The Bergson Group, Emergency Conference

Part 4) of The Bergson Group, A History in Photographs

The Roosevelt administration claimed nothing could be done to rescue Europe’s Jews except to defeat the Nazis on the battlefield. It characterized its approach as “rescue through victory.” The Bergson Group, which headlined its newspaper ads with slogans such as “It Can Be Done,” insisted that rescue was possible. In July 1943, the Bergsonites staged a four-day Emergency Conference to Save the Jewish People of Europe. Held at the Hotel Commodore in New York City, the assembly featured military and political experts who argued that various means of rescue were still feasible. More than 1,500 delegates attended the gathering. On its final day, the conference officially transformed itself into the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People of Europe.