The Joint Distribution Committee, on the eve of the opening here tomorrow of the annual conference of its directors in European and North African countries, announced today that an agreement to set up a $15,000,000 fund to aid sick and aged Jews recently arrived in Israel has been reached by the Israel Government, the Jewish Agency and the J.D.C. The agreement–details of which have not yet been worked out–will cover a minimum period of 15 months.
One-half of the total sum will be provided by the J.D.C. while the other half will come from the Agency and from Israel. According to the announcement, the Israel Government will provide land and buildings and construction of installations to care for the new immigrants. The agreement also covers members of the so-called “hard core” group of refugees.
Moses A. Leavitt, executive vice-chairman of the J.D.C. who is now in Paris, said of the accord: “The accelerated pace of Jewish immigration to Israel has caused serious hardships to the thousands of newcomers arriving monthly in the Holy Land. Especially affected by the overcrowding in the immigrant camps in Israel are the ###d core’ cases–the sick, the aged and the infirm, the halt, the lame and the blind.”
Mr. Leavitt also noted that the J.D.C.’s new undertaking would mark a departure for it since up to now it has concentrated its welfare programs among Jews in Europe and North Africa and in aiding Jews to proceed to overseas points. The J.D.C. has been spending an average of $2,000,000 monthly for transporting and maintaining Israel-bound refugees since the establishment of the Jewish state, it was pointed out.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
