THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Twenfy

New Problems Arise
When the Veteran
Returns Home

By HAROLD SILVER

Director, JSSB, and
member, Veterans
Service Committee
of the Jewish Wel-
fare Board.

ICTORY assured and their duty
done, thousands of GIs are re-
turning to their families and their
communities. For many of them
the change from army to civilian life means noth-
ing more than changing from uniform into civies.
They become quickly reintegrated into the familiar
life they had left months previously.
Others find it more difficult. "He's changed so
much since he came back", the wife of one ex-GI
remarked to the case worker of the Jewish Social
Service Bureau.
"For 30 months I looked forward to this day
and now we can't seem to make a go of things.
What do you think is the trouble?"
Many things, no doubt. There are no part ans-
wers to problems that are involved and difficult.
It takes a lot - of understanding, sympathy and skill
to find out and to help.

V

Rigid Military Discipline
Make Different Man of Him

. , In _ the -ease of the veteran, his experiences
away from home, under rigid military discipline,
under conditions of hardship and battle, have often
made a different man of him. Said the late Ernie
Pyle: "Even if they were away from you this long
under normal circumstances, the mere process of
maturing would change them. Add to that the
abnormal world they have plunged into, the new
philosophies they have had to assume or perish in-
wardly, the horrors and delights and strange, won-
derful things they have experienced, and they are
bound to be different people from those you sent
away."

Nor is the veteran's family the same as he left
behind. The children are older. The wife may
have worked in a war plant. Her values and ideas
have also undergone a change. Readjustment is
necessary on both sides.
Friends and relatives can, and do, help. Fre-
quently, however, an outsider can accomplish things
where one's own family is helpless. The chances
are much better when that outsider is a person
who is understanding, with a warm personality,
and professionally trained to deal with people's
troubles.

Each Person an Individual;
Individual Attention Given

That is the kind of help—understanding, warm,
professional—the Jewish Social Service Bureau
gives to veterans and their families as it does to
hundreds of Jewish families who bring their prob-
lems to it. Each person is an individual, each re-
ceives individual attention. As with the physician,
each person's difficulties, his strengths and his
wishes are carefully and confidentially considered.
- To a person who is troubled, the Bureau offers:

• 1. An opportunity to unburden himself,

2. A sympathetic understanding of his troubles,
• 3. A chance to analyse the alternative proce-
dures open to him,
4. Help in resolving his uncertainties so he can
decide on the best possible course of action.
5. Assistance in carrying out the action de-
cided upon.

Friday, December 28, 1945

Hebrew Free Loan Association
Marks Its 50th Anniversary

By MRS. IDA B. COLTEN

Hebrew Free Loan Association
—Gemilath Chasodim—of De-
troit, one of the network of lo-
cal Jewish Welfare Federation
services, has this month com-
pleted 50 years of service to the
people of Detroit.
This time-honored, traditional
institution, Gemilath Chasodim,
has its counterpart all over the
world, wherever Jewish com-
munities have been built up and
have become conscious of the
needs of their less prosperous
fellow-men.
Here in Detroit, 50 years ago, a
number of newcomers to the
shores of this country used to
come to the Hebrew Free Loan
Association office in Selig Kop-
loy's Shoe Store on Gratiot Ave.,
the center of Jewish business—
and later, to the Hannah Schloss
Building on High Street, now
Vernor Highway, bringing their
old-country jewelry as collateral
for a loan.

$500 Maximum Loan
Due to the Association's small
capital, which was derived from
individual membership fees from
$5 up, the maximum loan was,
at that time, $25. Today, the
maximum is $500.
At no time in its existence was
the Hebrew Free Loan Associa-
tion of greater importance to the
community than it was in its
early years. Fifty years ago,
organized, unified welfare work,
as it exists today, was unknown.
Individual members of the Jew-
ish community were most help-
ful to one another, but there
were limits to the help from in-
dividuals, however willing.
Thus, there was a definite place
in the community for a lending
agency whose services were en-
tirely free, in contrast to the old-
time lending concerns whose in-
terest charges were not regulated
by law, and which were a real
menace to the poor.
Organization's Help
In the intervening years, the
steady day-in, day-out workings
of the organization and its help-
fulness in averting a crisis in the
life of a family or a business lrave
left their mark on its records.
There one finds the crisis caused
in a family by the inability to
meet the rent, or keep up an in-

Executive Secretary Hebrew
Free Loan Association

surance policy, or pay tuition on
time; by a serious illness or oper-
ation; by an accident; or by the
temporary loss of work.
Work, whether for oneself or
as an employe, is essential to
every man's self-respect. The
Association gave many a man a
start in peddling—which was a
prevalent form of occupation a
few years back — by providing
him with the means to purchase
a horse, wagon, and stock. Some
were loaned money with which
to 'pay the rental for a stand in
the market; others to open a
small store or replenish stock for
which they had to pay cash, hav-
ing no credit. Still others need-
ed equipment or a truck. To-
day, there are still men who
need loans for the same or sim-
ilar purposes.
Great Satisfaction
For many years` the Associa-
tion served persons whose earn-
ing powers were sufficient to
provide for their own immediate
families, but could not be stretch-
ed to enable them to send money
to Europe to care for relatives
left behind. Many borrowed reg-
ularly for this purpose, and de-
rived great satisfaction from be-
ing able to do so.
It is many years since the
plan was adopted to have loans
secured by the endorsements of
two business men. But remin-
iscent of the old jewelry-secured
loans were those granted in the
years 1939, 1940, and 1941. It
was then still possible to come
over from Germany and Austria
and bring one's jewels along.

The HFLA made a considera-
ble number of loans on which
they accepted this often valuable
jewelry as security, either to give
these clients a start in establish-
ing themselves here, or to assist
them in their attempts to get pas-
sage to the United States or Cuba
for their relatives.
Some Were Successful
Although only some were suc-
cessful in their efforts, it was a
comfort to all that they made the
attempt at rescue, and to this or-
ganization that it was able to as-
sist them.

North End Clinic

Half of Staff Returns
From Armed Forces

ORTH End Clinic's medical staff
met on Dec. 11 to welcome mem-
bers who have recently come
back to Detroit, from the Armed Forces and to hear
their reports of medical service in World War II.
A total of 76 members of the Clinic's prewar
medical and dental staff of 125 served with the
Armed Forces, some having entered the Army and
Navy prior to Pearl Harbor, and three
members were casualties.
Approximately half of North End
Clinic's men in service have returned.
A recent check indicates that the follow-
ing doctors are back in Detroit:
Harry E. August, Benjamin Bader,
Sanford A. Bennett, Nathan Brooks, Her-
man Chesluk, Raymond Conn, Meyer
Feigelman, Meryl Fenton, Alex S. Fried-
lander;
Howard Gabe, Samuel Gingold, Har-
old Ginsberg, William H. Gordon, Jerome
Hauser, Herbert Holman, Ben-
jamin Juliar, David Keats;
Harry Kirschbaum, A. Max
Kohn, Edward Levine, Adolf
Lowe, Jerome Mark, Joseph
Markel, Maurice P. Meyers,
Benjamin Reder, Samuel Ros-
enthal;
Hyman Ross, Milton Sor-
ock, Irving Shulak, Milton
Steinhardt, Marcus H. Sugar-
man, Myer Teitelbaum, Harry
Topcik and Israel Wiener.
Dr. William H. Gordon, chief of staff,
recen,y commanding officer of the 94th
General Hospital (a 1,000 bed institu-
tion) and stationed 16 months in Eng-
land, described the difficulties encounter-
ed by a hospital administrator u rela-

N

Time and again, letters of grati-
tude, in both English and Yid-
dish, have been received from
the recipients of the Association's
services.

With the end of the war, some
returning servicemen have al-
ready found themselves in need
of temporary help for various
projects, and have been directed
to the Hebrew Free Loan Assoc-
iation for a solution to their prob-
lems.

Opens Regular Office
From entirely voluntary help
in the early days of its existence,
The Hebrew Free Loan Associa-
tion, as it expanded, opened a
regular office and engaged full-
time employes. For the past
22 years it has been receiving its
operating expenses from the De-
troit Community Fund, and for
the past 19 years it has been a
constituent member of the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation, which,
through Allied Jewish Cam-
paigns, supplied more than half
of its working capital.
The Hebrew Free Loan Assoc-
iation's first 50 years of service
have been exciting and reward-
ing. To be able to better the
course of people's lives by just
being there with helpful sugges-
tions and the loans with which
to carry them out has been an
opportunity for real Jewish com-
munity service.
The Hebrew Free Loan Assoc-
iation office is located at 9134
Linwood, where its officers and
directors continue its tradition of
devoted service.

HFLA Officers
Since the death of Isaac Shetz-
er, president, Maurice Landau,
first vice president, is acting in the
capacity of president of the Heb-
rew Free Loan Association, Mor-
ris H. Blumberg is the second
vice-president; George M. Stutz,
secretary; Louis Stoll, treasurer.

Members of the board of the
Hebrew Free Loan Association
are: Fred M. Butzel, Irwin I.
Cohn, Lawrence W. Crohn, Mrs.
Joseph H. Ehrlich, Maurice A.
Enggass, Judge William Fried-
man, Jacob L. Keidan, Aaron
Klein, Robert R. Marwil, Gus
Newman, Seymour Simons, Frank
A. Wetsman and Julian Zemon.

tion to adequate staffing. Eleven thousand patients
passed through this Hospital with a death rate of
one per 1,000.
Dr. Maurice P. Meyers, also attached to the 94th
General Hospital as chief of surgery, reviewed ad-
vances .in the surgical care of patients which will
prove of great value in the future care of civilians.
Dr. Meyers attributed the great success in
handling open wounds of all types to the liberal use
of both penicillin and sulfa drugs.
Dr. Harry August reported briefly on his ex-
perience as any army psychiatrist. He referred to
the concern many officials had over possible mal-
ingering on the part of inductees in order to avoid
military service. Dr. August pointed out that ac-
tually the reverse occurred. Many men actually
withheld information concerning their difficulties
in order to assure active duty, even combat duty.
Dr. Harry Topcik, recently discharged from
the Dental Corps, spoke of the attention given to
soldiers' dental needs, especially in relation to .army
rations.
David Wilkus,
president of the
board of trus-
tees, o f North
End Clinic, in
e x t ending his
welcome, referr-
ed to the urgent
need for making
additional medi-
cal services
available to an
increasing num-
ber of patients
now requesting
care at the Clin-
ic.
Dr. Saul Ros-
enzweig, medical
director, decrib-
ed the manner
in which the
Clinic adapted its program to the war emergency by
closing some special departments and combining
others with the major divisions of medicine and
surgery.
Others who spoke of their expereinces included
Dr. Marcus H. Sugarman, Dr. Jerome Mark and Dr.
Milton Sorock.
Julian H. Krolik, member of the executive
committee of the board of trustees, described the
development of the Jewish . jiospital project.

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