Thousands of Jews stormed the Jewish charity organisations to-day in a desperate last minute hope of obtaining matzoth for Passover. Heart-reading scenes were witnessed outside the Jewish Community building, where there was a crowd of over 3,000 people waiting for help. Strong police forces were placed on guard to keep order outside the buildings of the Jewish Community and the Beth Lechem, and other Jewish charitable organisations which were distributing food for Passover, fearing that otherwise there might be hunger riots, as a result of thousands of people having to be turned away empty-handed, because there is not enough to go round. It is estimated that 3,000 out of every 10,000 Jews who have applied for aid for Passover will be left without matzoth, because the funds have been entirely exhausted. The Jewish Community is taking urgent measures with a view to finding additional funds even now to be able to distribute some Passover food among those who are now compelled to go without, fearing that otherwise some of them may be driven by despair to suicide.
To-day six Jewish babies were found abandoned in various parts of Warsaw, with notes pinned to their clothes explaining that the mothers, having no food for their children and unable to watch them starving in front of their eyes, have seen nothing else possible than to abandon them.
It is feared that the critical situation may lead other Jewish mothers to abandon their children, adding this epidemic to the already existing epidemics of suicides and conversions.
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.
