Jewish Social Service Problems Discussed by 800 Delegates at Conference in Atlantic City

Problems of Jewish social service in the United States were discussed today by the National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare at its meeting at the Breakers Hotel here, which is being attended by more than 800 delegates from all parts of the country.

Harry L. Lurie, president of the Conference, speaking on “Planning Social Services for the Total Jewish Community,” said that with the great extension of governmental public welfare services, the primary task of Jewish social service agencies will be to pioneer in new contributions to social well-being and to help raise the general standards of welfare services throughout the country.

He also predicted that governmental agencies could be expected to assume major responsibility for many essential public health and welfare services in the future, but pointed out that a great many services will remain in the province of the voluntary agencies.

Louis H. Sobol, assistant secretary of the Joint Distribution Committee, demanded that governmental and intergovernmental agencies assume responsibility for providing food, clothing and medical care for surviving Jews in Europe. He emphasized that it is impossible for the Jewish voluntary agencies to meet all the basic requirements of the survivors.

Other speakers at the session included Martin M. Cohn of the Jewish Charities of Chicago; Dr. Henry B. Makover, former senior surgeon of the United States Public Health Service and now consultant to Montefiore Hospital in New York; Samuel Dinin, executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education in Los Angeles; Miriam R. Ephraim, of the National Jewish Welfare Board in New York; and Harold Silver, director of the Jewish Social Service Bureau in Detroit.