The first 150 Jewish ex-traders who had been expelled from other artels (artisans’ co-operatives) were organized today by the Ort into a special artel in accordance with the Soviet government’s plan to provide separate artels for those Jewish ex-traders who had been ousted from the regular artels.
This is the first artel whose members are all ex-traders but who no longer fear expulsion since the Soviet government has agreed that all those receiving machines from relatives through the Ort can form artels, notwithstanding their former status, provided that the Ort and not the government co-operatives supplies them with raw materials.
The Ort is now planning similar artels in other cities, thus eliminating the dangers to which the Jewish extraders had been subject of losing their rights when thrown out from artels as ex-traders. The new artels will make it necessary for the Ort to launch a campaign in the United States for funds to buy raw materials, which will save thousands of Jews here from starvation and will legalize their status as artisans.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
