Jewish Communities Throughout Country Strengthen Their Structure;many Mergers Reported

Reports from various sections of the country indicate that communities are strengthening their basic structure and improving the quality of their service on every level, according to a survey made public today by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds.

Kansas City has completed the merger of its Jewish Welfare Federation and its Jewish Community Council. The new combined organization embraces the scope of previous agencies in fund-raising, budgeting, social service planning, community relations and civic-protective work, and action on broad non-philanthropic matters. The membership includes delegates of organizations, and individuals to represent the community at large.

In Worcester the Jewish Community Council and Jewish Welfare Fund officially have voted to merge into a new organization. The next step is to draw up the detailed governing constitution and by-laws, and this will be done following the current campaign. The new agency will combine the general community relations and non-philanthropic responsibilities of the Council and the fund-raising and budgeting activity of the Welfare Fund. It is expected that Worcester will have a single central planning and operating organization covering all phases of Jewish community responsibility.

Oakland has completed the merger of its Jewish Federation, United Jewish Welfare Fund, and its civic-protective agency, the American Commission. The new organization, called the Jewish Welfare Federation, is already functioning and is conducting the first community campaign under its auspices. Major departments include campaigning and budgeting, case work and allied services, group work and civic-protection.

BOSTON, MILWAUKEE, HARTFORD, OTHER COMMUNITIES MEETING NEW REQUIREMENTS

Evidence that even the oldest and largest federations are flexible and are adapting to new requirements is given by Boston whose Associated Jewish Philanthropies marked its 50th anniversary last year. The AJP has just announced the merger of the Jewish Family Welfare Association and the Jewish Welfare Association into the Jewish Family and Children’s Service. Another step in Boston’s program has been the opening of a Jewish Center to serve the Brighton, Brookline, and Newton residents.

In Hartford, the Council of Jewish Women, the Refugee Service, and the United Jewish Social Service Agency have acted to centralize all refugee service in the community. This is the first major step in the coordination of local programs developed by the planning committee of the recently-organized Jewish Federation. Another major step in Hartford has been the organization of a permanent committee on Community Planning for Jewish Education.

Milwaukee has organized a Central Planning Committee for social services. The community does not have a Federation, and the new body was created under the leadership of the Jewish Welfare Fund. Composed of delegates from the various local serviced, the purpose of the committee will be to make possible joint planning, clearance, coordination, and elimination of duplication. It will seek to analyze various community services and agencies to uncover unmet needs and plans for immediate and postwar problems.

Akron has revived and reorganized its Jewish Community Council to undertake central coordination of its major communal services. Special attention is being given to the development of a civic-protective program under Council auspices.