The project for settling refugees in the Dominican Republic gives promise of making an important contribution towards alleviation of the refugee situation if American Jewry furnishes the necessary funds, James N. Rosenberg, chairman of the Dominican Republic Settlement Association, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today on his return from Ciudad Trujillo aboard the S.S. Borinquen.
Preliminary steps towards selection of the first 500 refugee families, who will be settled on the 24,000 acre Sosua tract donated by Generalissimo Rafael L. Trujillo, are being taken in Europe, Mr. Rosenberg said. It is expected that actual settlement will begin within two months.
The contract which the association signed with the Republic gives assurance that the Government will assist in the purchase of further land, of which the Government owns large suitable tracts near Sosua, Mr. Rosenberg said. Text of the contract will be made public later in the week, he declared.
“I don’t claim to be an agriculturist, but all the problems involved have been gone into by experts–Dr. Joseph A. Rosen, Dr. Frederick Perlstein, as well as a commission of three United States Government experts–and they are agreed that the territory offers great prospects for colonization,” Mr. Rosenberg asserted.
“The population is sparse–70 to the square mile, and the country eagerly wants more inhabitants. The land is rich and fertile. Economic and agricultural conditions are favorable. If the necessary financial support comes from American Jews, this project can be a very important thing.”
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.
