Would proletarianization lead to de-Judaization, was one of the questions discussed at the ninth annual conference of the Federation of Jewish Youth Organizations of Germany, held recently at Frankfurt, in dealing with the urgent need of changing the occupational structure of German Jewry to adapt it to the new economic situation.
In regard to the employment situation as it affects German Jews, and particularly the Jewish youth, it was stated that the reports drawn up on the basis of the questionnaires of the Prussian Federation of Jewish Communities about the position in the metal, textile, and tobacco industries, warehousing and several other branches of economic life, which would be complete by January, show that the outlook is not so unfavorable as had been imagined.
The work undertaken to provide technical training for the unemployed, which had been regarded sceptically when it was launched in the spring, had proved to be of great value.
Some of the speakers urged that the idea of a Jewish collectivity would be gravely menaced by the movement to introduce the class war into the Jewish communities.
The program of work drawn up calls for bringing the smaller communities into the cultural work, urges that members should place themselves at the disposal of the local welfare and youth organizations in their relief activities, in aiding the unemployed youth, providing advice in the mater of choice of occupation, shifting the occupational status, information concerning employment openings, training, creating employment, establishing youth homes and unemployed quarters, and setting up Jewish collective enterprises to assist the unemployed and to give advice with regard to emigration.
It was decided to raise funds for the youth aid work by instituting a head tax on all members of at least ten pfennig, plus ten per cent of the contributions.
It was decided that the Jewish youth must take part in the political work of combating anti-Jewish tendencies and activities.
The neutral Palestine upbuilding work through the cooperation of the Jewish Youth Federation in the Jewish Agency was approved, and the members were called upon to devote themselves more intensively to the Palestine problem.
The leaders of the Federation have been instructed to take steps towards cooperation with Jewish youth organizations abroad. Three offices are to be set up, a cultural office, a political office, and a relief office, for the purpose of carrying through the work of the Federation.
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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.
