Defends J.D.C. on Tarbuth School Question

(Communication to the Editor)

Sir:

I noted in press reports that the Jewish Education Conference called by the Zionist Organization and held on Sunday last at the Hotel Astor, drew up a resolution protesting against the Joint Distribution Committee’s Cultural Committee for discrimination made against the Tarbuth schools abroad.

This, I am sure, is due to a misunderstanding and lack of proper information. As one who has been actively engaged in relief work all the time, and particularly with the Cultural Committee since its inception, I deem it my duty to call attention to this error. It is a matter of record that all through the years of the J. D. C.’s Cultural activities abroad, the Tarbuth schools were receiving their regular subsidies, along with all other educational institutions of whatever shade of opinion or faction. If these schools did not receive the entire sums necessary to maintain them with proper efficiency, one must remember that no institution did receive its full budgetary quota. The most that the J. D. C. could do was to aid them, by monthly subsidies, toward their regular budgetary outlays.

This was done in the case of the Tarbuth schools as in all other schools. The cultural Committee, and its Chairman, Dr. Cyrus Adler, particularly, displayed a broad-minded impartiality in its work all through the period of its existence. This is a fact known to all acquainted with the cultural activities.

Of course, when the J. D. C. discontinued its overseas work. the aid extended formerly to the Tarbuth schools ceased, together with the aid extended to all other schools. Traditional schools and Yeshivahs continued receiving support through the independent and devoted efforts of the Central Relief, and through no other source.

With the recent renewal of the J. D. C.’s activities, although there were no funds yet available in the treasury and regular budgets have not been worked out, the Tarbuth schools have received sums aggregating $11,000 within the past three months, which was appropriated from time to time as Emergency subventions. Altogether a sum approximating $100,000 has been alloted to the Tarbuth schools since their foundation, and more will no doubt be extended for their support as the proceeds of the $15,000,000 Drive come into the Treasury of the J. D. C.