The Joint Distribution Committee provided assistance last year to more than 225,000 needy Jews in Israel, Europe and Moslem countries, including thousands of refugees from Egypt, Hungary, Poland and Rumania, the JDC reported today.
More than 105, 000 were Jews in North Africa and the Near East, where JDC aid was needed by more than 22 percent of the Jewish population. These included men, women and children in Algeria, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia and other areas.
Moses A. Leavitt, JDC executive vice-chairman, emphasized in the report that during 1959 “in Moslem countries JDC’s efforts were directed at improving standards of Jewish communal services, especially those dealing with children and young people.” He cited as other JDC activities continued support to Jewish communities in Europe, especially in France where the number of refugees needing aid was higher than in the previous year; support for the JDC Malben program in Israel, as well as the expansion of technical assistance to Jewish communities and organizations in various social service fields.
“These activities called for the appropriation of more than $28, 125, 000,” the report says. It points out that the largest single appropriation was for JDC’s activities in Israel — more than $11,500, 000.
Those receiving aid in Israel included nearly 35, 000 in medical aid and rehabilitation institutions established on behalf of aged, ill and handicapped newcomers to the Jewish state. In addition to more than 11,000 persons who received institutional care, the program also provided out-patient aid, medical care and prosthesis, job placement and training, sheltered workshops and constructive loans. A relatively new feature of the program provided extra-mural care for 11,665 aged persons.
U.S. SURPLUS FOOD, VALUED AT $814, 000, DISTRIBUTED
Also in Israel nearly 14, 000 persons were assisted through JDC’s cultural and religious programs, and some 9, 000 received vocational training in the workshops of ORT. In all, JDC helped to provide vocational training through ORT to more than 36, 000 persons in a dozen countries, the report states.
Other JDC assistance included the distribution of U. S. Department of Agriculture surplus foods to a monthly average of nearly 120, 000 men women and children. More than 13,000,000 pounds of U.S.D.A. commodities– valued at $814,000– were distributed, with the largest amount going to Jews in Morocco. Since the end of the war JDC has shipped more than 290, 000, 000 pounds of purchased and contributed commodities to needy Jews in all parts of the world.
The report notes that JDC aid during 1959 in all parts of the world included: cash relief for 39, 355; feeding, 87, 955; assistance in 41 homes for the aged, 5, 815; medical care in 102 institutions, 31, 120; aid in 52 institutions to children and young people, 4,955; support for 306 schools with 68,560 students: other cultural and religious institutions benefiting 35, 175, and 7, 049 reconstruction loans — granted by 39 JDC-supported institutions with a total value of more than $3, 000, 000.
Countries in which needy Jews received aid during 1959 included Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia in Europe; Algeria, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia and other areas in the Moslem world; and Israel.
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.
