Erazo said that the MCDA program was part of the agency’s effort to bring the poverty program to all areas of poverty, particularly among various ethnic groups. He said there are some 100,000 Hassidic Jews who meet the definition of a minority in that it is a group small in size, separate and identifiable, suffering discrimination, living in ghettoes and having a separate cultural heritage.
Erazo noted that around 30 percent of Hassidic Jews in the city are unemployed or underemployed. Their traditional industries–the garment and diamond trades–have been severely depressed in recent years. Dr. Schick said the program would get underway as soon as teachers could be engaged and other phases of the program put into operation.
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.
