Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
HOUSING
Digests of resolutions adopted by the
Central Conference of American Rabbis
between 1889 and 1974
1. We urge that proper housing for working people be secured, if necessary,
through
government regulation. (1918, p. 102)
2. We urge that a great portion of the public reconstruction finance funds now
being
administered by our Government be given into the hands of publicly controlled
groups
for the building of decent housing facilities under municipal control. (1932,
p.
102)
3. Housing for wage earners must be made a permanent Federal project through
the establishment
of a Federal Housing Division. (1935, p. 80)
4. We hope that the abolition of slums through Federal housing aids will be
continued.
(1942, p. 97)
5. We favor all methods of facilitating the building of modest-priced housing
for
veterans and members of the civilian population. (1946, p. 103)
6. We call attention to the grievous need for low-cost housing among people in
low-income
categories and by war veterans. We urge Congress to enact legislation for
Federal
subsidies to remedy this national disgrace. (1948, p. 128)
7. We endorse two measures before the 81st Congress: to establish a national
housing
objective and a policy to provide federal aid to assist slum clearance
projects and
low-rent public housing projects initiated by local agencies to provide for
financial
assistance for farm housing and other purposes. We also recommend that
additional legislation
be enacted to stimulate the building of rental housing for middle economic
groups.
(1949, p. 131)
8. Discrimination in Housing, See under Discrimination, d) Housing.
9. Reaffirming our belief in the principles of equality vital to American
life, we
believe all our cities and suburban areas should have open occupancy in
housing.
We consider it unfortunate that, in an era when Federal Civil Rights
legislation
is being used to bolster many of the rights of minority groups, we have
nothing other than Executive
Order 11063 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in support of the
right
to equal housing opportunity. These are limited to Federally assisted housing,
estimated to be less than twenty percent of current housing production. We
recognize the
urgent need for immediate remedial action. Inspired by the vision of the
Psalmist
who declared, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together
in unity," we
therefore:
in our community
seeking equal opportunity in housing for all.
whether
as lenders, realtors, landlords, or builders, as well as all who own homes, to
support
a policy of open occupancy.
11063 so that
it will cover all housing which is financed by lending institutions supervised
by
the Federal government, thus increasing the Federal government’s protection of
the
right to equal opportunity in housing to some eighty per cent of American
homes, and
that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President, the Vice
President,
and to the representatives of the news media. (1965, p. 120)