German Jews Given Courses in Re-training

At present there are 6,069 Jews in Germany undergoing occupational reconstruction, says a report by the Central Committee of German Jews for Aid and Construction. There are 1,282 in collective training centers and 1,1418 in individual training centers. The Hechalutz is providing for the occupational re-training of an additional 2,369 young Jews.

At present 2,738 are engaged in agricultural training, including 900 who have been placed by the Hechalutz in training centers abroad, with the assistance of the Jewish Central Committee for Aid and Construction. Of those who are undergoing occupational reconstruction, 1,468, or about a quarter, come from Berlin, 659 men and 809 women.

Berlin provides a smaller contingent for agricultural training than the rest of the country, only 257, about seventeen per cent compared with fifty per cent in the rest of the country.

The majority of the men engaged in occupational retraining were previously merchants and shopkeepers. Only forty-five were students and fifty-three belonged to the academic professions, showing that the problem of the academicians, which is otherwise important, does not play as important a part in occupational reconstruction. The majority of the women, 331, used to be office workers, 119 were shop assistants and sixty-six were married women who did not previously to our to work.

WOMEN WORK ON LARGE SCALE

The further work of occupational reconstruction is envisaged on a large scale. In April, about 9,000 people will be brought into the reconstruction scheme. About 3,000 of them will be trained for commercial occupations, for experts are warning against an unlimited flow into the artisan and agricultural professions, and taking account of the existing possibilities and aiming at the normalization of the occupational structure of the Jewish population, the commercial professions have been allotted a quota of one-third of the total.

One of remaining 6,000, 3,500 will be placed in individual training centers, 1,500 in collective centers and 1,000 in private houses.

It is expected that 4,000 of the 9,000 young people who are take up occupational retraining will themselves be able to pay the costs of their training, and the relief work will have to find the funds for the other 5,000.

The occupational reconstruction work of the Central Committee required of the Central Committee required a sum of 370,000 marks during the last four months of 1933. The monthly need has already risen by more than 100,000 marks, and will be still further increased after the new contingent has been brought into the scheme. A sum of 900,000 marks is therefore being budgeted for the construction work during the first half year of 1934.