrine
of separate but equal in edu
cation was unconstitutional.
This decision laid the ground
work for the beginning of an
attack on all patterns of segre
gation everywhere in all areas
of human life.
NEW NEGRO LEADERSHIP
New Negro organizations
came into being to lead the
'truggle for Negro rights and
for equality of opportunity. A
militant, activist leadership
ame to the fore from among
"\gro ministers, students and
a ofessionals. For the first
me Negroes developed a
tong determined leadership
t their own. They did not
ok to white leaders to take
1 the struggle for them.
The first general reaction in
e South was violent. The
,; >n sprung into action. White
tizens Councils were organ-
d throughout the South. The'
to mongers and anti-semites
oe Southern Israelite
jumped on the band-wagon for
the preservation of white su
premacy and the maintenance
of segregation. The segs raised
the cry of “Jew money” and
Jew communist conspiracy.”
STAND OF JEWISH
ORGANIZATIONS
The Negroes came forward
with new techniques of pro
test. Pickets, street demonstra
tions, sit-ins mainly by stu
dents, kneel-ins. wade-ins, and
mass marches. Jews in small
numbers participated in all
these. What was the reaction
of Southern Jewry to the Ne
gro struggle for rights and
freesom now?
It should be noted and under
scored that the organized Jew
ish communities through their
community relations commit
tees or councils, from the very
beginning, went on record as
supporting civil rights for Ne
groes and all minority groups.
When the report of the
Truman Committee on civil
rights was issued the Com
munity Council of Atlanta
went on record supporting its
recommendations. Later it sup
ported the efforts to enact
legislation.
The Jacksonville Council did
the same. The Council in
Nashville became even more
involved in local inter-group
and inter-racial activities.
There were no objections
raised by most of the Jewish
community relations agencies
in the South to the forthright
statements adopted and issued
the national agencies.
The questions that were
raised pertained to methods of
publicity.
NATIONAL AGENCIES
AND KEY PEOPLE
The hue and cry against the
statements of the national
agencies publicized in South
ern Communities came mostly
from the so-called “key peo
ple" in Alabama. Mississippi.
Louisiana, Florida, and some
from Georgia, who were among
the big contributors to the na
tional agencies. They regarded
themselves as self-appointed
leaders who joined in the
clamor to silence the national
agencies.
This is not a defense of
Southern Jewry for the state
of inaction on civil rights. The
old saying applies, "vie es
christelt zich, zo yiddelt zich
as Christians do so the Jews
do. There was a state of inac
tion in the general community
which reflected itself also in
the Jewish community.
JEWISH AGENCIES AND
THEIR INVOLVEMENT
The South in general cannot
be regarded as a monolith,
single and uniform in its re
actions to the social issues con
fronting it. The Jewish com
munity in the South as well
cannot be regarded as niono-
iisthic in its responce to social
issues. It has elements that are
moderate, liberal, conservative
^r radical in their thinking on
social problems.
I maintain for the record
that Jewish communities in the
South through their organized
instrumentalities were not re
miss in their responsibilities to
meet the challenge quietly and
effectively in the circumstances
of the realities of daily living.
It is trire that they shunned
the limelight, but theirs was
not the noisy display but the
dfective concern with seeking
solutions.
It should be pointed out
that there were Jewish stu
dents and Jewish faculty
members of Southern colleges,
not in large numbers, who
More Than 11,000 Employees in Three Southern States
Co
INDUSTRIAL, HOUSEHOLD
AND APPAREL FABRICS
tCcst Point Manufacturing Company
GENERAL OFFICES-WEST POINT, GEORGIA
DIVISIONS AND AFFILIATES LOCATED IN:
Columbus, LaGrange, Dalton, and Newnan, Ga.; Lanett,
Shawmut, Langdale, Fairfax, and River View, Ala.
Anderson, S.C.: and New York City.
VJL ID; on a t Bank
Member FDIC
LANETT, ALABAMA
SUNNYLAND PACKING COMPANY
“SUNNYLAND” MEAT PACKERS"
P.O. Box 1280
Dothan, Alabama
Telephone SY. 2-1151
49