Rosenberg Protests Dragging Jewish Reconstruction and Relief Problems in Russia into Politics Contro

A protest against dragging problems of Jewish reconstruction and relief in Russia into politics and controversies, was voiced yesterday in a statement issued by James N. Rosenberg, President of the American Society for Jewish Farm settlements in Russia Inc., in which he declared that recent statements, disparaging the agricultural work among the Jews of Russia, were made without any attempt to substantiate them.

Mr. Rosenberg’s statement, in which he points out that under all circumstances, 3,000,000 Jews will have to stay in Russia, and will have to adjust themselves to Russian laws and systems, is as follows:

“Tremendous pressure is being brought to bear on the Agro-Joint, the agency of the American Society for Jewish Farm Settlements in Russia, Inc., by thousands of Jewish families who seek opportunity to settle in the Jewish farm districts. This work will be carried on with unabated zeal.

“Within the last few weeks, statements have appeared in the public press pertaining to the settlement of Russian Jews on the land. We deem it necessary, in view of these reports, to cite a few facts which bear on the subject.

“The program of settling Jews on the land was commenced by the Joint Distribution Committee, under the active direction of Dr. Joseph A. Rosen, in 1924. Since then the Agro-Joint has expended $8,000,000 in this activity, and the Jewish population engaged in farming has increased from 15,000 families at the end of 1923 to over 50,000 in 1929, or a total of about 200.000 Jews. The settlement of 4,500 additional families is contemplated as the program for the current year and there are thousands of applications for which the Agro-Joint has neither the funds nor available land. Daily the offices of the Agro-Joint are beseiged by an increasing number of applicants