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Community Currents
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 11, 1952,  page 2

By Albert Hutler, Executive Director, United Jewish Fund

In the last week before the Old Year ended your Executive Director attended a Histadrut meeting on Monday to hear and meet a Histadrut official from Israel, acted as M.C. on Tuesday at a thrilling Birthday Party for Ann Shelley at Beth Jacob Center; on Wednesday evening, was a judge at the AZA Discussion Contest held at the AZA Convention in Del Mar. Incidentally, it's quite a sight to see 125 boys participating in all of the activities of AZA.  Went to Los Angeles to see my Alma Mater, Illinois, whip Stanford. While there went on a hurried tour of the million dollar Jewish Community Building at 590 N. Vermont. All of the Jewish agencies and organizations in Los Angeles are now officing there at a much lower rental and at a saving to the Jewish community of Los Angeles. It's a beautiful building of which all Jews may well be proud. It's worth your visiting.

Community Relations Activities—Cases of anti-Semitism have been reported to the Community Relations Council during the past month. There was the case of a contractor making anti-Semitic remarks; the usual sending of anti-Semitic literature through the mail; reports about the "Mission to the Hebrews," and other small incidents. The Community Relations Committee  has been watching all these very closely.  The situation in Miami, Florida in which several Synagogues have been damaged, the Jewish Community Center bombed slightly, a housing project in which many Negroes live, damaged to the tune of $250,000 has the entire Miami community in an uproar. However, the F.B.I., the state and city government have entered the picture. There should be a solution to it in the near future. Rewards totalkng several thousand dollars have been offered for information.

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Several Saturdays ago was Bill of Rights Day. KFMB-TV showed the "Challenge," a film which explains the Bill of Rights. On the same day we received the startling news of a proposed initiative to amend the constitution of the State of California so that equal rights of citizens would be eliminated. The name of the group sponsoring this type of measure is "America Plus," the main office in Los Angeles.  All good citizens are cautioned to be on the look-out for any material relating to this organization and to forward it to the Community Relations Council office immediately.

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The United Jewish Fund in 1951 had the lowest campaign expenses of any fund raising organization in San Diego, the City Department of Social Welfare reported last week.  Fund campaign expenses were 2.8 percent with the American Red Cross 5.2 percent, National Fund for Infantile Paralysis 7.3 percent; Community Chest 4.7 percent; Tuberculosis and Health Association 10.7 percent, Cancer Society, 5.9 percent.  Report pointed out that 553 fund-raising drives were run in 1950-1951, or 112 fewer than the preceding year.