Some 4,500 Jewish newcomers to the United States were helped to settle in New York City in 1964 by the New York Association for New Americans, an agency of the United Jewish Appeal, it was announced today by Martin Kleinbard, president, at the agency’s annual meeting, Mr. Kleinbard was elected to a second term as president.
In his report to the board of directors, Mr. Kleinbard stated that several new programs had proved effective in assisting the newcomers in initial settlement. He said that most important was the agency’s emphasis on retraining of clients for full utilization of skills in the American labor market and on provision for intensive English courses to accelerate upgrading in jobs and integration in the community.
An intensive program for teen-agers was instituted in 1964 to insure their completion of schooling, training for jobs and, where possible, entrance to college. Last summer, teen-agers in families arriving at the end the school year or during the summer months were placed in intensive English courses so that they could enter school in the fall at the proper level.
Another special program for which NYANA still has responsibility, Mr. Kleinbard stated, is the care of 20 youngsters from Cuba whose parents are still unable to rejoin them. NYANA, in 1961 and 1962, undertook the care of 175 such children. Of these, a number and now over 21 years of age and are self-supporting and others have been reunited with their parents, also aided to settle in New York by NYANA.
Altogether, according to Mr. Kleinbard, 2,300 Jewish refugees from Cuba were settled by the agency in New York and all have made an excellent adjustment, economically and socially. Most of the newcomers who arrived for settlement in New York in 1964 were admitted under special refugee laws, now known as the “Fair Share Law.” Others qualified under the basic immigration law. Jewish immigrants in 1964 came from 27 different countries, with the majority from Eastern European countries.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
