The expenditure of $2,000,000 over a period of ten years, has placed 4,000 children, left orphans in Palestine, on the road to economic in dependence. By investing $500 in each orphan, the Jews of America who provided the funds, have not only sheltered and clothed these children but have given them training in various trades in which they are now engaged, so that they are no longer dependent upon the Palestine Orphan Committee of the Joint Distribution Committee for their care.
This achievement was made known by David A. Brown, National Chairman of the United Jewish Campaign, in making public a report of Miss Sophia Berger, who has been in charge of the Palestine Orphan Committee. Miss Berger is now on a visit here.
In her report she stated that of the 4,500 orphans who had been cared for during the last ten years in Palestine by the Orphan Committee of the Joint Distribution Committee, only 102 children were at present left to be provided for. These constituted the number remaining of the 4,039 children placed in charge of the committee during its worst year, 1920.
The Palestine Orphan Committee of the J. D. C. was organized ten years ago, during July 1919.
During these ten years, the children, on reaching maturity, graduated from the responsibility of the Committee, Miss Berger reported. They became in dependent through various efforts undertaken by the Committee to prepare them for self-support, she added. Together with the 12 model orphan asylums which were shutdown in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, Safed, and Tiberias, where these children had been cared for, the Joint Distribution Committee. Miss Berger pointed out, also financed a number of trade schools where the boys were taught 55 different trades, and the girls 22 occupations.
“The majority of grown-up boys who had been taught various trades, “she continued in her report, “left the trade schools to take up their vocations and earn their own livings. Others remained to continue the study of new trades. Some are pursuing higher education, and are attending what is equivalent to our high schools and colleges. Among the girls, a number were married. And so from 1920 until 1925, 1,280 children left the various institutions in the following manner: 659 boys continued working at trades taught them at the trade schools; 173 are working at new trades; 139 girls were married; 129 boys and girls left Jerusalem to work in other parts of Palestine; 40 are students; 29 are learning new trades; and 84 are employed at temporary work.
“In the same proportion, 619 children became self-supporting in the following three years, 1925 to 1928. At the beginning of 1928, with 151 orphans still remaining to be cared for, which number could not be absorbed by the various local institutional organizations, and with the help of the J. D. C., the Palestine Orphan Committee, together with the orphan Asylums were dissolved. The remaining children, who were not put in orphan asylums, were placed in the care of private families.
“The amount of money expended on this project by the Joint Distribution Committee during its entire period of activity was two million dollars.”
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.
