250,000 Jews Fed Daily in Poland by J.D.C.

The daily feeding of 250,000 needy Jews in Poland was reported today by Joseph C. Hyman, executive vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, on the basis of a cabled report from Cracow. A total of 650 soup kitchens and feeding stations in 346 localities throughout the Government-General area of Poland are serving one meal daily to a quarter million Jewish victims of war and persecution.

Supervised by officials of the J.D.C. ‘s branches in Warsaw and Cracow, the relief program includes the care of 50,000 destitute Jewish children in institutions and private families. Under the control of Toz, central Jewish medical organization of Poland, which receives its funds from the J.D.C., 200 health stations, hospitals, clinics and sanatoria serve the medical needs of Polish Jews. The number of those presently being assisted represents a reduction from the peaks set earlier in the year. Until May, 1940, the J.D.C. was daily assisting up to 400,000 Polish Jewish war victims, adults and children. Lack of funds necessitated contraction of this program to its present level.

Over 11,500,000 zlotys were expended in cash by the Warsaw and Cracow offices of the J.D.C. from the beginning of 1940 up to Oct. 1. At the average rate of exchange which the J.D.C. obtains in clearing its remittances to Poland, this represents over $1,150,000.The J.D.C. does not send dollars into Poland, Hyman explained, but employs a financial clearance arrangement whereby zlotys are made available inside the country against dollar appropriations which are held in the United States.

Hyman stressed the enormous needs in German-occupied Poland now that winter has set in. He pointed out that not only were there heavy requirements for relief work in the Government-General area, but emergency measures were needed for suffering Jews in 46 localities in Eastern and Upper Silesia, 60 in Warthegan, and in the Posen and Litzmannstadt areas.