Chicago Jewish Federation Approves $20, 000, 000 Budget for Welfare

A record budget of $20, 000, 000 for the hospitals and social welfare agencies affiliated with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago was approved here at the 58th annual dinner meeting of the organization. Five hundred civic and welfare leaders, who attended the dinner, heard Dr. S.S. Hollender, president, report that the sum will be spent for the medical and social welfare needs of an estimated 177, 000 persons in 1958.

Dr. Morris Fishbein, former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association who delivered the main address, said: “One of the most significant developments of our society in the past 50 years has been the rise of the philanthropic agencies concerned with health and their contribution to education, research and the alleviation of suffering:” He noted that 44 percent of the total budget of the Jewish Federation now goes into medical care, including medical attention for the aged in the Federation’s three homes for elderly men and women.

Samuel A. Goldsmith, executive vice president of the Federation, urged his audience to take a “bold new look at planning and financing for its medical and social welfare services. “With the expanding population in Chicago’s metropolitan area, it is imperative that we have one overall Federation of Jewish philanthropies to meet local and overseas Jewish needs,” said Mr. Goldsmith.

“With such an overall Federation,” he added, “the total we would have to raise would be about $10, 000, 000 per year, to meet commitments overseas as well as to meet human needs at home, and to provide funds for the continued expansion and development of Federation institutions. This is not an excessive sum, because in 1957 the Jewish community here contributed $9, 400, 000 to its three major organizations, the Federation, the Combined Jewish Appeal and the United Building Fund.”