A broad assistance program designed to help the Jewish refugees form East Germany immigzate abroad or reestablish themselves in West Germany, was mapped out here today at an emergency meeting of German-Jewish communities called by the Joint Distribution Committee.
Samuel L. Haber. JDC director for Germany. told the meeting that his organization would provide all possible aid to East German refugees seeking to leave Europe. He warned, however, that because of the restrictive features of current resettlement schemes most of the more that 500 Jewish men, women and children who fled to West Berlin since mid-Jamary will probably remain in Germany.
Mr. Haber disclosed that more than 100 of the refugees had already been evacuated form West Berlin to West Germany under the Bonn Government’s air lift for those who fled Communist Germany. In the weeks to come, he said, more will be flown out and they will need help in reintegrating themselves in their new communities. The JDC is prepared to make special cash grants to provide job opportunities, emergency housing and other assistance, he added.
A pledge of full cooperation with the JDC program was given in behalf of the communities by Dr. Berthold Simonsohn, chairman of the Central Welfare Committee of the Council of Jews in Germany. Dr. Simonsohn said his committee would commence immediately a study of emp0loyment and housing possibilities for the refugees. The meeting adopted a decision to channel all aid to the refugees arriving in West Berlin through the Central Welfare Committee.
Heinz Galinski, head of the Berlin Jewish Community, expressed the gratitude of the community for the JDC’s emergency aid in handling the influx of refugees. Mr. Galinski said that the largest number of those who fled the Communist countries were poverty stricken, having come out with little more than the clothes on their backs. Many of them were old people who still carried the scars of Nazi imprisonment, he said. Every major Jewish community in Germany was represented at today’s meeting.
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