Economic Catastrophe Threatens Jews in Roumania, American Jewish Congress Hears

An economic catastrophe is menacing the Jews of Roumanian due to the hostility of the Roumanian banks and other credit institutions to the Jewish middle class. Dr. William Filderman of Bucharest, head of the Roumanian Jews, declared at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the American Jewish Congress at the Hotel Biltmore, New York, on Sunday.

The all-day session of the American Jewish Congress Executive was devoted to a consideration of the activities recently undertaken by the Congress, chief among them being the efforts to bring about the lessening of the hardships of the present immigration law and the question of the reorganization of the Committee of Jewish Delegations in Paris.

Picturing the sad plight of the Jews in Roumania, Dr. Filderman said: The deplorable economic condition of the country has brought considerable hardship on the population. Commerce, industry, and agriculture are suffering; the former two are paralyzed, the last one is almost dead. The Jew is suffering more than the rest of the population. Relief, immediate relief is necessary. But not the relief that is usually given to the starved; the kind of relief the Jew in Roumania needs is that of the fighting soldier, the unconquerable hero who asks for relief, munition to be able to fight and achieve the success. Economic relief is needed to establish credit, to revive commerce, to bring back to life the dying industries and to strengthen the country by the prosperity such revival will bring.”

The afternoon session was presided over by Dr. Stephen S. Wise.

Supplementing Dr. Filderman’s remarks about the situation in Roumania. Dr. Wise described the recent conferences, which he, together with Mr. Louis Marshall and Judge Julian W. Mack had with Prince Titulescu the Roumanian representative in America. Dr. Wise described his disappointment that despite the reassuring statements given by Prince Titulescu, the Jewish situation in Roumania had become worse.

Congressman Nathan Perlman, author of the so-called Wadsworth-Perlman Bill, designed to amend the Immigration Law so that near-relatives of citizens and declarants would be admitted as non-quota immigrants, gave a detailed report of the status of his Bill. While expressing his belief that some measure will be adopted at the present session of the United States Congress which will tend to humanize the Immigration Law, Congressman Perlman emphatically pointed out that it was necessary for citizens all over the country to appeal to their representatives in Congress to support this legislation. Mr. Perlman further pointed out that the figures recently given out by the State Department as to the number of immigrants that would come in it his Bill were adopted were grossly exaggerated and that at the hearing on the Bill which is to be held by the Senate Committee on Immigration, it would be demonstrated that the number of possible immigrants would not exceed one hundred thousand.

Mr. Bernard G. Richards, Executive Secretary of the American Jewish Congress, reported that negotiations were under way with Dr. Leo Motzkin for the convening of a conference next Summer in Europe to be attended by representatives of the Jewish communities throughout Europe for the purpose of reorganizing the Committee of Jewish Delegations which has been functioning in Paris since 1919.

Dr. A. J. Rongy and Dr. S. Bernstein made the point that a strong democratic body representing European Jewry and acting in conjunction with the American Jewish Congress would be a great factor in improving Jewish conditions throughout Europe, and they urged that the American Jewish Congress bend every effort to bring about the proposed conference which should be attended by several influential representatives of the American Jewish Congress.

Acting on the report submitted by a special committee on elections, of which Mr. Max Eckmann was chairman, the Executive Committee decided to hold new elections of delegates to the American Jewish Congress within the next few months. Such delegates will be elected at conventions of representatives from organizations to be held in the various cities. The rules governing the election will shortly he issued by the American Jewish Congress.

The following resolution was adopted on the subject of the United Jewish Campaign:

“The Executive Committee of the American Jewish Congress takes note of the efforts now being made by the United Jewish Campaign to raise fifteen million dollars for its Overseas Chest and more particularly of the campaign about to be launched in New York for six million dollars as part of that fund.

“The American Jewish Congress has frequently called attention to the economic distress which prevailed among our brethren in Eastern Europe, and on more than one occasion it summoned the Jews of America to renew their relief activities. It is therefore highly gratified at the resumption of the relief work and urges its Delegates and its affiliated organizations to contribute of their means and of their efforts to the end that the full amount sought by the campaign shall be subscribed.”