American Jews Gave over 56 Million Dollars to Jewish and General Philanthropies During Past Year Inc

Despite the business depression, the Jews of the United States of America contributed 56,200,870 dollars to Jewish and general philanthropies in America and abroad during the Jewish year beginning September 1930 and ending September 1931, according to an exhaustive survey which has been made by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The figures are based on individual gifts of 50,000 dollars or more given to various causes and the funds raised and expended by various national Jewish, religious, educational, philanthropic, health and relief organisations, together with their local units.

30,335,000 dollars were raised for specifically Jewish causes by the various Jewish organisations, and 28,865,870 dollars were given for Jewish and general causes in individual benefactions, of which 20,497,120 dollars were contributed to general causes.

The 30,335,000 dollars given by American Jews for Jewish causes only, were made up of 17 million dollars for Jewish Federation and Jewish Community funds; 5 million dollars for Jewish welfare, including local Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Associations and Jewish Centres; 1,500,000 dollars for B’nai B’rith and Fraternal Orders; 1,200,000 dollars for Tuberculosis Hospitals; 1 million dollars for religious organisations and seminaries, excluding local synagogues, temples and religious educational organisations; 500,000 dollars for the National Council of Jewish Women; and 30,000 dollars for the Jewish Agricultural Society.

1,080,000 dollars out of this total went for Palestine, including the Jewish Agency, the Hadassah, and the Jewish National Fund; 1,100,000 dollars went for the Joint Distribution Committee; 1 million dollars for the American Society for Jewish Farm Settlement in Russia; 350,000 dollars for the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society (Hias); 280,000 dollars for the American O.R.T., and 95,000 dollars for the People’s Tool Campaign.

The individual gifts to Jewish causes include from Mr. Felix M. Warburg 50,000 dollars to the Joint Distribution Committee and 50,000 dollars to the American Palestine Campaign; from the late Morton Meinhard 1 million dollars bequeathed to four Jewish communal institutions in New York; from the late Mortimer Schiff 500,000 dollars bequeathed to the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies in New York, and 85,000 dollars to various Jewish charities (he also left 506,000 dollars to various non-Jewish philanthropies), and from Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach a 150,000 dollar collection of Judaica to the Jewish Historical Society.

The individual gifts to general causes include the 10 million dollar art collection bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by the late Colonel Michael Friedsam; 1,975,000 dollars bequeathed by the late Daniel Guggenheim to the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation and the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for Aviation; and 1 million dollars given by Mr. Julius Rosenwald for the Children’s Dontal Clinic in Berlin.