Jewish colonization of Ukrainia and Crimea was carried out this year under a considerably reduced immigration quota, while in Bureya, autonomous Jewish regime in Siberia, colonization failed miserably, even though the original quota of 25,000 persons for the section was subsequently cut to 17,000 and then to 6,800.
The council of Oze, Jewish colonization society, reported today that a thousand Jewish families arrived in Crimea this year and settled there according to plans. Thanks to having medical supervision and adequate food supplies, their arrival and settlement worked according to schedule, which is the first time this has happened. Moreover, a satisfactory choice of immigrants resulted in a minimum number of disillusioned persons returning to their home towns after arrival in Crimea.
Sixty percent of the Crimea immigrants settled in the Freidorf region. Others settled in Simvercpole, Dzankoy and Yevpratoria.
The Ukrainian plan also worked fairly successfully under a reduced quota providing for 1,000 families. In Kalinidorf 454 families settled, while 401 families settled in Stalindorf. Only Zlatopole was behind, with 58 families instead of the planned 150.
In Bureya, however, the plan failed. Only 261 families and 541 individuals arrived in that remote place. The immigrants consisted of the most unsuitable types for colonization, according to Emess, Yiddish Communist newspaper, which accused the Central Commission of being responsible for a bad choice of people.
Emess also attacked the local committees on immigration for submitting exaggerated plans regarding the possibility of colonization on a huge scale. The organization expressed the hope that next year’s immigration plans will be based on a detailed scheme for consolidation of the position already attained. Emess stated that 150 impartial specialists ought to be sent to Bureya to put an end to irresponsible management taking place there and to insure the execution of the colonization of Bureya with Jews.
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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.