Jewish Suicides in Germany Still Go on Despite Jewish Community’s Incpeased Allocation for Relief Fu

In spite of the fact that the relief office of the Berlin Jewish Community, notwithstanding the serious difficulties of the Community in covering its budget, has increased its relief allocations, because of the growing economic distress among the Jews of Berlin, the wave of Jewish suicides shows no sign of abatement, and to-day there were no less than four Jewish suicides in Berlin. Two were women, Emma Hesse and Gertrude Jacob, both unemployed, who formed a suicide compact, and were found together, having died of gas-poisoning. The third, Alfred Jordan, a 60 year old merchant, was found shot dead in the Gruenewald Park, and the fourth, a Berlin banker named Schoenefeld, went to Hamburg and took his life there.

There was one day last week when there were four Jewish suicides in Berlin, and yesterday two aged sisters, Emma Lippschitz, 72 years of age, and her sister, Fanny Lippschitz, 60 years of age, who had been running a small art shop and were hopelessly in debt, were found dead of gas-poisoning in their room.

In a report which the Berlin Jewish Community has just published of its activity during 1930, it states that now it has in the West End of Berlin, where in previous years it had only payers of Community dues and never any needy for whom to provide relief, almost as many Jews in receipt of help as in the East and the North of the City. The Community, it said, hadover 4,000 families, numbering 20,000 souls, and more than 5,000 single persons to provide for. Over 145,000 meals were issued in its six kitchens, and 11,000 cwts. of fuel were distributed. In some districts it also has well-warmed halls to shelter people who cannot afford to heat their own homes.

During 1931, the report says, all this welfare and relief work has had to be greatly increased, and unless funds become available it is difficult to see how the work can be continued.