Canadian Jewish Congress Adopts Largest Budget in History of Community

A budget totaling $452,000 – the largest in the history of the Jewish community of Canada – was adopted by the national executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress, meeting here in special session under the chairmanship of Mr. Samuel Bronfman, national president of Congress, to consider present and post-war problems confronting the Jewish community. At least $300,000 of this year’s budget, representing the largest sum over contributed by the Canadian Jewish community for this purpose, will be devoted to the relief of Jewish war victims.

It was disclosed at the meeting that the number of Jewish internees in Canada has decreased from 2,600 to 160. Of the 2,440 who have been released, 800 remain in Canada, while the others have returned overseas. Mrs. Anne Cowan, executive secretary of the United Jewish Refugee and War Relief Agencies, reported that of $45,000 lent to Jewish refugees by the U.J.R. and W.R.A. during the last four years to enable them to settle on farms, $11,000 had already been repaid and payments were being made periodically on the balance. In accordance with a suggestion by Mr. Bronfman, payments on this account will be placed in a special fund which will be used for refugee farm-settlement in the future. Mr. Bronfman also drew attention to the fact that the success of the U.J.R. and W.R.A. in settling refugees on farms had been so marked, that the Canadian government was likely to permit it to extend its activities in the future.

Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath, for fifteen years spiritual leader of the Holy Blossom Congregation, announced that he would shortly leave Canada for the duration of the war to assume a position with the Union of Hebrew Congregations of the United States and Canada. Rabbi Eisendrath is national chairman of the Public Relations Committee of the Congress.