The rising cost of living in Palestine is indicated by a survey showing that living costs in Tel Aviv, largest city in the land, increased by 9.1 per cent since the outbreak of the war.
The investigation, made by the statistics department of the Jewish Agency Executive, covered 220 families throughout the country, including 61 in Tel Aviv, but so far only the result for this city has been published. The survey was made in connection with an agreement between the Manufacturers’ Association and the Tel Aviv Labor Council to pay industrial workers a cost-of-living allowance.
According to the report, food prices increased 12.4 per cent, clothing and footwear 28.6 per cent, while other categories increased only slightly or not at all.
As a result of prevailing economic conditions, the Union of Schoolchildren’s Parents has decided to increase from 2,000 to 5,000 the number of free meals it distributes to needy children in schools. The union appealed to various Jewish institutions for support on the ground that it could not carry out the plan alone. Besides this union, Hadassah provides free meals, but not enough to meet present needs.
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.