Schulson, Hyman A., 1912-1997.

Hyman A. Schulson (1912-1997) was an attorney, Zionist, and activist in Jewish community affairs.

In September of 1940 he was appointed administrative assistant to the executive director of the Zionist Organization of America. Following his military service during World War II, Schulson resumed his Zionist work as representative (and later, in 1949, as director) in Washington, D.C. of the American Zionist Emergency Council. As Washington, D.C. representative Schulson was responsible for conveying to members of congress, governmental officials and others the Council's analysis of the Palestine problem and of the urgent need to create an independent Jewish state. In the fall of 1948 he attended the Paris session of the United Nations as the Council's special representative. He left the Council after the creation of the state of Israel. In early 1951 he was appointed counsel and national executive director of the American ORT Federation, a position he held until December when he resigned to take up the private practice of law in New York City.

Hyman A. Schulson (1912-1997), attorney, Zionist, and activist in Jewish community affairs, was born in Jerusalem, the son of Solomon and Minnie (Schnitzer) Schulson. A resident of the U.S. since 1917, he was graduated from Brown University (1933) and from Yale Law School (1936). Subsequently, he served as staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board (1937-38), and as trial attorney in Chicago (1938-39). In September of 1940 he was appointed administrative assistant to the executive director of the Zionist Organization of America. For a brief period in the summer of 1942 he was on loan to the Emergency Committee for Zionist Affairs. From December 1942 until 1946 he was on active duty in the United States Army Air Forces.

Upon his discharge from military service Schulson resumed his Zionist work as representative (and later, in 1949, as director) in Washington, D.C. of the American Zionist Emergency Council. Established in 1940, the Council was an umbrella group composed of several Zionist organizations including Hadassah, Women's Zionist Organization of America, Mizrachi Organization of America, and the Zionist Organization of America. It lobbied for the creation of an independent Jewish state in Palestine which would serve as a permanent homeland for Jews of the Diaspora and also as a sanctuary for the immediate resettlement of the tens of thousands of Jews left homeless in Europe at the end of the Second World War.

As Washington, D.C. representative Schulson was responsible for conveying to members of congress, governmental officials and others the Council's analysis of the Palestine problem and of the urgent need to create an independent Jewish state. In the fall of 1948 he attended the Paris session of the United Nations as the Council's special representative where he reported on the diplomatic and political maneuverings over the proposal to adopt the Bernadotte Plan devised by Count Folke Bernadotte, the United Nations representative who was sent to Palestine in the summer of 1948 for the purpose of achieving a negotiated settlement between Arabs and Jews.

In the fall of 1949 the Council underwent reorganization. The term "Emergency" was dropped from its title. Its work henceforth was to be more educational in nature and less political and agitational. With its new focus on appealing to churches, labor unions and liberal organizations to support the new State of Israel it had less need for staff with "political" connections. As a result Schulson's employment with the Council was terminated in October of that year.

For most of his life Schulson was actively involved in Jewish community affairs. In early 1951 he was appointed counsel and national executive director of the American ORT Federation, a position he held until December when he resigned to take up the private practice of law in New York City. He felt he could be more effective in promoting Zionist causes as a private citizen. He was a member of the bar associations of New York, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin. In 1950 he was married to Ruth Hendricks with whom he had three children, David, Henry and Anne.