Dear Mr. Manasseh: I take this opportunity to thank you for the warm hospitality that you and your wife extended to me during my stay in India. With regard to the Sassoon School, Rabbi Jung has just informed me that the Joint Distribution Committee has made an initial grant of some $2,500 to the school. While I realize that this is far from sufficient, may I remind you that this is a beginning – as time goes on you can probably expect increases.I have just been informed from Israel that Mr. Robert Gilbert will shortly be in India, representing the J.D.C. and O.R.T. I most strongly urge you to befriend him in a personal way and try to develop him, thus benefiting the school in the long run.I hope you will be working closely with Mr. Jhirad, the Executive Director at U.O.J.C.A., especially on the matter of the lay Beth Din.Please do keep me informed about all matters as I am most anxious to assist the situation in India in any way that I can. Please bear in mind too that all the above information regarding the Joint Distribution Committee is confidential.Sincerely yours,Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Gilbert: I am sorry that I was not able to visit with you in Switzerland or wait for you in India. I am glad, however, that you have finally arrived in India, and I trust that you will fulfill all the great expectations held forth for the J.B.C. and for you in particular in India. I had wanted to discuss with you the highly complex problems in Bombay, especially regarding the schools. As you doubtless know, these things can become very complicated. May I make a suggestion? The J.B.C. in all its endeavors throughout the world has always been rightfully famous for its impartiality in regard to local controversies. I would therefore make this completely confidential recommendation to you: Perhaps the Educational Board in Bombay also includes some people other than the Katznelson group. There are men like Mr. D. N. Jhirad, Mr. Saul Ezekiel, Mr. E. S. Benjamin, and others, who are well known in Bombay Jewish circles, and are respected as competent and disinterested community representatives. I am saying this not because I blame that group which has already made arrangements to present you such educational problems as may concern the J.B.C.; rather, I am suggesting that in order to avoid any unnecessary beginnings that may lead to misunderstanding, you attempt to begin on what they both regard as neutral territory, to avoid the very beginnings of suspicion or prejudices. Do let me hear from you re: your progress. Our Indian brethren are sometimes headaches and I hope that you will steel yourself to their temperaments and thus keep happy and healthy. With all good wishes. Sincerely yours, Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Manasseh: A puzzling misunderstanding seems to have developed here in New York concerning the confidential information I gave you about the Joint Distribution Committee's $2500 grant to the Sassoon School. I was under the impression that [redacted] gave ne this information, and [redacted] in turn does not recall where he got it from and believes that his was [redacted]. [redacted] in turn, remembers only that I told him about it.Whatever the case may be it is by now irrelevant. [redacted] has just informed me that the Joint has decided to give much more than $2500 to the school. They are to receive, at least for this year, $500 per month. An equal amount is to be given to the Kadoorie School, and another sum is to be allocated for the orphan asylum, etc. The total of $6000 per year should give considerable impetus to the school.Meanwhile I have been in contact with [redacted] and the impression I get is that he would like as much as possible not to be involved in the local controversies. He also said it is not up to him to choose the members of the committee, but that he would see what he could do about recommending the names I submitted to him and which I received from you.I do hope things will work out and that you will be able to rally community support to the cause which unites us and for the organizations in Bombay which are working towards the achievement of our ideals.Sincerely,Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Jhirad, It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Joint Overseas Commission of the Orthodox Union, at its last meeting, discussed in great detail the various needs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of India, as they are stated in the communications we received from your good self and Mr. Penkar during the last several months. It was decided to approve and support the following expenditures: (1) The continued publication of Mebasser.The continuation and the possible increase of the Hebrew classes you have arranged in cooperation with the Jewish Agency.The project which we would like to see enlarged to a greater number of participants.We would also very much like you to accept officially the position of the Director of the UOJCI, as discussed in your correspondence with Rabbi Norman Lamm.In order to facilitate the above, we shall send to the UOJCI the necessary funds which we estimate to be \$1,700 for the year 1961. Our first payment of \$500 is enclosed. It would be helpful if you could send us a brief budgetary statement containing the expected 1961 expenses for *Mebasser*, the classes, and the camp, also including your own remuneration. This statement should also contain the amount your organization expects to raise locally and the deficit to be defrayed by us.It was furthermore decided that we shall contact Mr. Joseph Grossman concerning the training of teachers in the Holy Land. Mr. Grossman has been in contact, by correspondence, with Rabbi Leo Jung concerning this matter, and our Commission has, in principle, agreed to pay the required travel expenses from India to Israel for at least three additional students. We want to enable the Jewish Agency to send three young men for training as teachers to Israel, in addition to the number for which the Agency’s India budget makes provision.It gives me also pleasure to inform you that the Traditional Educational Association, upon the request of Rabbi Norman Lamm, has mailed to the UOJCI on…