Ten years of Jewish economic problems in various countries are reviewed in a report issued here today by Dr. William Haber, president of the American ORT Federation. Dr. Haber emphasizes in his report that “as the principal international Jewish vocational agency, ORT has been in the mainstream of these developments” and that during this decade ORT taught trades to 200, 000 persons in 28 countries.
Particularly since 1949, Dr. Haber declares, there has been taking place a redistribution of occupations pursued by Jews, away from such “traditional” fields as tailoring, the small merchant or professional, in the direction of manual and technical trades involving high-order skills. He sees this trend most pronounced in Israel but finds it also an active tendency among Jewish communities in Western Europe and North Africa.
“Contrary to the stereotype of the Jew commonly held in some countries, ORT experience has been that the youngsters in its schools are eager to acquire technical knowledge, Dr. Haber observes. The report reveals that the “drop-out” rate prior to graduation in ORT schools runs 16. 5 percent, while in trade schools in New York state it is often over 50 percent.
“Jewish boys tend to shy away from clothing work, Dr. Haber states. “Courses that attract the largest enrollment are in various branches of metal work, precision machining electricity and electronics, including television. Needle trades trades runs a poor seventh. Auto and motor mechanics and plumbing are growing in popularity.
In Israel where there are 30, 000 ORT trainees, Dr. Haber states, vocational education is inter-related with the country’s economic development. The problem is national in scope and the approach has had to be many-sided to reach different groups in the population at their own level of need and ability. Dr. Haber describes ORT in Israel as a nation-wide educational system with schools in 20 cities and towns, ORT has different trade school programs in Israel for adolescents of high school age, adult mechanics whose skills and productivity need upgrading, immigrants without any work experience, yeshiva students, immigrants from Yemen and Iraq whose handicraft skills can be preserved, immigrant youth in the upper grades of primary school.
Dr. Haber announced that ORT had spent $30, 000, 000 on vocational training programs over the last decade, of which half came from the U.S. A growing source of income has been increased membership of ORT groups here. Almost $12, 000, 000 has been contributed for ORT overseas work by the Joint Distribution Committee out of the United Jewish Appeal. Last year, ORT operated 392 trade high schools, adult workshops, apprentice plans and agricultural stations. Three-quarters of the ORT student body are teen-age boys and girls, who are taught 60 different trades. Two college-level institutions for training of teachers have been established in Switzerland and France.
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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.
