A report on the 1912 conference of the Jewish Socialist Agitational Bureau which voted to formally affiliate with the Socialist Party as the Jewish Socialist Federation with Jacob Salutsky elected Translator-Secretary.

‘Jewish Socialist Federation Convention Closes’ from The New York Call. Vol. 5 No. 155. June 3, 1912.

To Greatly Extend Sphere of Activities and Affiliate With Socialists.

The eighth annual convention of the Jewish Socialist Agitation Bureau closed yesterday afternoon, after a four days meet at Paterson, N.J.

The convention is regarded by the delegates as an epoch making gathering. The organizations will henceforth be known as the Jewish Socialist Federation and will be directly affiliated with the Socialist party. The activities of the Federation will now acquire a broader scope, since their branches will be affiliated with the local movement in their respective localities and through these local organizations with the national party.

The bureau before the National Socialist convention at Indianapolis had not been connected directly with The National Socialist party. The National Executive Committee, however, has helped the bureau materially by donating money for propaganda purposes.

The bureau since May, 1910 has held 320 meetings and to about 65,000 auditors and published 100,000 leaflets, of which 40,000 were distributed without cost to branches and the balance was sold and various booklets were published by them and sold at prices ranging from $20 to $3 per thousand. Booklets dealing with the Americans Government sold at $70 per thousand, has, at the request of branches, been issued in a number of editions. This booklet has done valuable work among immigrant workers in acquainting them with the American institutions.

The secretary, Barnet Wolf reported having been in communication with over eighty branches in about thirty States.

Yesterday morning’s session was held in the clubrooms of the Workingmen’s Free Library, 41 Bridge Street, Paterson, with Meyer Gellis in the chair and Charles Stegel as vice chairman.

William Edlin, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, submitted the following resolution to the convention, which were unanimously adopted.

A resolution condemning the Dillingham anti-immigration bill and its pernicious Root amendment.

A resolution calling upon the striking silk weavers of Paterson to take heed of the action of the silk bosses in their attempt to inject racial prejudice in their present economic struggle in which laborers of a number of nationalities are involved. The resolution concludes warning the strikers that all workers have one common enemy, the capitalist class. An appeal by the convention was issued to all Jewish workers to help their striking brothers at Paterson, N.J. The convention then advised affiliated branches to join the Ettor and Giovannitti Defense Conference in their respective localities.

The assembly then went on record warning the Jewish proletariat to beware of movements which are of a nationalist character, but claim to be Socialists, and thereby mislead many Jewish workingmen.

The National Committee was instructed to use written and oral propaganda to carry the resolution into effect.

A resolution indorsing the Jewish Socialist press, namely The Jewish Forward a daily of New York the Jewish Labor World a weekly of Chicago, and the Zukunft, a monthly issued in Chicago.

The resolution continues, calling upon the Socialist press to work more ardently in the future to serve the Interests of the Jewish working masses.

Fifteen delegates living within the 25 cents fare zone of New York City were nominated for the Executive Committee which is to consist of nine members.

J. Salutzky was nominated as translator and secretary-general.

As all business of the convention had been settled, a number of the delegates addressed the convention. Secretary Wolf said, “It has been yr ambition to build up a Jewish organization. We have had many crises, but now it looks as though we have added another battalion to the Socialist Army.

J. Salutzky, the candidate for secretaryship, followed. He outlined the prospective developments of the federation.

Karl Farnberg, editor and delegate of the Jewish Labor World, expressed his Congratulation to the Executive Committee.

“The incoming committee,” said Farnberg, “will be a consolidated committee of intellectuals and workers, a committee of practical Americans and Russian idealists as a whole, a working committee.”

B. Feigenbaum closed the session and brought the assemblage to a high pitch of enthusiasm before adjournment.

The New York Call was the first English-language Socialist daily paper in New York City and the second in the US after the Chicago Daily Socialist. The paper was the center of the Socialist Party and under the influence of Morris Hillquit, Charles Ervin, Julius Gerber, and William Butscher. The paper was opposed to World War One, and, unsurprising given the era’s fluidity, ambivalent on the Russian Revolution even after the expulsion of the SP’s Left Wing. The paper is an invaluable resource for information on the city’s workers movement and history and one of the most important papers in the history of US socialism. The paper ran from 1908 until 1923.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/the-new-york-call/1912/120603-newyorkcall-v05n155.pdf