Baltimore Welfare Fund Seeks More Jobs, Housing for Victims of Rioting

The Associated Jewish Charities and Welfare Fund reported today that jobs and housing were still needed for Jewish families and individuals who lost homes and businesses in the rioting here which followed the assassination of Negro civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King.

Help was promptly furnished to the Jewish victims by the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Family and Children’s Service, the Associated Placement and Guidance Bureau and other affiliated agencies, welfare fund officials reported. Help in the form of food, clothing, shelter and employment was arranged for Jewish victims but many needs remain unfilled, the officials indicated.

The JCC and the JFCS made a survey of elderly Jews which disclosed that many of them were in desperate need of food which they had been unable to obtain because they were afraid to go into the streets to shop. Food collected by the JCC was distributed by JCC staff members and volunteers to the elderly Jews. Temporary housing and financial aid was provided by the JFCS to families who lost homes. The Associated Placement and Guidance Bureau found employment for businessmen who had lost their shops and who wanted jobs rather than welfare assistance.

The welfare fund also authorized the Jewish Armed Services Committee to spend as required to care for Jewish soldiers who were assigned to Baltimore for riot control from Fort Benning, Fort Knox and Fort Bragg. This included providing kosher food for observant servicemen and arrangements for Passover services for them. The affiliated agencies also telephoned insurance brokers to arrange fire insurance, calls to the Internal Revenue Service to explain the loss of tax documents in the fires, and provided counseling to persons suffering from shock stemming from the impact of the rioting.