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PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT
OEMBOR
PIDERAL
PIEVEFROMANISII
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SYSTEM
Billikopf Closes Steuer Incident
MAKES APPEAL FOR
DENVER SANATORIUM
An Open Letter to Max D. Steuer.
Mrs. Frances Ilellin, field secre-
tary of the Jewish Consumptives'
Relief society, is spending several
weeks in the city in behalf of that
institution. She in making a per-
By JACOB BILLIKOPF.
May the new year bring health,
happiness and prosperity to an.
Griswold-First
STHE HANK
Corner cristrold and Lafayette Boulevard
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The Season's Greetings.
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that he is now operating the
Dear 111r. Steller:
strainedly the problems of the day.
During 1917 and 1918, as you I venture to say that if you had
well remember, I was the executive submitted to these gifted men a
firistor of the American Jewish symposium on what should consti-
!Relief Committee, serving with- tute constructive relief, you would
out compensation; only once during have received as ninny replies as
the [gist 10 years have I appeared there were individuals in the apart-
before the executive comniatee of ment. Suppose you submit a . aim-
the Joint Distribution Committee, ilar symposium governing the needs
and in behalf of a cause of purely of New York City to the enlight-
collateral interest. Consequently ened ladies and gentlemen on your
I cannot be :orused of bias or ul- Federation Board?
terior purpose's in presenting the
Said Dr. Shabad, who, by the
views which follow.
way, is very bitter because money
About eight or nine months after is being spent on Palestine: "Our
the armistice was signed I visited greatest need is the dissemination
those iw•tions in Central Europe— ■■ f medical knowledge among our
Poland, Lithuania, Galicia, Latvia,
Rumania, etc.—which up to that
tins. had received most of the J.
D. C. funds. Having lived in
Missouri, I wanted "to lie shown"
how effectively, if at all, the funds
were spent in behalf of our un-
fortunate co-religionists. To my
tusk as an investigator I brought
years of rich and varied experi-
ence in almost every phase of Jew-
,sh and non-Jewish nodal endeavor.
What did I find? While the
moneys were largely spent for ele-
mentary creature wants; while no
"constructive work" was dole--
and it would have been the height
If fully to have attempted anything
constructive under the then chaotic
conditions—tens of thousands of
thousands of lives were literally
saved through our intervention.
The leaders of Polish, Lithuanian
and Galician Jewry were extra-
ordinarily profuse in their appre.
dation of what we were doing for
them. My good friend, Dr. Shabad,
whom you quote, told me repeated-
ly in 1919 that were it not for the
presence in Poland of Dr. Boris
Bogen and his group of American
co-workers, the condition of our
people would have been infinitely
more wretched. The presence on
Polish soil of Jewish social work-
ers, dressed in American uniforms,
had an extraordinary effect on the
minds of the Polish people--officials
as well as the hoi polloi. In fact,
as I look back on our activities (lur-
ing and after the tear, I not per-
suaded that the greatest single con-
tribution which we made to Central
Europe was in sending American
workers, who, by virtue of their
strategic position, were enabled to
deal with the various governments
in a manner such as insured the
safety of many Jewish communities.
What do you suppose did Shabad,
Tchernikotf, Rabbi Than of Cracow
and others mean by "constructive
relief" in 1919?
Said Tchernikoff: "Strengthen
our trade schools and you will solve
our problem." But when he spoke
of trade schools he meant, of course,
the particular Technical School, in
Vilna, of which he was the head.
And Shabad said: "Why waste
somuch money on soup kitchens,
when you can save oar people by
utilizing vacant lots for gardening
purposes—thus making the people
self-sustaining." Shabad had refer-
ence to three or four vacant lots
near Vilna on which, at most, 200
or 300 persons could be accom-
modated, forgetting that on the day
I arrived in Vilna, which happens
to be my native town, there were
literally between 25,000 and 30,000
persons who were forced to subsist
on inc meal a day'--furnished by
the .1. D. C,
I was in Vilna again last sum-
mer. My mother being a Katzenel-
snbogen, a member of the famous
I5
Katzenelenbogen family, the lead-
ers in Vilna turned out en masse,
riving me a hearty reception. With
:hem I discussed freely and unre-
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40
Greetings
5
e
May the coming year be
filled with happiness and
success for you and yours
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Michigan Avenue
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I Editor's Note :—There have been a great many statements
and counter-statements since Max a Steuer, on his return
from Europe, made his sensational charges against the Joint
Distribution ('ommittee. Jacob Billikopf, former executive
director of the American Jewish Relief Committee, is the logi-
cal num to give n conclusive answer to Mr. Stever, a copy of
which har been obtained by The Detroit Jewish Chronicle.)
5688 - 1927
Happy New Year to All
Our Jewish Depositors and
Friends.
away IcIA
people. The Journal of Hygiene,
which I publish, re-aches 3,010 per-
slaw.
It ought to go into every
Jewish home. If you could get us
it subvention from the .1. 1). C., you
would help solve the Jewish prob-
lem in Poland."
But his son-in-law, Dr. Ehren-
reich, a lovable and brilliant Heid-
elberg man, insists that the only
worthwhile constructive work to be
done in Poland is the maintenance
if Yiddish schools and of his Jour-
nal of Yiddish Philology, no that
Yiddish and the Jews will not both
disappear from the face of the
earth.
And Dr. Elutinnel of Warsaw—
the notable President of a J. D. ( 1 .
Foundation comprising several
hundred Kansas and Co-operatives
that are accomplishing great good
—bitterly resents the fact that the
.1. D. C. gives more money to Yid-
dish than to Hebrew schools, which
latter are the "Salvation" of Polish
Jewry.
Now, then, what were the find-
ings? I was amazed at the magni-
tude and character of our activi-
' . In Philadelphia, which is a
pretty homogeneous and prosperous
community, we spend nearly $2,-
000,000 a year in the care of our
Jewish poor, If we could establish
what it costs to provide for our peo-
ple in private non-Jewish hospital
and state institutions, we would
probably have to add half to three
quartsrs of a million dollars. And
we in Philadelphia do nut have as
much to show for that large ex-
penditure as the .1. D. C. has to
show in Poland alone at an expen-
iture, last year, of inutile less than
the above allotilit. What is true
at Philadelphia also applies to Ne •
York, Chicago and other commun-
ities. Think of it! Nearly 15,000
orphans are being taken care of in
that country alone—loony more
than are to be found in all our
Aniericanslewish orphanages, and
at an expenditure of millions. Per-
haps 700,1100 to 000,11110 .lens take
advantage of the 000 or 700 Kansas
and ('o-operatives throughout Po-
land. In all our country we have
nothing comparable to these, which
you will find in every town and vil-
lage in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia,
Russia, etc.--all planned by Her-
bert II. Lehman with a group of
abused American representatives
abroad.
If the .1. D. C. simply monied
itself to the problem of child dire,
supervised at this end by Dr. Sol-
omon Lowenstein, and to the Co-
operatives, under the !oval super-
vision of Ilerbert Lehman, we
would more than justify our exis-
tence! that of the trade schools,
prophylactic medical service, edu-
cation of tens of thousands of chil-
dren? Anil if thousands of dollars
(a small fraction of the entire allot-
ment) were spent for soup kitchens
—what of that? I Was in the cities
of Lodz and Ilialostock last Septem-
ber. About 65 per cent of the peo-
ple in these two textile towns had
been out of employment for over a
year. Suppose the J. D. C. had
built and equipped a dozen fac-
tories. There was no market for
the manufactured articles. Ger-
many refused to have any dealings
with Poland. Russia and Poland
had reachtsi an impasse—a compli-
cated international tangle which
the J. I). C. could not solve. The
markets which Lodz and Ilialostock
had enjoyed were gone. Should the
J. D. C. have allowed some thirty
or forty thousand Jews in Lodz,
and equal number in Ilialostock, to
starve?
Every prominent leader I net in
Poland last summer spoke with
great satisfaction of our work
there, not only then but during the
hectic period of 1911 to 1921-22 as
well. Of course, each had his own
axe to grind. When I net a group
of physicians, they wanted as to
put up pathological laboratories.
The engineers wanted us to engage
in a housing scheme far more am-
bitious than Ileckscher's. The pro-
ponents of education wanted us to
spend all our funds un the main-
tenance of Yiddish or Hebrew
schools. The "Nordic Jews" of
Poland thought we were committing
a crime by not insisting that the
Polish language alone be taught.
I made another discovery in Po-
land. So much seas being said
about Jewish Colonization in Rus-
A happy
New Year
MRS. FRANCES HELLIN
sorial appeal to the friends of the
institution for subscriptions fur the
maintenance of this most worthy
of Jewish institutions.
The Jewish Consumptives' Re-
lief society was organized in 1901
to give relief and tr.:alluvia to per-
sons suffering from tuberculosis in
all forms and stage's. Only needy
patients are admitted to this, one
of the few sanatoria accepting pa-
tients in the advanced stages, and
probably the only one in Inc coun-
tr• granting immediate entrance to
emergency cases.
The sanatorium has a capacity
of 300 patients, and since Its es-
tablishment in 1901, 5,52•J cases
have been admitted for a total of
1,190,007hospital days. The pa-
tients du the work on the institu-
tion's grain, veg•table•, dairy and
poultry farms.
Recognized by all c• 'menial lead-
ers its eine of the tie outstanding
and worth a -bile of Jewish institu-
A
tions, the Jewish ('onsumptives' so-
ciety is surely worthy of the hearty
support of the Jews ut Detroit and
of the nation. Mrs. Heflin wel-
comes any opportunity to explain
further the work of this organiza-
WittiatItI
tion. She stay he leached at the
Y. W. 11. A., sit Rowena street. —
A
A
a frightful fear-complex.
They
were actually frightened stiff that
American Jewry might make Jew-
ish colonization its Lidding, alai
divert all moneys from Poland. I
foul to reassure the people that
Jewish Colonization iii the Ukraine
and ('rimes was only one of the
many features of our large and
cumplicuted program.
Ilad you had this slant you would
hate bad en altogether different
picture of the situation. The Jew-
ish social workers in Central Eur-
ope, particularly Poland, who are
administering our funds under the
dilection of Dr. Bernard Kahn of
developed another psychosis.
They were under the impression
that the J. D. r. proposed to sup-
plant them by American serial
workers, whiell would weaken their
prestige and, perhaps, their jwcu-
niary . status. Consequently they
rarely missed an opportunity to
cast reflections On Dr. Bogen's
American assistants. Their con-
versations were full of innuendos.
Bad they not known that Dr. Bogen
and I are friends, they might have
made even more vigorous attempts
to poison my mind—all because of
anxiety lest they might 110 sup-
planted. Ileac in mind that prac-
tically eve' y one of our existing
personnel in Poland had at one time
OE another worked under Dr.
Bogen.
You quote Dr. Gruenebaum in
your statement. I am quite sure
that his conception, if he has one,
of what constitutes "constructive
relief" in Poland would nut he ac-
ceptable to the .lewish leaders
there, even though Gruenebaum is
a very brilliant orator. Just a year
ago, in London, I was asked to
speak under the auspices of the
English Federation of Polish Jews
in behalf of a campaign they were
then contemplating for the benefit
of Polish Jewry. I hesitated to ac-
cept the invitation because only
two weeks before Gru•neliaum, who
had been invited from Poland tu
report on .lewish affairs there and
thus stimulate interest in the re-
lief movement, net with dismal
failure. Ile told the audience that
the .lewish problem in Poland can
never lie solved; that all the moneys
which Jewry might spend there
would be absolutely wasted. "There
seas only one solution--Palestine."
Whereupon any number of people
inquired: "What should be (lone
with the Polish Jews in the mean-
time?" Only one answer: "Pales-
tine!" Mr. Gruenebaum is entitled
to his prognosis; but. he is certainly
nut in an authoritative position to
offer "constructive programs" as
long as 3,000,000 ,leas Cannot lie
BLOOM INSTITUTE
With Office and Yard at
In the spirit of Rosh Ha-
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and friends. May the New
Year bring us all the pos-
sibility to live up to our
highest selves. May it
give us the opportunity to
grow materially and spir-
itually and to reap a rich
harvest of the fruit of life,
and do our share to our
fellow men.
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We Extend Sincere Wishesto the Entire Jewish Community for a Happy and
Prosperous New Year.
•
Overall Company
CITY REPRESENTATIVES:
ALEX KLEIN
JOHN FRAZER
settle in Crimea and the Ukraine.
Did I consider it advisable fur him
and a group of prominent Jews to
approach the Moscow governnient
in person? Wouldn't I take the
matter up with Dr. Rosen: I point-
ed out to Dr. Elummel and his as-
sociates the difficulties that would
confront the Russian government
and the embarrassment they would
create for themselves with the Po-
lish government. I mention this to
show that Shahad's and Tcherni-
koft's suggestions to acquire large
tracts in Poland are not feasible.
In conclusion, I trust you will not
take offense at my amazement at
your interviews—amazement be-
cause you did not first present the
factsgathered in Europe to War-
burg, 'Marshall, Lehman, and the
others who have been on the job for
thirteen years; contributed so gen-
erously of their funds and time;
kept so intimately in touch with
things on the other side. I am con-
fident that in a fifteen minute con-
ference any one of these gentleman
mold have pointed out to you why
I
T is our pleasure to announce the ar-
rival of this Autumn's woolen im-
portations, which include patterns
from the world's most famous looms.
We extend to you our most cordial
invitation to visit our showrooms and
inspect the season's offerings.
4 11 514 111
011 • OA •
%xi* iliftite.
the dollar which, let us say, reached
Vilna on July 21, 1920, was worth
►
- 411
1341t4ta3
only 500,1100 zlotys, when on the
previous (lay the value of the dol-
lar might have been 1,000,000
zlotys, and vice versa. Even in
untutored a mind as mine could
grasp the causes for such violent
Fluctuations. Surely the Gruene-
transplanted to Palestine. As for haunts, the Tchernikoffs and Sha-
the acquisition of large tracts of bads are not so naive as
not to have
la
Russian
Coloni-
land in Poland a
known why these telescopic fluctua-
zation—a futile dream. Dr. Elam- tions took place. Incidentally,
it
met, a very practical man and yet
is because conditions were so in-
an idealist, realizing that agrarian describably chaotic that it would
activities cannot be pursued in Po-
have been criminal for American
land, asked my opinion of a plan to Jewry
to have instituted so-called
petition the Russian government to
sia that the Polish leaders developed allow thousands of I'olish Jews to "constructive movements," which
would
•
have
• vanished os• ernight.
During. my brief stay in Europe in
1919, Vilna, (and it is typical of
other communities), was in the
possession of Germany, Lithuania,
and Poland; and even today it is
hard to determine to whom Vilna
belongs. No wonder that the cur-
rency went to pieces! And then—
it is only natural that there were
losses in the transmission of funds
under such chaotic conditions. But
everybody knows that most of these
tomes were sustained by our peo-
ple in Poland who received drafts
from American relatives through
INVESTIGATE BLOOM INSTITUTE HEALTH
private hanks.
Only this morning I received
COURSES. EXERCISE, HANDBALL, GOLF,
from Dr. Lee K. Frankel a letter
from which I quote the following:
CABINET BATHS, SWEDISH MASSAGE.
"As you know, five years ago,
when the commission of which I
was chairman went to Poland, we
went very carefully into the matter
of finance. We were unable to find
anything which indicated misuse of
funds. Naturally, there had been
some waste. but this was occasioned
by the conditions which existed at
308 BUHL BUILDING
the time the J. D. C. first undertook
to send relief."
There could be no more authori-
Randolph 1470
tative reirinder to your unfortu-
nate interview.
Start The New Year
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V A Happy and Prosperous New Year to All My
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Represent ing
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