The 75th birthday of Dr. Bernhard Kahn, one of the leaders of the Joint Distribution Committee who has been active in Jewish life for more than 50 years, and under whose guidance the J.D.C. spent many millions of dollars to aid Jews in Europe and in Palestine, will be observed here tomorrow.
Until 1921, when he joined the J.D.C. as director of the organization’s work in Europe, Dr. Kahn was for 17 years numeral secretary of the Hilfsverein der Deute-### Judan. He has been a director of the Keren Kayesod, a member of the administrative committee of the Palestine Economic Corporation, a member of the council of the American Joint Reconstruction Foundation, and a member of many other central Jewish constitutions. As a student, he was a member of the Zionist organization.
Dr. Kahn, who was born in Sweden, was instrumental in the orderly emigration of Eastern European Jews since 1904, when he assumed the post of general secretary of the Hilfsverein in Berlin. Under his direction the immigrants were established on the solid economic basis. He was also instrumental in the organization and function of the school systems established by the Hilfsverein in the Near East, including Palestine.
After he joined the J.D.C. in 1921, he succeeded in carrying out a tremendous relief and reconstruction program for the J.D.C. in many countries. He remained European Director of the J.D.C. till 1939 when he settled in the United States and continued his association with the organization as honorary chairman of the European Executive Council of the J.D.C.
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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.
