The suggestion that Mr. Louis Marshall, president of the American Jewish Relief Committee, proceed personally to Russia, heading a commission of the Joint Distribution Committee for the purpose of investigating the situation of the Russian Jews and the possibility of extending effective help to them by American Jewry was made to-day by Mr. Jacob Fishman, in his daily column in the Jewish Morning Journal, discussing the replies of Mr. Marshall and Mr. Lehman to the criticism of Russian Jewish circles contained in the Saturday Riga Dispatch of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
“The positive statement of Mr. Marshall that the $400,000 lately assigned by the Joint Distribution Committee for the purpose of helping Jewish Farmers in Russia will not be administered by the Idgeskon or “Yevsektzia” is naturally more important than his defense of the previous activities of the Joint Distribution Committee in Russia. Mr. Marshall says thus he has great confidence in Dr. Joseph Rosen who will be in charge of the $400,000 in Russia. This is very nice and correct. We have no doubt that Dr. Rosen, aswell as Dr. Bogen deserve the confidence as administrators of the funds.
“It is different, however, when the question of deciding the policy is considered. We may say frankly that the weak point of the Joint Distribution Committee’s previous activities in Russia was the fact that the Joint Distribution Committee had relied entirely on Dr. Bogen in matters of policy, although there was in existence considerable opposition. This should not berepeated, if the Joint Distribution Committee intends to start a serious activity and not to remain satisfied with a mere donation.
“The question is important enough that Mr. Marshall himself should make the sacrifice and proceed to Russia at the head of a commission. This is not a question of distributing deciding, policy $400,000. It is a question of deciding a policy which is of the greatest importance for tens of thousands of Jews in Soviet Russia”, the editorial concluded.
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.
