The major problems of reconstruction of French Jewish life will have to wait until wartime conditions are eased, Dr. Joseph Schwartz, European director of the Joint Distribution Committee, told French-Jewish leaders here at a reception tendered him yesterday by the Federation of Jewish Societies of France.
There will be tremendous difficulties in handling problems of urgent and immediate relief owing to supply and other difficulties created by war conditions, Dr. Schwartz said. He assured the French Jews that American Jews, working through the JDC, will do all that is possible, but emphasized that the task was greater than private organizations could handle and that international and governmental help will be necessary. He revealed that in two years the JDC expended 350,000,000 francs for Jewish relief in France.
Outlining to the representatives of the major French-Jewish organizations the aspects of the general Jewish relief problem in Europe, Dr. Schwartz pointed out that the situation in France is only a part of this problem. He described the work which the JDC will have to do in Rumania, Poland, Hungary and other countries on the European continent. The primary job, he said, is to help the Jews to survive the hard winter months ahead and to organize aid for thousands of homeless and orphaned Jewish children.
Lady Reading, who arrived here from London, was one of the speakers at the reception. “We are people badly mauled, but not beaten,” she told the gathering.
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.
