The “Day” of Nov. 11 dwells editorially on the “Ort” conference which was held last Sunday at the home of Adolph Lewisohn.
“The conference”, says the “Day”, “has not fulfilled our expectations. The sum of money which was collected there is not commensurate with the importance of the cause. It is only rarely that it is possible to gather nearly all Jewish millionaires in one place, as was done last Sunday, and it was hoped that this occasion would mean the solution of the ‘Ort’ problem. But with the exception of Mr. Nathan Straus, none of the wealthy Jews responded fittingly.
“The conference has proven that we need a new method, that the entire system of ‘drives’ for collecting funds for special purposes has been outgrown. An organization must be created that will concentrate in its hands the entire social-philanthropic work of the Jews, an organization that will be more democratic in its composition and its management and will represent not the ‘classes’ but the masses of American Jewry.”
WEALTHY JEWS DO NOT GIVE ENOUGH
Mr. J. Fishman takes occasion (“Jewish Morning Journal,” Nov. 11) to reproach the Jewish millionaires for their cold response to the “Ort” cause at Sunday’s conference. He says:
“Let us not be ashamed to say openly that our wealthy Jews do not give enough. If it was thought before that they do not contribute to the Palestine funds because they do not sympathize with the Zionist idea, it is now clear that they give ridiculously small sums even for the ‘Ort’ which is much nearer to their assimilationist ideas. Mr. Nathan Straus, the Zionist gave more than any other individual at the conference.”
American-trained farmers, who have introduced the most modern agricultural methods into Palestine, are a big factor in the recent development of Palestine as the Jewish Homeland. Miss Eva Leon declared at a luncheon given in her honor by the Women’s League of the Palestine Foundation Fund yesterday at the Hotel Astor. Mrs. Richard J. H. Gottheil, President of the League, presided, and over one thousand members of the League throughout Greater New York were present. Dr. Joseph Silverman. Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanu-El, gave the invocation.
Miss Leon returned recently from a nine months’ visit to Palestine, where she went to investigate conditions on behalf of the League, and to determine the activities on which American Jewish women should concentrate in order to expedite the restoration of the country. Her address today was her first report to the League.
The Communistic Ort has severed its connections with the European and American Ort, according to a cable from London to the “Jewish Morning Journal.”
Dr. Leon Bramson, representative of the Ort in America stated today to a representative of the Jewish Daily Bulletin that the report is unfounded. According to a cable he received several days ago, an agreement has been concluded between the Russian Ort and the Berlin headquarters of the European and American Ort.
The representatives of the Ort in Russia will be according to this agreement, Mr. Abraham Weinstein in Odessa and Mr. Joffce in Kiev.
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