A stirring picture of the situation of Jewish communities in Europe, North Africa and other parts of the world–and of the aid given to them by the Joint Distribution Committee–was presented to Jewish leaders from all over the United States and Canada by Moses A. Leavitt, JDC executive vice-chairman, in a report for the annual meeting of the organization which opens tomorrow at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Mr. Leavitt pointed out that despite the recovery of European Jewish communities, developments during this year prevented any sizeable decrease in the total number of Jews there requiring JDC assistance. He reported that more than 50,000 Jews received JDC aid in various European countries during 1961, in addition to aid given to Jews in Moslem countries and Israel.
Analyzing the Jewish situation country by country, the JDC leader said because of the new influx of Jews to France from Eastern Europe, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, the number of beneficiaries in France alone reached 23,000 this year; “This includes an average of 1,650 refugees monthly from Egypt and Eastern Europe; it also includes refugees from Algeria and Tunisia,” he reported.
The report revealed that thousands of Jews left Tunisia for France within two months. As Tunisian nationals, they are permitted to take out no more than $2.50 apiece. Few of them have friends or relatives in France. Most are therefore completely dependent on the aid of Jewish organizations, Mr. Leavitt emphasized.
“It is difficult to say how many of the Tunisian Jews who left for France between the Bizerte incident in mid-July and mid-September remained in Marseilles,” he said. “But many thousands of Tunisian Jews are expected to enter France before the end of 1962, and Marseilles must be prepared for their reception. The JDC director-general and JDC consultants have made on-the-spot surveys, and a social worker has been assigned to work together with local groups.”
NEW JEWISH REFUGEES ALSO REACH ITALY; JEWS LEAVE BERLIN
The JDC leader reported that new Jewish refugees, from Egypt and Eastern Europe, also reached Italy; A small number of these refugees received aid directly from JDC, others through the JDC-subsidized Union of Jewish Communities and other organizations. The total number of beneficiaries in Italy is 4,450, Mr. Leavitt stated.
“Nobody knows precisely how many Jews have left Berlin since the erection of the wall dividing East and West Berlin,” Mr. Leavitt continued. “It is estimated, however, that up to 600 persons have departed. The major fear is for the city’s economic future. The membership of the Gemeinden (Jewish communities) in West Germany numbered 21,685 as of June 30–JDC beneficiaries numbered 2,780.”
Movement of Jews into and out of Poland has decreased sharply, the JDC leader reported. The repatriation of Jews from Russia has virtually ceased, he said, and emigration is at the rate of about 80-100 a month to Israel and about 50 to other countries. (About 500 a month left for Israel during 1960). “Nonetheless, the welfare needs of the 22,000 Polish Jews are still sizeable–some 12,000 now receive help,” he stressed.
Reporting on the Jewish needs in Austria, Mr. Leavitt said that after many years’ delay Austria finally passed legislation for the indemnification of Nazi victims, much more limited than German provisions. However, the implementation of this legislation still depends on the ratification by the German parliament of an agreement between Germany and Austria. The Jewish population of Austria, he said, is declining slowly–at the end of June it numbered 10,081, of whom 2,855 received the help of JDC.
HALF OF JEWISH POPULATION LEFT CUBA SINCE CASTRO REGIME
The JDC leader also reviewed the needs of Jews in Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Norway and Portugal. He also touched on the emigration of Jews from Cuba. From Cuba, he reported, about half of the Jewish population has departed since Premier Fidel Castro took control, the vast majority during the first half of 1961. Because
The Joint Distribution Committee, Dr. Leavitt stated, also continued to support activities on behalf of refugees from Nazi Europe, as well as newer immigrants, in Brazil, Chile, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Philippines and Uruguay. JDC-sponsored loan funds also provided assistance to Jews in Finland, Holland and Turkey. In Bombay, India, meals were provided regularly for hundreds of schoolchildren. Because of the influx of newcomers into Australia, it was necessary to institute a full-fledged welfare program which aided some 4,500 persons.
ANTI-JEWISH ATTACKS IN NO. AFRICAN COUNTRIES INCREASED IN 1961
Emphasizing that aid to Jews in North African countries “continues to be a necessity,” Mr. Leavitt reported that 87,000 Jews there are JDC beneficiaries. “It must be clear,” he said, “that conditions are not identical in all Moslem countries. But throughout North Africa, 1961 saw anti-Jewish attacks spread from one city to another, from one country to another. These attacks added to a situation which had already become difficult because of worsening economic conditions.”
Clashes in Algiers in December 1960, culminating in the desecration of the city’s largest synagogue, foreshadowed the events of 1961, he stated. “In January, when Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of the United Arab Republic, arrived in Casablanca to attend a conference of five African nations, hundreds of Jews were arrested, mistreated and humiliated, not only in Casablanca but in other Moroccan cities. The same month, the press staged a violent anti-Jewish campaign following the sinking of a ship carrying illegal emigrants. In February, many Jews were arrested in Fez, Meknes and Sefrou, charged with distributing leaflets urging Jews to emigrate, Mr. Leavitt said in his report.
In Tunisia, the report continued, the Jewish position deteriorated so much in July that Jews began to leave the country in masses. The Jewish community of Tunis, where the majority of the country’s Jews are, derives 80 percent of its income from a tax on ritual slaughtering. In 1961, this source of income dropped by more than 50 percent; as a result, the community is unable to continue its previous support for welfare and educational activities. This puts an additional burden on the JDC budget for Tunisia; Some 14,900 Tunisian Jews received JDC’s aid during the first six months of the year.
In Morocco, the report related, the Jewish communities were so outraged by the police excesses committed during Nasser’s visit that they submitted their grievances to King Mohammed V on February 16th. They also asked the King to lift restrictions on emigration, to prohibit compulsory conversion of Jewish girls and to accord legal status to the Jewish communities. The King promised to give these requests favorable consideration; there has in fact been some liberalization in issuing passports since then, When Mohammed V died unexpectedly at the end of February, his son, Hassan II, showed the same benevolent attitude. A new constitution, promulgated in June, recognized that all Moroccans were equal.
“Nevertheless, the condition of the Jews remains basically insecure,” the report stressed. The financial position of the Jewish communities deteriorated as a result of general economic conditions, as well as the specific difficulties of the Jewish population. The future of Jewish communal services is doubtful. The Ministry of National Education has adopted a plan for the nationalization of the Alliance Israelite Universelle schools. One-third of the classes have already been integrated into the national educational system. Meanwhile, Alliance, functioning since April as “Alliance Maroc,” is now classified as a private educational organization. It is against this background that JDC aided some 67,900 Moroccan Jews during 1961.”
71,910 NEWCOMERS AIDED IN ISRAEL BY J.D.C. WELFARE PROGRAM
Mr. Leavitt reported that during 1961, JDC aided 71,910 men, women and children in Israel. Of this number, 44,610 received the help of JDC-Malben, the welfare program on behalf of aged, ill and handicapped newcomers to the Jewish State.
“The year saw Malben continuing to implement a policy first formulated in 1958, which shifts the emphasis from institutional care of the aged to extra-mural care, giving priority within institutions to bedridden cases. Another major policy provides for increased cooperation by Malben with government and voluntary agencies in the field of public health and welfare,” the report said. As a result of these programs, Malben’s institutional caseload dropped from 6,161 at the beginning of the year to 5,640 on September 1. Malben’s largest institutional caseload is still the 3,429 in homes for the aged, but this number is continuing to decrease.
In addition to the Malben program, JDC continued its long-standing support for a variety of cultural and religious programs in Israel, with a total of 17,000 beneficiaries. During the 1960-61 school year, three new institutions were added to the list of JDC-sub-ventioned yeshivoth, bringing the total to 95, with 10,387 students. An interesting fact is that 35 percent of the students in the 13-17 age group are from families from Moslem countries.
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