American Jews have been enabled to identify themselves with Jewish communities throughout the world through the work of the Joint Distribution Committee, Edward M. M. Warburg, JDC chairman, said in his opening address of the JDC’s 14th annual overseas conference which takes place here.
Mr. Warburg drew a parallel between the JDC and the United Nations, asserting that both were striving in the same direction and that both included representatives of both developed and underdeveloped countries. About 125 delegates, including directors from the 25 countries where the JDC has operations, were in attendance.
Louis D. Horowitz, JDC director for Israel, told the conference that the Malben, the JDC program in Israel for the aged, ill and handicapped, should be fully implemented. “Much remains to be done” in solving the problem of many new immigrants, he declared. He reported that the JDC’s cooperation with other agencies and with the Israel Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was the key to success of JDC operations in Israel.
Mr. Horowitz said the number one task of Malben was to make a “direct attack” on difficult cases in certain areas of Israel, including the transit camps, settlements, towns and urban slums. An intensive study of difficult cases had already been undertaken in one transit camp and “we found that their greatest needs are housing and economic help.”
Charles Jordan, European director of the Joint Distribution Committee, addressing the conference, stressed the significance of the World Refugee Year and urged increased Jewish contribution for it. He revealed that a substantial share of JDC’s budget for its ongoing programs still goes for the care of the 58,000 refugees on its rolls.
During today’s discussion, it was also disclosed that the JDC provided more support for Jewish schools than any other single agency in the world. The JDC has contributed to the education of 103,000 pupils in Europe, Israel and the Moslem countries.
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