C.J.F.W.F. Mission Hears Report in Paris on the New Needs of J.D.C.

A delegation of American Jewish community leaders who came here on behalf of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds to study the needs of Jewish refugees from Arab countries, was told today that the Joint Distribution Committee is in no position to meet the needs resulting from the Israeli-Arab war in June and its aftermath. The delegation was addressed by Charles Jordan, JDC executive vice-chairman.

The CJFWF mission came to Paris on its first leg of a tour in Europe and Israel for the purpose of assessing the current needs facing Jewish communities in the United States and Canada as a consequence of the June war. In addition to conferring with the JDC leader, the members of the Council’s mission also held sessions with leaders of the Fonds Social Juif Unifie, the central Jewish welfare body of France, and with top representatives of the Standing Conference of European Jewish Communities. The CJFWF leaders left this afternoon for Israel on the second leg of their inspection tour.

Noting that JDCs budget as set up early this year called for expenditures totaling $21,000,000 for aid to needy Jews in Europe and Israel, Mr. Jordan told the American delegation that the following “unseen factors” now affect the JDC’s budget for 1967:

1) Amplifying the existing welfare services for needy Jews from the Moslem countries; 2) ways and means for providing aid to Jews in countries where the JDC is not allowed to operate; 3) providing care for men, women and children who are able to leave those countries and make their way to Europe; and 4) amplifying the JDCs hospital and rehabilitation services in Israel.

“The budget available to us for 1967,” Mr. Jordan stated, “was barely sufficient to meet our normal program, set up to serve 250,000 Jewish needy in 29 countries whom we served. But now in order to meet the new needs, it is necessary for us to enroll new sources of support from governmental, intergovernmental and voluntary agencies to supplement the funds provided for our normal program by the United Jewish Appeal.”

Leaders of the CJFWF mission here included Louis J. Fox, of Baltimore, president of the Council, which is the central body for 800 Jewish communities in the United States and Canada; Lewis H. Weinstein, of Boston, head of the Council’s overseas service bureau; Jacob M. Lowy, of Montreal, president of the Allied Jewish Community Services of that city; Dr. Max William Bay, of Los Angeles; Philip Bernstein, of New York, executive director of the CJFWF; and Mrs. Joseph Cohen, of New Orleans.