Convention of Jewish Scoial Workers in Atlantic City Hears Report on Israel Problems

“The conflict of cultures in Israel creates the most serious social welfare problem in the Jewish state,” Louis H. Sobel, executive director of the Jewish Child Care Association of New York, today told approximately 1,000 Jewish social workers attending the 51st annual meeting of the National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare.

Mr. Sobel, who just returned from a study of Israel’s social welfare institutions, said: “The problem resulting from the large-scale migrations–transplantations–of whole populations, lock, stock and barrel, brings with it serious and deep social conflict. For instance, the Yemenites–the dead-end kids of the indescribable ghettos of North Africa–with their deep differences in language, customs, dress and even racial characteristics, with their lack of education, with their deeply-rooted concepts of family life and child relationships, present complex problems.

“In addition,” Mr. Sobel reported, “there are almost 100,000 recent immigrants still living in temporary reception camps. Thus the problems of social welfare cannot be compared to those known in the United States. In the last analysis, social welfare will have to wait for its real development upon the solution of the primary economic and political problems of Israel. Nevertheless, one is favorably and pleasantly impressed to find normalcy in so many aspects of life in Israel, and more especially in its social work. All told, social welfare in Israel, like the rest of the country, is an indescribable combination of the ancient past, the pressing present and the fateful future.”

Establishment of Israel’s first Jewish community center, the Bet Hancar–or YM-YWEA–in Jerusalem has made an important beginning in providing critically-needed after-school and after-work recreational facilities and programs for the youth of Jerusalem, Louis Kraft of New York, general secretary of the National Jewish Welfare Board, reported. Having also just returned from a six-weeks stay in Jerusalem where he had gone to set up the Center’s program and train personnel, Mr. Kraft said that the YM-YWHA is located within walking distance of the most congested area of Jerusalem.

A library of books on social work was presented to the Israel School of Social Work by the “Books for Israel Committee” headed by Samuel Goldsmith, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Chicago. The presentation was made to Ernst E. Lewin, vice-consul of the Israel Consulate in New York, by Dr. Maurice B. Hexter, executive vice-president of the New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.