Report Shows No Drop in Children Getting Jewish Education Despite Depression

A report describing the work of the Jewish Education Association since its foundation nine years ago, with special data on the work of the past year, has been issued by Israel Unterberg, president of the organization, which will mark its ninth anniversary at a dinner on Sunday, December 14th at the Commodore Hotel. Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York; Col. Michael Friedsam, merchant and philanthropist; and Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, are the honorary chairmen of the dinner.

INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE

Dealing with the work of the past year, Mr. Unterberg states that despite the economic slump, there has been no drop in the total number of children receiving a Jewish education in Greater New York, that number consisting of 71,462 pupils in attendance at organized religious schools and approximately 30,000 receiving private instruction. During the period that the Jewish Education Association has been in existence, Mr. Unterberg says, there has been an increase in the number of Jewish children receiving a Jewish education of 25,000. He reports further that 3,650 prizes were awarded this year for which 35,000 pupils and 140 schools competed and that the number of prizes awarded for the nine years of the existence of the Association amounts to 37,650. The prizes consisted of Menorahs and other objects made in the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem, as well as books of Jewish interest.

During the past year 73 schools have received from the Association $73,573 in scholarship grants to provide tuition for the children of the poor. Since the founding of the Association nine years ago it has expended $378,121.48 for this purpose.

LICENSING OF TEACHERS

The progress that has been made in the licensing of teachers of Hebrew schools is, perhaps, the most important forward step that Jewish education has to record during the past year, says Mr. Unterberg in his report. Licensed teachers, according to him, are a necessity not only in the interest of the teaching profession, but even more so for the sake of the children who are entitled to receive their Jewish knowledge and Jewish inspiration from men and women who are qualified by education, temperament and training.

Applications for licenses have already been received from 850 teachers, out of a possible total of 1,100. A considerable number of schools, the largest and foremost institutions among them, have already pledged themselves to cooperate by engaging licensed teachers only. The License Board of the Jewish Education Association consists of Dr. P. Churgin, H. Handler, Israel Konowitz, Rabbi Alter F. Landesman, Prof. Morris Levine, Rabbi Jacob Levinson, B. Levitsky, Dr. David de Sola Pool, Albert P. Schoolman, Dr. Benjamin Veit and Kalman Whiteman.