Reich Jews Can Have No Say About Second Jobs, Says Borchardt

The selection of vocations by German Jews must nowadays be decided on the basis of social-political conditions and necessities rather than on personal wished and predilections, which previously were conclusive, Director Borchardt said today at a gathering of press representatives, when he made to them a statement on the work which is being done by the Central Committee of German Jews for Aid and Construction.

“The system which was in practice previously of training intelectuals in artisan occupation in as brief a time as possible, in the belieg that this would equip them sufficiently to earn their livelihood, has been found impracticable,” he said, “because we have found that those who have taken this course of rapid traming are not sufficiently qualified to follow their new craft, and it is difficult for them to obrain employment either in the country or aboard. The Central Committee has, therefore, come to realize that it is better to give a thorough training to a smaller number of people, than to engage in the mass production of madequately trained artisans.”

The budget at the disposal of the Central Committee for the work of changing the occupational structure of German Jewry and providing training facilities in the new vocations must be increased 50 per cent and the Jewish Communities will themselves have to make substantial grants towares this work, Director Borchardt said.

In projects concerning settlement outside Germany and outside Palestine, he urged, it would be advisable, wherever there is no direct control by responsible Jewish bodies, to obtain information first from the Central Committee on the point of utilizig such training possibilities.

Without losing sight of the need of doing relief work in Germany itself, the work for Palestine will in future play an important part in the formation of the fife of German Jews, he continued.

Director Borchardt laid special emphasis on the need of centralizing the work of raising funds. To have the various organizations all working independently, each trying to raise its own funds separately is contrary to the intentions of all authoritative quarters, he said. The Jewish public must, therefore, be made to realize that demands coming from others than bodies which are appointed for the purpose of raising funds, the Keren Hayesod, the Central Union of German citizens of Jewish Faith, or the Central Committee for Aid and Construction should be rejected, in view of the activity of these bodies.

“In view of the opinion that is beginning to be expressed in Jewish quarters abroad that the relief work for German Jews way be cut down or left entirely to the German Jews themselves, we must make it very clear, “Director Borchardt said, “that the construction work in Germany has an exceptionally big and difficult task before it, and German. Jewish need to alleviate, has a right how to demand assistance from the Jews abroad.”