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Community Currents
Southwestern Jewish Press, February 2, 1951,  page 2

By Albert Hutler, Executive Director, United Jewish Fund

Progressive Step—Another step forward in our community welfare organizational setup was made when the Federation of Jewish Agencies worked out an agreement between the Jewish Welfare Society and the Jewish Consumptive Relief Assoc. Aux. of San Diego, which will soon make for closer cooperation between the two agencies in the field of tuberculosis and cancer. The agreement which is expected to be signed by the two organizations involved, in the very near future, calls for all investigation on application for admission to the City of Hope in Duarte, California, to be made by the staff of the Jewish Welfare Society in conjunction with the JCRA Auxiliary. It further sets up a program of after care, which has been badly needed in our community, for patients discharged from the sanatorium. Both organizations are to be congratulated.

B'nai B'rith Carries The Torch —San Diego Lasker Lodge has evidently created a precedent by its actions on the Community Center controversy in San Diego. The Norfolk Jewish Community News stated the other day, "the question of whether or not Norfolk, Virginia, should have a Jewish Community Center will be discussed at a joint meeting of the two B'nai B'rith Lodges and the women's auxiliary of this city."  This controversial question in San Diego should be settled within the next 30 to 60 days, and it is expected that all four B.B. groups in our community will play an active part in its development.

Optimistic 1951 Campaign—Miami, Florida, competing resort city, launched the first major 1951 Campaign on a very optimistic note at a meeting of 125 of the larger givers in Miami. $448,000 as compared with $387,000 in 1950 was pledged or an increase of a little over 15 percent. This plus the optimistic note struck first at the great national planning conference in Washington, then at the general assembly of the Council of Federations and Welfare Funds, again last month at the National Conference of the United Jewish Appeal in Atlantic City, indicates an all out campaign in San Diego for 1951.

Brotherhood Week—Both the Bay City Chapter of B'nai B'rith and the Samuel I. Fox Lodge are doing a fine job on plans for a Brotherhood Week. Our hats are off to the ladies of the Bay City Chapter for their work on the Essay Contest on the question of Brotherhood, which they are sponsoring in the Junior High Schools of our city. We find they are a most cooperative organization, and  received the blessing of the Jewish Community Relations Council; in fact they received more—they received financial assistance so that a presentation in the form of a scroll might be made to every student who entered the contest. First presentations will be made at Roosevelt Junior High school Auditorium on February 26th, and it would be a good idea for as many to attend as possible to see these young people receive their award.  John Kluchin tells me that Samuel I. Fox Lodge is planning a Brotherhood Sabbath for Friday, February 23rd at all of the Synagogue. These are the kind of projects that everyone should participate in, whether they are started by a B'nai B'rith Lodge, or the Fund, or a Synagogue, or any other organization or institution in our community.