An all-time record of pre-campaign contributions to the United Jewish Appeal was made last night when a total of $9,522,000 was contributed to the newly-launched UJA $100, 000, 000 Emergency Rescue Fund and $11,489, 000 to the regular 1957 campaign at a dinner here honoring Samuel D. Leidesdorf, philanthropist and community leader.
William Rosenwald, UJA general chairman, said that the dinner, attended by more than 500 Jewish communal leaders from all parts of the United States, initiated the first phase of the nationwide drive because of the concern of American Jewry “over the catastrophe threatening Jews overseas.”
“This outpouring of gifts was impelled by the deep anxiety among American Jews over the fight of Jews from oppression in Hungary, over those driven out of Egypt and for those managing to struggle through to freedom from Eastern Europe and North Africa,” he said. He pointed out that gifts to the Emergency Rescue Fund are made over and above gifts to the regular campaign.
Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman, UJA executive vice-chairman, told the audience that the next two months will present the “most challenging crisis since 1948 because in that period the highwater mark will be reached of Jews in flight from Egypt, Hungary, Eastern Europe and North Africa,” Rabbi Friedman told a deeply-moved audience gathered at the dinner.
“In addition to the 11, 000 of Egypt’s 50, 000 who have been driven out of Egypt in the past two months, ” Rabbi Friedman continued, “it is expected a large number of those remaining will be forced out by the end of March. These new Jewish refugees will need immediate aid, along with the 17, 000 Jews who have already fled Hungary and others coming out of Eastern Europe and North Africa.”
J. D. C. SPENDS $500, 000 A MONTH ON HUNGARIAN REFUGEES, ROSENWALD REPORTS
Rabbi Friedman pointed out the need by UJA constituent agencies to provide huge funds immediately to alleviate the pitiful plight of the thousands of refugees in reception centers in Europe and in helping the people of Israel meet the strain that the sudden new immigration has placed on their economy and social patterns.
Already 17, 000 Jewish refugees from Hungary have reached Austria, he said, of whom some 5, 000 have been relocated in the United States, Israel and other free countries through the UJA-Emergency Rescue Fund, “Additional thousands are coming on of Eastern European countries and North Africa, ” Rabbi Friedman stated.
“On the other side of the picture, Israel has received in just the last two months alone 14, 000 new immigrants, ” Rabbi Friedman continued. “In the month of January on two different days a total of 1,100 refugees were admitted to Israel during each of the two days. This has been the largest intake in the last five years.”
Mr. Rosenwald said that the Joint Distribution Committee, which receives its funds from the United Jewish Appeal spends at least half a million dollars a month for the maintenance and care of the Hungarian refugees in Austria, alone. “When you add to that the number of refugees from Egypt, the other Eastern countries and North Africa, when you considered that all of them must be helped while in the reception centers, in transit, and when they settle down in countries of permanent adoption until they can become independent and self-supporting you can begin to understand the costs, ” he pointed out.
Other speakers at the dinner included Jack D. Weiler, national chairman; Edward M. M. Warburg, honorary chairman; Morris W. Berinstein, UJA president, and Jacob Goldfarb, vice-chairman of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York, who served as dinner chairman.
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