Conference in Germany Seeks Productive Work for Jewish Immigrants

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

The question of turning Jewish emigrants to productive activity was considered yesterday at a conference of the Central Office for Jewish Emigrant Aid held here, attended by delegates from all parts of Germany. Herr Eugen Caspary, President of the Central Welfare Office of the German Jews, presided.

Dr. Haase spoke on behalf of the Labour Welfare Office of the Jewish Organizations of Germany, Dr. Sandler, on behalf of the Jewish community of Berlin, Dr. Werner Senator, the European General Secretary of the Joint Distribution Committee, on behalf of the Joint, Dr. Brutzkus on behalf of the Hias-Ica-Emigdirekt, and Herr S. Lifschitz on behalf of the Hilfsverein der deuschen Juden.

Herr Alfred Berger said that the problem was not one of giving charity to poor emigrants. It was a social welfare problem, a question of finding opportunities for them to work. Emigration was part of the Jewish fate. But there were no openings now for immigration. North America was closed. South America and Canada were open only to a certain class of emigrants. In addition, it had to be remembered that surprises might still come from the East which would put into motion another stream of emigration. The interests of this Conference were, therefore, closely bound up with those of the Hicem. Conditions today had returned to the period of the Middle Ages, when Jews seeking work were not allowed to work. The East European Jews had put themselves to work in the German mining industry and in German agriculture. But when the Ruhr Occupation had brought about dismissals, the first to go were the aliens. Twelve to fifteen thousand East European Jewish miners had to emigrate to Belgium and France. There they had found that the Trade Unions were closed bodies and they were again pushed out. Both in Germany and abroad there was a legalized labor monopoly for the native workers. The result was that Jews who wanted to work were compelled to become pedlars and traders. The State itself forced the Jews into non-productive occupations.

The problem of the German Jewish emigrant which had hardly existed before had now become acute. About 30 to 40 per cent of all the applicants were German Jews. This was due not only to the general depression, but to the special position of the Jews, and the difficulty of finding work for Jewish unemployed. Jewish workers were boycotted in Germany, both in the factories and in the banks, even by firms where the directors were Jews. The Deutsche Bank and all its branches, the General Electric Company, the Siemens Corporation and other large concerns never employed a Jew. The boycott of Jews extended even to retail trade. This boycott of Jewish workers was forcing Jews to give up their Judaism. Judaism was crundling off at Both ends-at the upper end of the midle-class and at the lower end of the working-class. The best and must valuable parts of Jewry were being lost.

It was essential to enter into contact with the international Jewish organizations so that the emigrants should be directed towards productive occupations. Efforts ought to be made to show the authorities that the State was injuring itself by forcing people who were willing to work in productive occupations to become traders.