School Situation in Argentina Desperate Scholarships Set Up for Needy Children in Jewish School Syst

In view of the grave situation which is facing the Jewish school system in this country, Herzl Gesang, president of the Olam Insurance Company, announced that his firm has set up 10 scholarships for needy Jewish students. These scholarships will be handed over to the Federation of Parents Clubs of Hebrew Schools (Horim) for distribution to parents who cannot afford to pay tuition fees.

The Jewish school system here is beset by economic difficulties. Last year some 2000 children were forced to drop out of school because their parents could not pay tuition fees and a number of schools face shut-downs. Several days ago, Joseph Klarman, head of the Youth Aliya Department of the Jewish Agency in Israel, cabled Zvi Feingersh, head of the Jewish community in Buenos Aires, and offered to absorb Jewish children in Argentina who face loss of education.

Klarman also stated that youth aliya institutions in Israel are in a position to absorb all children whose parents are unable to pay for tuition in Argentine Hebrew schools. He said he was prepared to come to Argentina to arrange for the childrens transfer to Israel.

Klarman’s proposal is not considered feasible by Jewish leaders here since most of the children are from six to twelve years of age and regarded as too tender to be separated from their parents. Baruch Iungman, secretary general of Horim, acknowledged Olam’s grant and expressed the hope that other Jewish financial institutions will follow suit. The new school semester begins today and there is no indication how many children will be forced to drop out this year.