The Paris headquarters of the Ica, are said to be actually responsible for the cancellation of the agreement with the Canadian Government by which additional refugees could be admitted to Canada, according to a statement made by the Canadian Jewish Delegation which is at present in New York to confer with the Emergency Relief Committee regarding the Jewish refugee problem. The Delegation consists of S. W. Jacobs, A. Levine, chairman of Monireal Hias and Rabbi Brickner.
2,500 refugees have already come into Canada with the help of the Paris Ica, and 495 are now on the high seas from Trieste to arrive in Canada at the end of November, making a total of some 3,000 refugees.
According to the Canadian Ica, the Paris Ica, in a letter dated October 16th to Mr. Egan, the Deputy Commissioner of Canadian Immigration who was at that time in London, expressed her desire that since all bona fide Jewish refugees in Roumania had already been transferred to Canada that they desired to withdraw from the arrangement to transport additional Jewish emigrants to Canada. The events leading to this decision of the Ica were described by the delegations as follows:
About a year ago, the Montreal branch of the Ica was approached by the Paris office with a request to see whether it would be possible to arrange with the Canadian Government for the admission of 1,000 Russian Jewish refugees then stranded in Bucharest. Mr. Lyon Coben of Montreal, as chairman of the Canadian Ica Committee, and Mr. S. W. Jacobs, the vice-chairman and Jewish member of the Canadian Parliament, called on Mr. Robb, the Minister of Immigration, and Mr. Egan, the deputy minister.
The result of this interview was that Mr. Egan, who had only a few days previously been appointed to his post, granted the Canadian Ica Committee a concession whereby the Paris Ica would be permitted to bring into Canada 100 Russian Jewish refugees weekly; the concession to run for a period of one year. Thus the delegation succeeded in obtaining the privilege of bringing into Canada more than the original 1,000 refugees requested by the Paris Ica. The Minister was able to grant this concession because the Canadian law permits him to use his own discretion to set aside the Immigration Law in cases of emergent needs.
The plight of the Russian refugees in Roumania with their hopelessness, appealed to Mr. Egan. On this, as on other future occasions, the Deputy Minister clearly indicated that it would be impossible to include in this quota such emigrants stranded in various European ports, who had passports visaed to the United States, and were waiting for admission to the United States. The Canadian Government had a gentleman’s agreement with Washington to which it desired to live up to, that Canada should not admit immigrants who held American visas.
The Paris Ica, after financing the transportation of over 1.000 refugees, stated that it could not finance the sending of any more refugees. Mr. Lyon Cohen, chairman of the Canadian Ica, and Rabbi Barnett R. Brickner, president of the Emergency Jewish Aid Committee of Ontario, came to New York early last winter and appealed to a conference composed of representatives of the American Jewish Congress, Ukrainian National Verband and the Hias for funds with which to do the work of settling and absorbing the refugees. They stated that the Ica and the Canadian Jews could only finance 20% of the burden, and this they had already done in the admission of the 1,000 refugees. The result of this conference was that only part of the financial assistance expected was forthcoming.
In order to visualize the work involved, it is necessary to bear in mind the work done by the Hias, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropic Societies and the Industrial Removal Office. It means taking these refugees who come penniless, and distribute them throughout Canadian cities, establishing them in homes, giving them food clothing, furniture and relief during the first few weeks before they can secure employment, finding them employment, granting them loans to establish them in some little business, and looking after them ## illness. All of this has to be done in order to observe the agreement with the Canadian Government that none of these people shall become a public charge.
Toward all of this work American Jewry has to date contributed only $37,000. According to the delegation, the per capita cost to establish an individual is at least $75.00, and a total sum of $225,000 is necessary for this purpose.
Last May it became apparent that since practically no funds could be expected from the American Jewry nor the Paris Ica, it became apparent that the valuable concession obtained from the government was in jeopardy. Mr. Lyon Cohen and Mr. S. W. Jacobs then interceded with Mr. Egan to permit relatives of Canadian Jews whose plight was similar to those of the refugees in Europe, to be brought to Canada as part of the quota. Canadian Jews who had been anxious to bring relatives to Canada had found it difficult to receive permits from the government to bring over their relatives from the time that the concession was obtained.
With the consent of the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Mr. Herbert Levine, who had formerly been chairman of the Baron De Hirsch Institute of Montreal, and one who enjoyed the confidence of Mr. Egan and the Ica, was commissioned to proceed to Europe and to bring over such emigrants as were relatives of Canadian Jews, to Canada, Mr. Levine was at the time also an agent of the Holland-American Line. According to an agreement which was reached by Mr. Egan with the Canadian Lines, the business was divided and 1,200 were allotted to the three Canadian steamship lines, and 800 to the Holland-American Line. Mr. Levine then proceeded to Europe in order to carry out this arrangement.
The Ica leaders in Montreal had, however, stipulated with Mr. Levine before leaving for Europe, that the emigrants were not to be charged more than the regular rate of $105.00, that no charge was to be made for visas, and that the Local Jewish Immigrant Aid Committee was to supervise and O.K. all applications made by Canadian relatives through the local steamship agents in their particular communities. In this way every guarantee was secured that there would be no fleecing.
The serious difference with the Paris Ica arose when Mr. Levine reached Europe. Mr. Cohen, went to Europe in the summer. It seemed that the Paris Ica insisted upon adhering strictly to the letter of the definition made by the Canadian Minister of Immigration, to consider only those as refugees who were without passports and in Roumania. When Mr. Lyon Cohen explained that Mr. Egan had consented to refugees from other parts of Europe as well as Roumania, and that emigrants as well as refugees could be included, the Paris Ica accepted the arrangement. They also agreed, at the recommendation of Mr. Cohen, to help in the transportation of 1,500 additional refugees over and above the 1,000 which they had already financed.
In a communication dated October 16th, Mr. Egan, who was then in Europe, learned from the Paris Ica that since ## bona fide refugees in Roumania had already been transported to Canada, it was not in favor of being a purely philanthropic organization of the plan in which Mr. Levine was an agent. They refused to give their consent to the visaing of any passports of emigrants arranged for through Mr. Levine, whose business they regarded as of a private nature.
Upon hearing to this effect from the Paris Ica, Mr. Egan cancelled the concession which he had offered a year ago.
The representative from the Canadian Ica, Mr. S. W. Jacobs, stated emphatically that there was absolutely no truth in the accusations made against either the Canadian Ica or Mr. Levine’s activities. Rabbi Brickner stated that it was an unpardonable mistake on the part of the Paris Ica to have communicated with Mr. Egan in a way which lead Mr. Egan to take the steps he did, without first communicating with their Montreal Committee. He also stated that all concede that it was indeed a mistake for the Ica leaders in Montreal to have allowed Mr. Herbert Levine to be injected in this situation, because of his relationship with the Holland-American Line.
It is further admitted that if Canadian Jewry had sent a delegate to Europe at its own expense without any connection with any steamship line, the cause of the Jewish refugees would have been better served.
Mr. Jacobs claimed that Mr. Herbert Levine did not in any way act dishonestly, but that the Canadian steamship lines which had accepted the quota of 1,200 allotted to them in the agreement with Mr. Egan, refused to accept emigrants who held passage over other lines, and that many Jewish agents flooded the Deputy Minister of Immigration with complaints regarding the preference accorded the Holland-American Line.
Rabbi Brickner maintained that the American Jews cannot be absolved from the situation which developed, for had there been money forthcoming to keep the stream of refugees flowing into Canada, the whole situation in reference to Mr. Levine and the bringing in of immigrants to Canada who are relatives, would never have occurred.
Asked whether in their opinion there were not enough Jewish refugees in Europe which would have complied with the definition of the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Mr. Jacobs and Rabbi Brickner stated that there does not at present seem to be any accurate information in this regard.
The Delegation expressed the belief also, that a change of policy in favor of more liberal immigration on the part of Canada might be expected.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
