The World Jewish Congress announced today that it is contributing $10,000 to the relief fund for victims of the Rumanian earthquake disaster. The donation is being made through the offices of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Rumania which will convey it to the appropriate authorities in that country.
The WJC has also launched a world-wide appeal to its member communities and organizations urging them to contribute to the Rumanian disaster relief fund as a humanitarian gesture to a country that has given its Jewish community full religious and cultural freedom.
(In Jerusalem, the World Zionist Organization Executive announced today that it will assist in the reconstruction of three synagogues damaged by the Rumanian earthquake. The WZO learned that no damage was suffered by the Jewish community in Transylvania and that the kosher restaurant in Bucharest was open for business. WZO chairman Yosef Almogi expressed regret on behalf of the Executive over the Rumanian disaster. At the same time, Israel’s Ministry of Health donated IL 100,000 to purchase medical supplies for the earthquake victims. The first shipment will leave for Bucharest tomorrow.)
UAHC ESTABLISHES RELIEF FUND
(In New York, Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, announced that the UAHC has established a relief fund for Rumania among its 720 Reform synagogues and 1.2 million members in the U.S. and Canada. He said the UAHC’s 13 regional offices have been asked to search for “badly needed” medical supplies for shipment to the Rumanian Red Cross.)
(Jacob Birnbaum, director of the Center for Russian and East European Jewry in New York, said that Radio Free Europe has made available two telephone numbers for those who want to get through to relatives in Rumania. He said direct phone calls and cables are not possible because of earthquake damage. The numbers to call are: In New York–(212) 867-5200: in Munich, West Germany–011-498-9-210-2513.)
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.
