New Welfare Planning

An occasion for a general discussion of Jewish welfare needs in the United States will be provided by the National Conference on Jewish Welfare to be held in New York City from January 3 to 6.

The scope of the conference is a wide one. It is planned to cover such subject matter as Jewish needs and responsibilities and welfare resources; present trends in the Jewish Federation movement; developing Jewish cultural activities in America; problems of Jewish adjustment and integration into American life; relief for Jews abroad, and American interest in Palestine. Felix M. Warburg will act as general chairman for the conference.

Speakers of outstanding prominence, among them several European visitors, will discuss topics of vital importance to Jews all over the world. And of course there will be opportunity for discussion of problems with which Jewish social service groups in the United States and Canada are working.

FEDERATION MOVEMENT AT CROSSROADS

In America, contrary to the state of affairs in many European lands, we have never had a “Jewish community” as a legal entity. In this country, for that matter, the Jewish Federation has been a voluntary agency, which has assumed certain limited philanthropic functions on behalf of the Jewish residents in a community. It could never attempt to speak or act for all Jews.

Although essentially a financial device, the Federation has firmly established itself in a position of prestige and authority. It has demonstrated that divergent groups could come together on a working platform without violence to their individual points of view.

NEW POLICY IS REQUIRED

In these latter years, moreover, federations here and there have rendered a real service to the Jewish community by serious efforts to meet new problems on the basis of long-ranged policy-making. In this way they have shown a deep comprehension of recent social trends in the community at large, social and economic trends which affect our Jewish communal interests and responsibilities.

Unfortunately, this movement, though of about forty years’ standing, has not succeeded in enlisting the full support of all classes of Jews, either in finances or in leadership. Here, again, new signs appear on the horizon and greater possibilities demand methodical action.

Changed circumstances, such as the financial and social stabilization of the newer immigrant groups on the one hand, and the growing Jewish national consciousness in this country on the other, require a development of a new policy and a new program for guiding the Jewish community.

NEW COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITIES

An all-important new circumstance is the fact that Jewish philanthropic agencies are no longer responsible for the bulk of Jewish relief clientele. The government is taking over a constantly increasing proportion of activities formerly considered the prerogative and special province of private social work. The New Deal only accentuated a social trend observable during the last two decades. Workmen’s accident compensation, mothers’ pensions, old age and unemployment relief, all of these things are means, derived from the public purse, to promote family welfare of Gentile and Jew alike.

But, at the same time, Jewish lay leaders and social workers point out to new big problems of communal welfare. They speak about devising means to combat the discrimination evil, about creating for our depressed population all kinds of vocational plans, such as reeducation classes and occupational self-redirection bureaus, credit institutions, many other things of the sort which the European Jewish population had to build up when they were devastated by war and economic upheavals.

SHOULD EXPLORE NEW FIELDS

Some eminent Jewish leaders take even a loftier stand. The Jews, whose appreciation of social justice and standards of social work are higher than the average among the other religious and racial groups, should explore new fields of social adjustment. Thus not only the unfortunate in our midst would be benefited, but we would teach the whole community or city the way things of lasting value could be done.

Again, there is a vast, purely Jewish field of communal responsibility. The cause of Jewish education and character-building, the causes of Jewish international welfare agencies require definite and regular support through special campaigns and special welfare funds which, so far from competing with, are supplementary to the work of the Federations.

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND REORGANIZATION

Now, owing to the varying sizes of communities, historical conditions with relation to individual organizations and unplanned growth of services, various types of Jewish federations have developed to meet different local conditions. The new circumstances described above require, however, certain adjustments.

It is no longer possible to think of the social-economic program of the Jewish Federation piecemeal, either with respect to its own constituent overlapping elements, duplicating efforts, or without relation to the larger community of which it is a part. In other words, Jewish social work should be reorganized in terms of problems instead of agencies.

If the Jewish social-economic-program is to be conceived as an integrated unit, some central body must have the power for community planning and the necessary authority for the creation of new activities, elimination of obsolete functions, consolidation or merger of duplicating or parallel agencies and such other procedures as may be necessary to provide for an efficient, harmonious, coordinated program. This coordination, needless to say, should be carried out on a city- and nationwide scale.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH AGENCIES

These considerations have led the leaders in Jewish communal life to the formation of the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, which was organized in October, 1932, in Cleveland. To the general assembly which met in June of next year in Detroit was submitted a stimulating tentative statement on federation programs and objectives. By the end of 1933 thirty-seven federations and welfare funds in seventeen States and one Canadian province had become members.

The 1934 general assembly of the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds convened in the beginning of January in Chicago. It took up for discussion problems of actual and vital interest, questions of public welfare and economic security, fund raising, cultural activities, etc. Several regional conferences of Jewish communal agencies were held under the auspices of the National Council during 1934 in various parts of the United States.

At present the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds consists of forty-five members in thirty-nine cities. Twenty States and one Canadian province are represented. Ohio leads with seven cities, followed by New York with four. California, Pennsylvania and Tennessee are represented by three cities each; Minnesota, Texas and Illinois have two apiece and each of the balance has one.

PROGRAM IN LIGHT OF NEW TRENDS

It has been decided to extend the general assembly this year into a national conference on Jewish welfare and to hold this conference in New York. Its main purpose is to lay down programs for dealing with the Jewish communal problems in the light of new social trends and developments. Means are to be considered by which federated and unorganized groups may cope with these problems and how Jewish individuals may relate themselves to programs of communal welfare.

Should the deliberations of the conference help to direct the variegated welfare activities of American Israel into new channels, into strengthening of Jewish life and enriching Jewish personality, fortifying Jewish morale, then such constructive achievements will vindicate the high hopes which the sponsors of the conference have set on it.