The deportation by the Nazis of all Jews from the city of Bromberg, Poland resulted yesterday in the Joint Distribution Committee’s becoming the principal beneficiary of an estate valued at $74,000, left some twenty years ago in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, by Mrs. Lena Cohen to “the town of Bromberg, in the province of Posen, Poland, for the care of aged Jewish men and women.”
Mrs. Cohen, a resident of Wilkes-Barre, died in 1921. The town of Bromberg having refused to accept the legacy when it was approached shortly after Mrs. Cohen’s death, the estate lay dormant in Pennsylvania banks for a generation until the JDC applied for the funds under the “Cy-Pres” doctrine. The award was made in accordance with this doctrine of law, which provides that where a general charitable intent appears in a will, but the specific instructions of the testator cannot be executed, the estate may be applied for the charitable purpose most nearly approximating the instructions of the deceased.
The petition of the JDC pointed out that the town of Bromberg is in an area of Poland which has been formally incorporated into Germany and that all Jews have been evacuated from it. The letter of Lena Cohen’s bequest could not therefore be carried out, but the spirit would be fulfilled by granting the funds to the JDC, which is conducting a program of assistance in behalf of needy Jews in Poland including those from Bromberg.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
