Jewish Social Workers Pledge Resources to War Effort and Veteran Reabsorption

All the resources of Jewish social welfare agencies and social workers were pledged in support of the war effort and toward facilitating the orderly reabsorption of returning servicemen into civilian life, at the closing session of the five-day joint conference of the National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare, the National Association of Jewish Center Workers and the National Council for Jewish Education, meeting at the Hotel Statler here.

Addressing a general session of the conference, last night, Assistant Secretary of State Adolph Berle, Jr. paid tribute to the contributions made to the American Community by Jewish social agencies and workers. Mr. Berle stressed that “Jewish social welfare is not a thing apart. It is a great element in a great American effort. He expressed the hope that “never will Jewish problems be considered apart from American problems and that the element of segregation will never enter into our national thinking.”

Reviewing the fate of European Jewry in the past decade, Mr. Berle reiterated the United States determination to bring war criminals to justice and stressed that this Government is endeavoring to do what it can to assist and to rescue these victims of tyranny and hate.” The Assistant Secretary of State pointed to the aid extended Jews by underground patriots in occupied countries as “a gleam of light in a black picture.”

At the close of the conference, today, Isidore Sobeloff, associate New York director of the National War Fund, was elected president of the Conference of Jewish Social Welfare. Mr. Sobeloff, who has been on leave from the directorship of the Jewish Welfare Federation in Detroit, is returning to that post on June 1. Samuel Devine, head worker at the Irene Kaufman Settlement in Pittsburgh, was elected president of the association of center workers; and Dr. Azreil Eisenberg, executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education in Cleveland, was named president of the educators group.

Family welfare agencies have a definite responsibility to serve every section of the community and not merely the indigent and needy, Frances Taussig, of New York, director of the Jewish Social Service Association, told an earlier session of the conference. Only two Jewish family agencies in the U.S., New York and Cleveland, Miss Taussig said, make case work services available to those willing to pay. She urged extension of this service to every city in the country.

“Following the depression our primary need was for rehabilitation services and it came from the group whose strength and financial resources had become submerged,” Miss Taussig stated. “With the upswing of employment many who had received financial aid came back to the family agencies for case work help in meeting a variety of personal and family problems.”