In the waning years of World War II, a group of Americans of Jewish faith became convinced that the American people generally--Jews as well as Gentiles--were not fully aware of the true nature of Zionism. They did not share the widespread view of Zionism as simply a humanitarian movement, but saw it instead as basically a nationalist movement with altruism and spiritual values subordinated to polities, capitalizing upon the sympathies of a war-weary world.
In 1943 a number of Reform rabbis and lay leaders committed to the principle that Judaism is a religion and not a nationality joined forces to form the American Council for Judaism. Lessing Rosenwald, prominent businessman and philanthropist, became president of the Council. Administration of the organization was entrusted to Rabbi Elmer Berger, a skilled debater who as a rabbi in Michigan had already won attention with his philosophy of integration and his challenges to Zionism. Under such leadership it was hoped that the Council might provide a viable and vocal alternative to Zionism, and help to safeguard the spiritual values of Judaism against intrusions of nationalism and politics.
From its inception, the Council plunged into controversy. Its indictment of Zionism rested on several counts: by stressing the racial unity of the Jewish “people”, Zionism provided fuel for racist propaganda; it violated humanitarian principles by thwarting attempts of Jewish refugees to settle in areas other than Palestine, by ignoring the rights of the resident population of Palestine, and by the terrorist activities of extremists within the movement; by calling upon a “higher loyalty” of all Jews to the “Jewish people” it cast a shadow upon the loyalties of Jewish citizens of the United States and other nations; its aims conflicted with the best interests of United States economic and foreign policies; and perhaps most important, it threatened the spiritual foundations of Judaism by subverting the principle of separation of church and state. In the Council's view, these issues were not diminished by the creation of Israel in 1948.
Appalled at the wartime sufferings of their co-religionists in Europe, but convinced that mass migration to Palestine could neither heal the wounds nor erase the scars of persecution and anti-Semitism, the Council sought positive alternatives. Since it regarded religion (rather than culture, race, or nationality) as the only bond among Jews, it advocated integration rather than separatism for Jews of all nations. It lobbied for reforms in United States immigration regulations in order to allow more refugees, Jews and Gentiles alike, to enter this country. It worked closely with a large number of non-Zionist refugee relief organizations. And it supported efforts at compromise in Palestine which would respect the rights of all faiths and ethnic groups.
The Council's earliest activities were largely devoted to publicizing its own interpretation of Zionism through press releases, public speeches and debates, letters and other mailings to selected groups of policy makers and opinion leaders, magazine articles, and publications of its own. Very early in the Council's existence Rabbi Berger and others began to feel that the organization's publicity campaign must be matched by an expanded membership base if its views were to carry weight.
In addition to a vigorous membership campaign via mail solicitation, Rabbi Berger embarked upon speaking and organizing tours of the country, frequently accompanied by Rabbi Irving Reichert of San Francisco, another of the founders of the Council. Chapters were eventually established in thirty-five cities. In 1946 the national headquarters was moved from Philadelphia to New York, which also served as the Eastern Regional Office. Regional offices were also set up in Richmond (Southeast Region), Chicago (Mid-West Region), Dallas (Southwest Region), and San Francisco (Western Region).
As the Council grew, its activities also expanded to include such projects as research into the phenomenon of anti-Semitism and its relationship to Zionism; an examination of the writings and speeches of Zionists to determine the implications of Zionism for Americans of Jewish faith; an investigation of children's religious texts and story books as vehicles (whether intentional or not) for Zionist propaganda; a philanthropic fund; and schools for Judaism for children of members.
