A $10,000 insurance policy which served as a guarantee that his crippled son never would become a public charge made it possible for a naturalized Jewish father to bring the boy into this country from Poland, according to an incident related by the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society.
As HIAS tells the story, the father, who is designated as “A. Z.,” came here alone some years ago, leaving his wife and children behind in Poland.
He worked hard, saved money, became an American citizen and then sent funds abroad for his family. The American consul in Poland was willing to grant visas to everyone in the family except the paralyzed boy.
The HIAS representative abroad pointed out that the boy’s father was in good financial condition and well able to provide for his son. The consul replied, however, that in the event the man should meet with business reverses, the boy probably would become a public charge.
The father took up the matter with the HIAS New York branch, where it was suggested that he take out a $10,000 insurance policy, naming the boy as beneficiary and providing that he receive eighty dollars a month in case of the man’s death.
This suggestion was followed, with the result that visas were granted to the entire family.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
