J.D.C. to Spend $12,000,000 This Year on Malben Work in Israel

The Joint Distribution Committee will spend $12,000,000 this year–approximately one-half of its entire budget–on its Malben work in Israel, it was announced today at a press conference by Charles Passman, director of the Malben program which provides aid for aged and physically handicapped newcomers in the Jewish State.

Since Malben was established three years ago, it has spent more than $24,000,000, Mr. Passman reported. He emphasized that thanks to the efforts and initiative of Malben, the battle against tuberculosis among immigrants who have arrived in Israel during the last four years is now being carried on with every indication of final victory over the disease.

Malben’s achievements in the battle against TB are particularly impressive, Mr. Passman noted, because when the mandatory power left Israel, there were only 450 beds in the entire country for TB. Today, however, the number has more than 2,000. “Not only have we erected the largest hospital for TB in the entire Near East at Be’er Yaacov,” Mr. Passman said, “but we have arranged to pay other hospitals to handle Malben patients suffering from tuberculosis.”

As a result of Malben’s efforts, more than 24,000 newcomers–with their dependents they number 100,000–have been aided in a network of some 100 Malben hospitals, sanitaria, old-age homes, custodial care centers, dispensaries, sheltered workshops and other institutions, the JDC director stated. Other major Malben programs are being carried on in behalf of the aged, the chronically ill, the physically handicapped and others unable to care for themselves without outside aid.