Jews throughout the world will be asked next Tuesday, the first day of Passover, anniversary of the exodus from Egypt, to assist the new exodus of Jews from Nazi Germany.
The Council for German Jewry and Dr. Joseph H. Hertz, chief Rabbi of the British Empire, today issued an appeal to Jewish communities and rabbinates throughout the world to come to the aid of German Jewry and make the exodus possible.
First results of the Council’s appeal to British Jews to raise a sum of $5,000,000, announced today, reveal that more than a third of the quota, or about $2,000,000 has already been raised since the opening of the campaign on March 15.
Among the contributors and the amounts they have given, are the following:
The Rothschild family, the Lord Bearsted family and the Simon Marks family, $450,000 each; Isaac Wolfson, $65,000; the Baron Rothschild Family Trust, $50,000 and Lady Fitzgerald, $45,000. Lord Bearsted and Simon Marks, together with Sir Herbert Samuel, went to the United States in January to seek cooperation of American Jewry in a plan to expatriate 100,000 Jews from Germany in a period of four years at an estimated cost of $15,000,000, of which sum American Jews were to raise two-thirds.
PALESTINE GOVERNMENT TO GET DETAILS OF PROJECT
Although composition of the Council has not been finally determined, owing to a delay in naming the American members, the British section of the body has already taken temporary decisions in the matter of settlement of emigrants in Palestine and other countries.
Details of the exodus project, as far as Palestine settlement is concerned, have been endorsed by the Council and will be submitted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine to the Palestine Government.
The Council has already considered a number of proposals for the settlement of German Jews in countries other than Palestine, it is authoritatively learned.
These projects, while each involving a comparatively few individuals, may in the aggregate provide for the settlement of a large number. It is pointed out, however, that the extent of this work is dependent upon the funds forthcoming in the United States. Great Britain and elsewhere.
While leaders of the campaign are pleased with the results thus far obtained in England, they stress the need for further intensive effort if one of the greatest communal endeavors ever undertaken by Jewry is to be successful.
UNDECIDED ON ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
It is authoritatively learned that the Council has not yet reached a decision on the allocation of funds which it will control and doesn’t intend to follow any set formula in their division. Allocations will be made on the basis of the work in hand and will be dependent upon the number of emigrants each project settles.
Upon this basis, it was pointed out today, the Palestine settlement work might receive half or even more of the funds at the disposal of the Council, since in the last year Palestine has been the refuge for about half of all the German Jews who have settled abroad and may continue to be so in this and future years.
Reports that the Council would extend its activities to embrace all Jewish relief and reconstruction activities in Poland and else-where were authoritatively denied today. It was stated that the emergency arising from the German situation was so great that the Council could not at the same time undertake other responsibilities and obligations.
In this connection, there is a movement afoot in England to coordinate the activities of the numerous organizations now engaging in East European relief, in order to eliminate overlapping and duplication of effort.
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