It seemed to him the picture was very black indeed, Mr. J.M. Rich, the Secretary of the Joint Foreign Committee, said in reporting to-day to the meeting of the Anglo-Jewish Association on the position of the Jewish population abroad,
No one could say, he declared, that the present year had opened auspiciously for the Jews of the Continent. There seemed to be progressive deterioration in the condition of Jews in most Continental countries and progressive acceleration of the tempo of the attacks made on them, not only in the attempt to prevent them obtaining their full political rights in those countries where they are not enjoying them. There had been a progressive increase in antisemitism; in the grosser form of abuse and injury which make life unendurable. The forthcoming month, Mr. Rich said, would be a period of great anxiety for the Joint Foreign Committee.
Referring to the question of Calendar Reform, Mr. Rich said that the League of Nations recognised that it could not solve this question merely by considering technical considerations, for and against the proposal. Further opportunity will be given, he added for putting our point of view before the League.
Mr. Rich then read a memorandum submitted by the American Jewish Committee on the position of the Jews in Germany, based on the observation of a competent authority. The contents of the memorandum, which were not for publication, he said, would be submitted to the Joint Foreign Committee at its meeting to-morrow, when the whole question of the position of German Jewry would be reviewed.
In Czecho-Slovakia, Mr. Rich said, there had been manifestations which tended to make the situation resemble that obtaining in other countries where Jews are not so fortunate. Speaking of the Staatenlose, he said that out of thousands of these, only four had been accorded Czecho-Slovakian citizenship in the last few years. The attacks made on Jews a month or so ago in Prague were not primarily attacks against Jews; they were anti-German in character and originated in an attack on cinema proprietors, many of whom were Jews Mr. Rich also spoke of the blood libel case now before the Courts in Czecho-Slovakia. In Lithuania, he pursued, the new laws adversely affected the Staatenlose and the Joint Foreign Committee at its meeting would consider what steps will be taken to meet it.
The experience of the last few months, I think, Mr. Rich concluded, indicate that we shall be receiving many requests for financial assistance from the Jews in Central and Eastern Europe We have had such appeals in the past and the Board of Deputies has placed the fairly small Foreign Appeals Fund at the disposal of the Joint Foreign Committee. The Fund is very small and I often wish it could be augmented in some way or other. There were indications Mr. Rich added, that wealthy Jews in Jewish communities abroad were not doing their full share in helping their co-religionists in their own communities.
DR. CLAUDE MONTEFIORE AGREES GENERAL STATE OF AFFAIRS ABROAD GLOOMY: BUT TWO BRIGHT SPOTS – CONSIDERABLE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN GERMANY REALISING DISGRACE OF ANTISEMITISM AND ROUMANIAN GOVERNMENT TRYING TO CURB ANTISEMITIC SCANDALS THERE: HAHAM DR. GASTER AGREES ROUMANIAN GOVERNMENT TRYING TO CURB ANTI-JEWISH HOOLIGANIANISM
Dr. Claude G. Montefiore agreed that the general state of affairs abroad was gloomy. There were two somewhat bright spots, however, he thought, in the fact that there was a considerable Christian movement in Germany which realised the shameful condition of affairs there and the disgrace it was bringing on the country. Another was the movement of the Government of Roumania which was giving attention to the antisemitic scandals in that country and was doing its best to curb it.
Haham Dr. Gaster corroborated what Dr. Montefiore had said about the Roumanian Government’s action in curbing anti-Jewish hooliganism.
ICA COLONIES IN ARGENTINE AND CANADA HARD HIT BY UNPRECEDENTED SLUMP IN WHEAT PRICES MR. LEONARD G. MONTEFIORE SAYS IN SUBMITTING ICA REPORT TO MEETING: COLONISTS IN EUROPE ALSO AFFECTED BY AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION RESULTING IN ICA INCREASING ITS HELP TO JEWISH FARMERS IN POLAND: AMERICAN JOINT-ICA FOUNDATION TO MEET IN LONDON THIS MONTH: APPROPRIATE MR. MONTEFIORE SAYS SINCE FOR FIRST TIME IT HAS ENGLISH CHAIRMAN – SIR LEONARD L. COHEN
For the first time in its history, the American Joint Foundation in which the Ica and the Joint Distribution Committee are copartners, will hold its meeting in London towards the end of this month, Mr. Leonard G. Montefiore, the President of the Anglo-Jewish Association said, in reporting to the meeting on the work of the Ica. As it has for the first time an English chairman in Sir Leonard L. Cohen, he said, it is perhaps appropriate at least one of its meetings should be held in this country.
The Foundation took over and greatly extended the system of Loan Banks which were for so many years a feature of the Ica’s work in pre-war Russia, Mr. Montefiore went on. There are now no less than 747 of these Banks distributed throughout Eastern Europe with 325,000 members and doing a Loan turnover of between 22,000,000 and £3,000,000.
As far as the Ica’s overseas work is concerned, both the Argentine and Canada have been affected by the unprecedented slump in wheat prices. The total wheat crop for Canada was valued in 1930 at 146 million dollars as compared with 320 millions in 1929. Wheat selling at 44 cents a bushel does not cover the cost of production and the prairie provinces where the Ica colonies are situated have been very hard hit. Jewish colonists ho have been established for many years in the country will benefit from the measures taken by the Provincial Governments to stabilise prices, but special help has had to be given by the Ica to recently arrived immigrants. Favourable weather conditions have resulted in a good harvest in the Argentine, but there also farmers are getting very good prices. It is satisfactory, at all events, Mr. Montefiore went on, that the reputation of the colonies stands high even in these difficult times.
As we all know, Mr. Montefiore continued, Europe has also been affected by the agricultural depression, and the Ica has attempted to mitigate the effects in a small degree by increasing the help to Jewish farmers, market-gardeners and small agriculturalists in Poland The problem here is in some ways less difficult, he said, as it deals with families already living on and by the land. Already over 2,000 families in the neighbourhood of Vilna have been helped by the Ica, partly by cash credits enabling them to increase their stock, purchase chemical manures and so on, but also by introducing more varied methods of farming such as bee-keeping, cheese making etc.
One often hears it said in Warsaw, Mr. Montefiore proceeded, that Congress Poland absorbs far too large a share of such money as the Ica can spend in the country, and perhaps, he said, it is true that the claims of remote districts get rather less attention, since it is more difficult for their representatives to make their needs known in person. However, he went on, the Ica intends to open a small office in Lemberg, and from there to administer help to the Jewish agriculturalists who are scattered through Eastern Galicia. In Congress Poland Jews tend to congregate together – certain villages are 90% Jewish. Even in the towns there is a sharp division between the Jewish and non-Jewish quarters. In the neighbourhood of Lemberg, Jews are scattered in small numbers through the villages, and so it makes the work of distributing help very much greater. It is reckoned that there are about 8,000 Jewish families of agriculturists in the Eastern provinces of Galicia, Tarnopol, Stanislawa, and ember, and about 90 villages have been actually visited. As a result it is reckoned that half – that is 4,800 families, could profitably be helped by loans made at a low rate of interest, by more modern appliances and by expert technical advice.
Similar work is being undertaken in Bessarabia and the Bukovina, where unlike Poland the Jewish farmer cultivates both vine and tobacco.
EMIGRATION WORK OF YEAR BEEN DONE UNDER GREAT DIFFICULTIES: UNEMPLOYMENT OF OWN NATIONALS MADE PRACTICALLY EVERY GOVERNMENT TIGHTEN RESTRICTIONS ON IMMIGRATION: JOINT WORK OF ICA AND OTHER SOCIETIES SOMEWHAT MITIGATED HARDSHIPS: DR GASTER SUGGESTS RECONSIDERING WHOLE QUESTION OF EMIGRATION AND RATHER HELPING JEWS IN OWN COUNTRIES: NOTWITHSTANDING RESTRICTIONS MR. ELKAN ADLER CONTENDS HOWEVER ENTERPRISING AND IMAGINATIVE PERSONS CAN STILL GO AFIELD AND FOUND ANOTHER UNITED STATES PERHAPS IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICAN
The emigration work of the year has been done under great difficulties, Mr. Montefiore continued. The unemployment of its own nationals has made practically every Government tighten the restrictions on immigration. There is no doubt, however, that through the joint work of the Ica and other Jewish emigration societies, the hardships of the new regulations have been to some extent mitigated. That re to say, facilitate have been given to Jewish emigrants to undertake their journey while entry into the country of destination was still possible. As a proof of the extent to which its services are in demand Mr. Montefiore said, I might mention that over 27,000 would-be emigrants registered their names at the Ricom offices during the first months of 1930.
Haham Dr. Gastor asked whether the Ica would now reconsider the whole question of emigration. So long as the Jews in the various countries fool that they can move from country to country, while there is really only limited means of emigration, he said, there is a feeling of unrest. The question of helping them in their own countries might mean the creation of a contrary spirit.
Dr. Gaster also asked what the Ica was doing in regard to the colonisation of Jews in South Russia. He indicated that he desired no reply at the meeting, but put forward the questions for subsequent con-sidration.
Mr. Elkan N. Adler said that he hoped the Ica would take no revolutionary steps in regard to the question of emigration. He referred to his visit to Mexico, a country supposed to be worse than Chicago, where they would be surprised to know that there were several synagogues and a Jewish newspaper. The same was happening in Panama. I don’t think, he said, the time has come when notwithstanding the restrictions on immigration it is not possible for enterprising and imaginative persons dissatisfied with conditions in Eastern Europe to go afield and found another United States overseas, perhaps in South and Central America.
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.
