The “Emess” today publishes part of a report rendered by a special White Russian Commission which investigated conditions at Bira Bidjan. The Commission had been sent to the Jewish colonies in order to establish officially why the Jews of White Russia were turning their backs upon Bira Bidjan.
The representative of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has seen the complete official report in which a true picture of existing conditions is given. It relates that when Jewish wanderers arrive at Bira Bidjan they find no shelter, are unprovided with employment or food and are disappointed with the treatment they receive at the hands of some of the local officials.
The report gives instances of the failure on the part of officials and demands their punishment. In one case a large group of 485 Jews arrived from Zinovjevsk. They were compelled to remain without shelter and found themselves without work because the administration had done nothing to prepare for their arrival. Similarly, ten Jews from White Russia remained for three successive nights during the rain period without work, food or shelter. All of them deserted on the fourth day. Other instances are given of groups from Mohilev that were subject to the same conditions.
The investigating commission charges the Bira Bidjan administration with negligence and calls for proper action.
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.
