The Work of the Hilfsverein Der Deutschen Juden

The Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden has for the last thirty years – it was founded in May 1901 – been conducting social and oultural relief work in a number of countries, as the representative organ of the German Jews in the field of foreign aid-work, says a report issued here by the Hilfsverein. At present, the report proceeds, the work is concentrated mainly on juvenile assistance –

giving educational and vocational training to the younger generation, promoting the settlement work in the new Jewish colonies of the Ukraine and the Crimea, and aiding emigrants. A subsidy of over 48,000 Marks has been raised for rebuilding the Jewish Children’s Home in Kovno which was burned down about a year ago. The Home is the centre of the entire Jewish child welfare work in Lithuania. The subsidy will provide for the construction of the new building and its equipment. The plans are by a German architect and the Home will meet all modern hygienic requirements. The Hilfsverein will continue to carry on the Jewish child welfare work in Lithuania in close collaboration with the local bodies.

The Jewish population of Poland is suffering severely in the present economic crisis, the report goes on, and the children are under-nourished and live in congested homes. In order to enable them to recuperate for a few weeks in the year under proper hygienic conditions, the Hilfsverein has given 60,000 Marks for establishing five summer holiday colonies.

Cultural and social relief work is also being continued in Roumania, assistance being given to a number of Jewish schools in Bucharest, Galatz, Jassy and Kishineff. Over 45,000 Marks have been spent on this work in Roumania.

To assist the work in the new agricultural Jewish settlements in the Ukraine and the Crimea three ambulatories have been built under the supervision of the Agro joint and the Ica by funds provided by the Hilfsverein, each serving a population of about 5,000 souls, and fully equipped with medical stores and surgical instruments.

The Haffkine Endowment Fund, amounting to 1½ million Swiss francs, bequeathed by the late Professor Valdemar Haffkine, the famous scientist who discovered the means of fighting cholera, has enabled the Hild sverein to extend its cultural work. The income from the fund is to go, according to Professor Haffkine’s bequest, to assist the Yeshiboth in Eastern Europe, while providing facilities at the same time for the Yeshiboth students to be taught trades. The selection of the Yeshibas which are to benefit from the fund and the distribution of the sums accruing under it has been entrusted to the Hilfsverein.

Over 100,000 Marks annually is being allocated by the Hilfsverein in recent years for emigrant-aid work. 22,900 emigrants and re-emigrants availed themselves of the services of the Hilfsverein in Berlin during 1929 and about 7,900 availed themselves in the same period of its services in Hamburg and Bremen.

The Hilfsverein is also continuing the welfare work on behalf of the Ukrainian orphan children and on behalf of the Jewish students from Eastern Europe who are attending German High Schools which it took up in 1922. The Hilfsverein in this way releases the Jewish Communities and the various Jewish societies in Germany from the responsibility of looking after the emigrants and students and they appreciate this service.

For decades, the report concludes, the Hilfsverein has worked in conjunction with the representative Jewish bodies engaged in foreign aid-work in France, England and the United States. The sphere of activity of the Hilfsverein has now been greatly extended, and its member ship has been much increased, and it is hoped that it will be found possible now for the organisation to cope to a still greater extent with the big problems of Jewish social and cultural aid-work.