The Joint Distribution Committee will require an “absolute minimum” of $45,000,000 to conduct its programs in 1950, it was reported during the week-end following the conclusion of the week-long conference here of J.D.C. directors in 18 European and North African countries.
According to an announcement by Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, European director of the J.D.C., the agency will have four principal tasks next year. These are: 1. Emigration to Israel, the United States and other lands of a minimum of 100,000 persons. 2. Medical aid, food relief and other assistance to Jews of North Africa and other Moslem areas. 3. Care for the “hard core” group of aged, sick and disabled Jews in Europe and Israel. 4. Helping the remaining Jewish communities in Europe to be self-supporting.
The first unified campaign to raise funds in France for local Jewish needs will begin Oct. 22. At a national meeting of French Jewish leaders in this city it was disclosed today by Moses Leavitt, executive vice-chairman of the J.D.C.
The drive, Mr. Leavitt said, will be under the direction of an American member of the J.D.C. staff who will be lent to help organize it. He pointed out that since the International Refugee Organization would cease operations in June, 1950, the J.D.C. faces an additional responsibility. He voiced the belief that the next few months would see more Jewish communities in Europe making efforts to meet larger shares of their local needs.
JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN EUROPE BECOMING STRONGER, LEAVITT SAYS
“This is the measure of J.D.C.’s achievements,” he said. “In the last four and a half years, many Jewish communities have grown strong enough to take care of their own needs. This year we must help them and stimulate them to reach their goal.” He added that in recent months heartening signs of progress to this end had appeared in France, Italy and the Netherlands.
Dr. Schwartz and Mr. Leavitt pointed out that the J.D.C. had already sharply out its budget, a process which began gradually in 1948. The chief problem was planning for the year ahead and preserving essential services in the face of further reductions of available funds, they said.
On the subject of immigration, Dr. Schwartz said that future new settlers for Israel would come mainly from North Africa and other Moslem regions, since the displaced persons camps of central Europe were rapidly being emptied and some governments of Eastern Europe had taken a negative position of permitting their Jewish nationals to leave for Israel.
“Should these countries grant large numbers of their citizens leave to go to Israel,” Dr. Schwartz said, “the J.D.C. is prepared to make every effort to move as many of them as possible, as quickly as possible. The Government of Israel would make every effort to admit as many as are given leave to enter.”
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