Activities of JDC in Unoccupied France Reported at Press Conference

The major relief activities which the American Joint Distribution Committee is conducting for Jews in unoccupied France were out-lined here today at a press conference addressed by Hebert Katzki, member of the JDC overseas staff, who recently returned from Marseille where he supervised the many-sided program of the JDC relief work in France. This program, as stated by Mr.Katzki, includes:

Regular cash relief grants to 20,000 refugees who are technically at liberty and are not confined to internment centers. These people are not permitted to engage in business and may be sent to special labor battalions for foreigners. For the most part they have long since used up such resources as they were able to bring with them; in thousands of instances their bank accounts have been blocked in the occupied zone, and they have suffered serious depreciation of morale.

Assistance to between 15,000 and 20,000 interned Jewish refugees in nine major camp. The assistance takes the form of sending food, clothing and other supplies to the camps for distribution among the neediest. Over 5,500,000 francs have been expended for this kind of assistance in internment centers by various agencies under J.D.C. supervision.

Care of close to 5,000 refugee children in France. These are not necessarily orphans, but include children whose parents are interned or are in other countries.

Assistance to students and other intellectual elements among the foreign Jews in France. Several hundred boys and girls of East European origin are enrolled as students in French universities. They are cut off from their families and from any form of outside aid. Relief is also extended to some 4,000 people who were formerly artists, musicians, journalists, scholars, religious functionaries, but who are now without resources and are unable to pursue their professions. Emigration help is one of the most important functions of JDC organization in France. Since July 1940, the JDC enabled several thousand refugees who had visas and whose papers were in order, to emigrate from France to overseas countries.