The Joint Distribution Committee must help approximately 48,000 Jewish survivors to emigrate from Europe and other areas before mid-summer, “or they may never have another opportunity to leave,” Edward M.M. Warburg, J.D.G. chairman today warned 2,000 delegates and guests attending the 35th annual meeting of the organization at the Hotel Commodore. For its emigration work, as well as for relief and other aid in Europe and Moslem lands, for nearly 500,000 persons, the organization will require a minimum of $44,512,000 during year, Mr. Warburg said.
The 48,000 “now or never” emigrants are part of the 146,500 Jews the J.D.C. plans to move to Israel and other lands in 1950, and includes Jews from Poland who have been granted government permission to leave until August 15, displaced Jews waiting to come to the United States before the DP Act expires in July, and Jews leaving certain Moslem areas under emergency conditions. Mr. Warburg also said the J.D.C. was hopeful that it would be able to aid in the neighborhood of 20,000 Jews from Poland in the “now or never” category, 3,000 from Hungary, 7,000 from Yemen,and at least 18,000 from the DP areas of Germany, Austria and Italy.
ORGANIZATION HELPED 600,000 IN 1949, LEAVITT REPORTS
Moses A. Leavitt, executive vice-chairman of the J.D.C. told the meeting that in 1949 J.D.C. aid reached more than 600,000 Jews at a cost of nearly $62,000,000. As top priority tasks for the J.D.C. in 1950, in addition to its plans to emigrate 146,500, he listed:
The provision of relief and other welfare assistance to an estimated 240,000 Jews in various European countries, and religious, cultural and communal help to additional tens of thousands; the extension of aid to 54,000 persons through programs of economic reconstruction to help them achieve full or partial self support.
Also, the expansion of J.D.C. medical, educational and welfare programs in behalf of tens of thousands of needy among the nearly 900,000 Jews of North Africa and Moslem lands; and, the establishment of a special welfare and rehabilitation program in Israel in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and Israel Government for “hard core” immigrants, including provision for four 100-bed hospital for Yemenite immigrants. The program is expected to make possible the emigration of 9,000 physically disabled and incapacitated displaced Jews and their dependents, still in the DP camps.
Mr. Leavitt, briefly reviewing the work of the J.D.C. since its inception, said: “Since May 8, 1945, the J.D.C. has brought help to more than a million Jews oversees.” Over 430,000 Jews have been enabled to leave Europe and other distressed areas for new homes in Israel, the United States and other lands, he added. Of these, J.D.C. brought 350,000 to Israel, while 41,000 were helped to reach the United States and 39,000 helped to go to British Commonwealth countries and other areas.
Dr. Isador Lubin, a member of the J.D.C. administration committee, reported that the J.D.C. had spent $278,466,109 for its overseas activities since W-E Day. The peak year in J.D.C. expenditures was 1947, when more than $70,000,000 was spent.
The emergency character of the conditions still facing Jews abroad, in Israel, as well as Europe and Arah lands, was stressed also by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., general chairman of the United-Jewish Appeal, who told the conference it “dare not fail to recognize that the elements of urgency and danger are not yet removed from the scene of Jewish existence.” Mr. Morgenthau called upon his audience “in the name of the human beings who look to us for the opportunity to live in freedom and in peace…to plodge yourselves and all your resources to…hasten their hour of liberation from fear and want. Only in that way,” the U.J.A. leader declared, “will we fulfill our responsibilities to the Jewish people and make a maximum contribution to the success of the 1950 United Jewish Appeal.”
Harry Greenstain, of Beltimore, recently adviser on Jewish affairs to John J. McCloy, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany, spoks of the necessity for implementation of the present restitution law which has been adopted for the U.S. zone of Germany. He said if the law is carried out effectively it will be possible for substantial heirless and unclaimed property, originally seized by the Nazis from Jews, to be employed in resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Jews, still in Germany or now living in Israel and other lands.
At a session of the J.D.C. board of directors and national council, Mr. Warburg was reelected chairman of the J.D.C. for 1950. Monroe Goldwater, president of the New York U.J.A. and chairman of the J.D.C. reconstruction committee, was elected J.D.C. vice-chairman, as was Bernhard Kahn, honorary chairman of the J.D.C. European executive council. Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, until now chairman of the European Executive council, was named director-general in charge of overseas operations and Mr. Leavitt was reelected executive vice-chairman and secretary of the agency.
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