Over two million dollars every year is sent in petty contributionns by small Landsmann organizations to their needy relatives and friends in the “home town” in Russia, according to a statement made by L. B. Bousin, chairman of the Landsmannschaft Department of the American Ort, at an Ort meeting in the Hotel Pennsylvania on Sunday. The meeting was attended by about 150 officials of such Landsmann organizations, who resolved for the first time to band together and, through the Ort, combine their efforts to make their relief work more effectual.
The new plan for thus extending the activities of the Ort, which had hitherto confined itself largely to raising its funds through big unit contributions from wealthy philanthropists, was set forward by Murray Levine, president of the American Ort.
Dr. B. Dubovsky acting chairman of the American Ort, then reported on the agreement made between representatives of the Ort in Moscow with the Russian government. The Narcomsobez, which is the Central Welfare Committee of the Soviet authorities in Ukrainia, agrees that the government shall furnish declassed Jews with raw material, space for factories, and credits, provided that the Jews find a way of securing part of the money necessary for the equipment of their factories.
EXTENDS LANDSMANSCHAFTEN
“There is no reason why we should not extend the Landsmannschaft organization throughout America,” said Mr. Levine. “Dozens of such small relief societies exist in every city. Acting together, they could accomplish remarkable work.”
The representatives of the “hometown” organizations present at the meeting agreed to cooperate with the Ort, adopting a series of resolutions to that effect. Formation of a permanent body to be called the “Landsmannschaften Council” was recommended, as well as formations of ladies auxiliaries and a national advisory council.
One of the resolutions adopted by the Conference called upon “each and every Landsmannschaft to join in the work of the Landsmannschaft department of the Ort, and in the reorganization of that department on a broader basis, in order to work out a comprehensive plan for the assistance by the Landsmannschaften of this country of their native cities and towns in the old world, and to transform the stream of charity now going from this country to the old world into a channel of constructive relief.”
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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.
