THE JEWISH NEWS 7 Page Eight Friday, OcfoLier 21, 1942 The Place of Federation in War Time Text of Address Delivered at Annual Meeting of East Central States Region of Council of Federations and Welfare Funds, in Cleveland, Oct. 12 By ABRAHAM SRERE President, Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit The responsibility of a central coordinating and plan- ning agency such as Federation is in a great measure no different in a war setting than in peace-time. War does not create any new problems ; it merely accentuates old ones. Through Federation the community expresses its collective will and discharges its social obligations in the various areas of Jewish life at home, in Palestine, and the world over. Through Federation the com- munity creates and maintains services which aim to serve the poor, the misguided, the sick, the aged, the jobless and the maladjusted. Through it . the community establishes agencies for the enhancement of Jewish life and the protection of its civil rights. In order to imple- ment its program, Federation also has the responsibility of raising the funds necessary for the main- tenance of the programs it spon- sors. It follows, therefore, that the agency which looks at the total community and coordinates its planning to the best interests of the whole community in peace- time should also be the agency to assume the responsibility dur- ing war-time. The country's so- cial welfare program has under- gone rapid changes under the influence of war-time conditions and has created many problems for the social agencies and for the community. These problems are the specific concern of each agency and service affected di- rectly, but are the larger con- cern of the central community coordinating and planning agency —Federation. To meet these problems Fed- eration must assume the respon- sibility for planning and organizing the resources of the community so that these may be utilized quickly and efficiently in meeting the war-time needs as they arise. The community planning agency must encourage and expedite the adaptation of the existing social services to the demands and con- ditions created by the war. Federation, as the community organization agency, must insure a thorough evaluation of all agencies and services, with a view to providing the maximum service, called for in war-time, in the most economical and ef- ficient manner. To play their part in helping the American people meet these problems, local social agencies must achieve a greater measure of efficiency than ever before. Changes should be made to meet the new situations. Weakness in administration, overlapping and lack of coordination, which may have been condoned in peace-time should not be tolerated in war- time. It is the responsibility of every community to examine its own program and achieve such reorganization as will contribute to the common goal of winning the war. The community planning agency must mobilize resources to meet new needs resulting from the war effort and must coordinate the activities of the Jewish community in these fields with those of the general com- munity. Many Of the war needs on the civilian front are being met by governmental and quasi-govern- mental agencies, either already in existence or newly created to deal with these problems. The Red Cross, USO and Office of Civilian Defense are all oper- ating in this field—each devoting itself to the specific program or programs which it is best equip- ped to handle. Such problems as civilian defense, the provision of leisure - time activities for the members of the armed forces, evacuation of children and the mobilization of manpower to carry out the manifold war serv- ices of these and other agencies are being met by them. But there are many areas of unmet need in which private agencies have to function and provide the required services, as the follow- ing examples indicate: (a) In this period of emerg- ency many forces operate to bring mothers of young children into employment away from home. Provisions of adequate day facilities for children of wo- men war workers is an im- mediate problem in many com- munities. Jewish social agencies have a task to perform in de- termining the need for such facilities, and in ascertaining whether this need should be met, as a specific Jewish obligation, or whether it should be treated as a general community program in which the Jewish community may participate and offer its assistance. (b) The large influx of war workers into many industrial communities has resulted in a critical housing shortage. In the main this is not a specific Jew- ish problem. However, many defense workers and civilian employees of the governmental departments are Jewish and they find it especially difficult to ob- tain living facilities. Whether we admit it or not, some land- lords discriminate against pros- pective Jewish tenants. In this respect the Jewish community has a specific obligation. For ex- ample, the War Department re- cently approached the Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit requesting asistance in obtaining living facilities for approximate- ly 250 Jewish civilian employees who will be moved from Wash- ington to Detroit during October. Federation and its agencies have a dual war-time responsibility to exercise in this area—to as- sist the individual in getting properly located and to assist the governmental agencies in ad- justing their employees so that they may contribute their max- imum efficiency to their war work. (c). The war has brought many new responsibilities to the voca- tional service agencies. To sup- plement activities of the govern- mental agencies, local Jewish vocational services are now be- ing called upon to serve as war- training and job-information centers. There will be greater reliance on private agencies for counseling, testing, and place- ment, and for special services to the handicapped so that the United States Employment Ser- vice may release its resources for the pressing recruitment needs of war industry. With the shrinkage of non- essential consumer production and accelerated rationing, a rela- tively large number of Jewish workers in the wholesale-retail distributive trades will have to be shifted to war plants. These individuals will need help in determining their abilities, find- ing the right training for the best utilization of these abilities, and eventually, the right place on the production front. In trying to meet the war needs mentioned above, and many others, it should be kept in mind that the entire commun- ity is also dealing with the same problems. In planning for war- time needs, the Jewish commun- ity must retain proper per- spective and a sense of balance. There is a need for coordination of effort and close cooperation with the general community. Careful evaluation and weighing of proposed war-connected proj- ects is called for. Federation, as the community organization agency, must act as a special war-efforts instrument in deal- ing with war-connected problems which are, or should be, the special concern of the social serv- ices. Such problems must be viewed in relation to the gen- eral community, the Jewish community and the specific agencies which provide the func- tional services. The community planning agency must intensify its efforts to develop a continuing and lasting interest in and support for the social services. There are many distracting influences operating within a community in wu-time. The dramatic sweep ofome of the war-connected activities, no mat- ter how valid and essential they are, should not be allowed to overwhelm the continuing year-round services which the community must maintain and strengthen in war-time, even more than in peace-time. Agencies are faced with many problems which threaten their programs. Staff turnover and de- pletion have made it difficult to continue operations. But we can- not afford to take the path of least resistance. In many in- stances turn-over may be re- duced through the provision of more adequate salaries and it is the function of the community to find the necessary means to accomplish this. Staff depletion can be alleviated through the use of volunteer services. The Office of Civilian Defense has mobilized thousands of indiv- iduals who are searching for opportunities to offer their serv- ices to the community. The use of volunteer workers is in keep- ing with the trend of the times. Planning for the use of volun- teers to fill staff shortages and to man new war-time services. is the responsibility of the or- ganized community and its mem- ber agencies. To cite a few examples: THREE YEARS OF U. J. A.-SUPPORTED WARTIME RESCUE ACTIVITIES THE JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE refugees emigrated from Europe to havens In Amer. kas and Palestine 93,000 . 61)0000 _ aarll /7 ""mug I lees in Siberia for whom • - 74 1 7MR til7====11 medical aid is being sent • en r nonsectarian basis I 441117 60000 relief 0 123,000 'aided ;4= AW4=70,== tetint F e ra ni nc: d . , tx 1no terr od ul refugees In Latin America by readjustment ,program 11 Each symbol represents 10,000 people helped. t• needy Jews 'helped I Switzerland. Sweden. Por- tugal Spain. North Africa) Turkey and other neutral or allied countries 82,000 THE UNITED PALESTINE APPEAL homeless Jews lairnIgled to Palestine. bringing the Jewish population to over 550,000 30,000 Owns o( land purchased 1 1 bringing ra the en:haenr total dolurnYy of U.P. A. land to 590,000 dunems' Where people are Indicated, each symbol represents 3,000! Where land is Indicated. each symbol represents 3.000 dunams. - 20 NEViliRICULTURAL COLONIES IN JEWISH HOMiLAND7TOTAL TO DATE 276 400 NEW FACTORIES FOR WAR PRODUCTION PROGRAM THE NATIONAL REFUGEE SERVICE 31,000 22,500 oxfafidedfininclat remit 6 , 4) 64 Si 64 6' 6) . 44 44 64 44 49 Job and professional place- ments arranged 10,200 newc i communities fad rimbol represents 2000 people helped. omers - 58,000 ntnreTtYn= 195,000 PERSONS ASSISTED WITH VARIED SERVICES' Atitt t it (a) There is no glamour in 1 finding foster-homes for children but it is one of the most essen- tial parts of an adequate and sound child-care program. De- sirable foster-homes are needed more, and are more difficult to find, in war-time. Volunteer ef- fort should be utilized in help- ing to meet this problem. (b) Health agencies must continue to operate despite shortages in medical and nurs- ing staffs—and efforts must be made to meet these shortages: through the recruitment of physicians who remain in the community, through volunteer nurses' aides and in every other way possible. There are other programs which were established to enrich our cultural life, to protect our civil liberties and to maintain and strengthen our group inter- ests and responsibilities. These, too, must not be neglected in war-time. (c) Providing Jewish education for our children is one of the privileges and strengths of the Jewish community in a democ- racy. We cannot afford to allow this program to suffer or to atrophy through a shift of in- terest. It requires continuing support in war-time, as well as in peace-time. (d) The disappearance, in large measure, of overt anti-Semitism, which follOwed our entrance in- to the war, should not be allowed to lull us into complacency. The war did not eliminate the need for a vigorous and coordinated civic - protective program, butt rather, intensified the need for the effective relation of the civic-prbtective program to the changing conditions and prob- lems of anti-Semitism during the war period. While many areas of activity_ formerly in our hands have become the direct concern of the governmental agencies, there are other areas in which we ourselves must continue to operate, and, in some instances, intensify our efforts. (e) In a few communities, welfare funds have already join- ed, and in others, may join, War Chests. Fund-raising has provid- ed the Jewish community with an annual dramatic occurance, an event super-charged with communal interest and activity. The attention of the community during this period has been focused on specific Jewish wel- fare causes and programs. The War Chest, being a general community venture, will divert a great deal of this concentrated attention. But, there is need for maintaining a continuing year- round program of community education and interpretation as an aid in furthering the specific Jewish community interest. The problem of maintaining the continuing interest of the Jewish groups, in communities which will campaign independ- ently of the War Chest, is not lessened because of this fact. War activities of all kinds are calling upon all members of the community and rightly so— to give their services in pro- moting the major cause of all Americans — winning the war. These communities; as well as War Chest communities, must think in terms of an educational program which will maintain in- terest in Jewish institutions and causes and prepare the commun- ity for the task ahead—post-war reconstruction of Jewish life abroad and a great development of the Jewish community at home. Social work has evolved as an integral part of American democratic life. Today, our so- cial welfare program is an im- portant weapon in winning the war and in assuring a full meas- ure of well-being to the common man. It has 'become an indis- pensable tool in shaping our community thinking and action and in maintaining and stvength- ening Jewish community life. In war-time, even more than in peace-time, we- must give it our full support, so that it may continue to function as a ;Maw, symbol of our democratic tra- dition.