There are 94,000 Jews living in Poland today, it was revealed in a survey made public here by the Central Jewish Committee, Nearly half of them, or 44,000 are concentrated in Lower Silesia, the survey established.
Of Poland’s total Jewish population, the report said, about 7,000 are between the ages of 16 and 25, while children under 16 number approximately 12,000. The report attributes the decreasing Jewish population to the continuous emigration of Jews from the country.
Close to 34,000 Jews are gainfully employed, the survey shows. Nearly 20 per cent of them self-employed in small work ships, while 12 per cent are salaried workers, ten per cent are employed by social institutions and a little more than ?light per cent are engaged by business firms. Fields in which Jews are employed include textile manufacturing, metal works, coal mining and agriculture.
JEWISH SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT ENROLLMENT
Nearly half of the 7,000 Jewish youths in Poland are studying in high schools and colleges, while about 1,000 attend trade schools. Although the Jewish population of Poland is .04 per cent of the total, two per cent of the country’s students are Jewish.
There are approximately 35 Yiddish schools with an enrollment of more than 3,000 students while the country’s 13 Hebrew schools are attended by 1,000 pupils. Of all these schools, about 13 will be closed down this year because of insufficient enrollment.
Eleven children’s homes provide full-time care to 773 children, while 56 other institutions afford partial assistance to 3,300 youngsters. Nearly 6,000 Jewish children receive some form of public assistance. One-third of all the Jewish children are either full or half-orphans.
The Jews in Poland, the report continues, maintain 31 cultural clubs, 26 dramatic groups, three people’s universities, 12 choral groups, 13 libraries with 2,300 readers and 16,500 books, a theatrical school and a music school. In addition, there are regular Jewish radio programs, a teacher seminary and a Jewish Historical Institute–a cultural and artistic society–with a membership of 4,000. Several books and pamphlets by and about Jews have been published recently.
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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.
