Libel and slander

The General Jewish Council was an umbrella organization founded by the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith, and Jewish Labor Committee in order to coordinate their rights defense activities.

The bulk of the records in this collection date between from 1938-1944, the active years of the Council. Materials consist primarily of correspondence, minutes, memoranda, and reports.

Collection contains correspondence, legal documents, news clippings, issues of newspapers, and photographs pertaining to Bashe and Kasriel Sarasohn and their Yiddish/English newspaper The Jewish Daily News. Correspondence includes letters of condolence upon Kasriel's death, a protest letter written by the Jewish Daily News to Mayor George B. McClellan concerning a statement Commissioner of Police Bingham made regarding Jews and crime, a thank you for fundraising efforts from the Central Committee for the Relief of Jews Suffering Through the War, and a letter from Rolls Royce of America regarding storage of a limousine. Legal documents pertain to a libel suit brought by Sarasohn against Arbeiter Zeitung Publishing Association. News clippings consist of articles and memorial tributes to Bashe and Kasriel, and anniversaries of The Jewish Daily News. Complete issues of the 25th and 30th anniversary numbers are available. Photographs include a confirmation class and Kasriel Sarasohn.