On January 26, 1936, the PER agreed to sign a pact of collaboration with the UER, together forming the Central Council of Romanian Jews ("Consiliul Central al Evreilor din România", CCER), which fought in defense of Jewish rights and against antisemitic actions. The CCER did not represent "a third organization—added to or supplanting PER and UER—nor a single body resulting from their fusion", and declared itself apolitical, committed to the defense Jews "within the framework of organic laws". In its appeal to the Romanian nation, it excoriated the tenets of economic antisemitism, citing data which showed that Jews were a minority in enviable professions, and that, statistically, they were similarly exposed to the problems of the Great Depression, including homelessness and malnutrition. The CCER also defended itself against claims that it was stoking antisemitism, dismissing them as "cynical, with the purpose of making victims into culprits."