Ghost Town of Algeria, Plight of Jews Described in JDC °Field. Trip Report . For the Jews. still there; Algeria has become a country of ghost ,towns, empty and haunted by mem- vories, it was reported by. William Shapiro, representative of the Joini Distribution Committee in Algeria, after a recent field trip deep into the desert country east and south of Algiers.. His mission was to find out how many Jews were left in the small towns and if any of them needed help from JDC. With the exodus of over 100,000 Jews in the summer. of 1962, most of the local community organiza- tions collapse d. JDC instituted emergency welfare programs in the larger . cities, caring for several hundred sick, elderly and handi- capped people who were left stranded by the exodus and by the breakdown of community services. JDC receives its funds chiefly from the campaigns of the United Jew- ish Appeal. . By the beginning of this year it was estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 Jews remained in all of Algeria. Three-fourths ofthem were believed to be in Algiers and Oran. Figures gathered from Nstribution of Passover supplies indicated that there were some 2,000 Jews in Algiers and about 1,000 in rOran. However, nobody knew what the situation was in the hinterland. Traveling south and east, cover- ing an area of some 6,000 square miles, Shapiro found fewer than 500 Jews. Of these, over half were living in Constantine and Bone; the rest were scattered through 19 towns. The same is true of western Algeria where two rabbis, who took an independent census, found some 700 Jews living in 30 towns. Why have they stayed on? Ac- cording to'Shapiro, some are still trying to liquidate their assets, some have adjusted to the neW conditions and hope to make a go of it, and then there are the old, the sick and , the handicapped. who are either unable or unwill- ing to leave. Shapiro told of a couple he met on his way to the desert, the only Jews living in the community. They owned a large store which con- tinued to prosper. The man and his wife were on excellent terms with their Moslem neighbors. Neverthe- less, they were preparing to leave. "We are lonely," the man said. AT YOUR MARKET "Why should I sit here making money? I can't spend it. I can't take it out of the country. I want to pass the rest of my days in peace, so we are going to Lyons to be with our son." Some have even prospered, their business improved by the departure of competitors. Still, in a country in the process of socialization their economic future is uncertain. Goods are in short supply, prices are high, and there is much unemployment. There are few Jewish children in Algeria today; there , are no bar mitzvahs, Shapiro said. The marriage of a Jewish couple in Oran in February was the first in a year. he added. Their isolation has made them more Jewish. There is a closer solidarity with ' the others who have stay ed. Shapiro noted that in Algiers they turn out in amazing num- bers at parties celebrating Purim and Fjanukah -and other events. This feeling has led to the recon- stitution, on a limited basis, of the old Federation of Algerian Jewish Communities. One of its aims is to acquire legal posession of abandoned community assets and administer them for the benefit of .the remaining Jewish population. Outside of Algiers and Oran there are fewer than half a dozen towns and cities which have a suf- ficient number of Jews to warrant reorganization of the community structure. Most of the communities haVe been using their reserves and these are at the point of exhaus- tion, since, in the past, their in- come depended mainly' on such things as taxes on kosher meat and fees for religious services. The government itself has been not, only tolerant but helpful in encouraging religious activities. The Ministry of Religious Affaiis, has been paying monthly: grants to religious functionaries, including' rabbis. In addition, the French con- sulate has continued to assist needy French Europeans, and this in-: eludes Jewish relief clients. Shapiro uncovered relatively few new instances of people in need of assistance. However, with local resources drying up, he predicted a rise in the welfare caseload and Unlimited Supply of Light By I. 'Friendlander Scientists tell us that coal • is FROZEN GROUND BEEF PATTIES nothing but concentrated sunlight . . . The story of the Russian Jew . Now, right at home, enjoy flavor thrills just like you get at Buffs Grills! Stock your freezer with these thick, juicy, grouwl round steak patties. They're the THICKEST . ..........10.40NOMMANINNNONO. 011•0• 11. 11.1 is the story of coal. Under a sur- face marred by oppression and persecution he has accumulated immense s t ore s of energy, in which we may find an unlimited suply of light and heat for our minds and hearts. All we need is to discover the process, long known in the case of coal, of trans- forming latent strength into living power. Pearls of. Yiddish Tears By I. L. Peretz Yiddish, the language which will the emergence of a hard core wel- fare problem for JDC in Algeria ever bear witness to the violence acid murder inflicted on us, bear for an indefinite time. the marks of our eiplusions from With the help of the French land to land, the language which , Jewish community several hundred absorbed the wails of the fathers, needy Algerian Jews were resettled the laments of the generations, the in France either in old age homes poison and bitterness of - history, or were reunited with their fam- the language whose precious jew- ilies. There still remain over 300 els , are the undried, uncongealed Jews in Algefia who are dependent Jewish tears. on JDC for assistance. Most of them, 60 per cent, are 65 years of THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, September 4, 1964 27 age or older. _ AD: Delight your family with Kasha soup ' tonight MAN, THAT'S A Distil FREE KASHA COOKBOOK EASY New recipes and menu ideas for modem meals TO and entertaining with Kasha. Address request SERVE! to: Phyllis Wolff, Penn Yan, New York UT CHEESE CALORIES 30% . Borden's Eagle Brand Cheese Looks, spreads, tastes like Cream Cheese •• ■ •••• ■■ ••••••••••■•■••••••• The only'qefilte fish: ‘. m, mother reco mmends is dr. Ma erg (— And Who Should Know Better?) ,„ • • •••• Do you like to spread your cream cheese thick but hesitate because of the calorie count? Then Now you can get Mother's gefilte fish in cans—with that "special" homemade taste and texture. 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