^«ri^^-rf^- nX ;FeHx M, Wurh-at m QassID ^ 3^ ^ Book il.Aj\£l2. The C>hicago Conference of the American Jewish Relief Committee A N official record of the proceedings of the sessions held at the Standard Club, September 24-25, 1921. '^\^ ^^^ ^^3^ ytim 1Dkit«HMM« ST > H Z u CO u Pi u (/> O H O z o < The Invitation September 14, 1921 The American Jewish Relief Committee has been asked by the Chicago committee to call a National Con- ference of the representatives of the American Jewish Relief Committee throughout the country. By reason of its convenient location, Chicago has been designated as the place for this meeting, which will be held on Satur- day, September 24th, and Sunday, September 25th, at the Standard Club, 2400 Michigan Avenue. The conference which we are calling will in no way be an appeal for funds, but will undertake to determine the advisability of conducting a national fund raising cam- paign, methods to be employed, and other questions per- taining to this subject. This meeting will be the first gathering of the leaders of American Jewry from all sections of the country to discuss the critical condition and the future of the Jews in Eastern Europe. We plan to bring together the men who, during the last five years, through their splendid efforts, have made possible the securing of the funds required for the keeping alive of thousands of our co-religionists in Eastern and Central Europe. It is imperative that the people who have done this great work should decide as to the future activities of the American Jewish Relief Committee and the Joint Distribution Committee. Both of these committees will be represented at the conference by Mr. Felix M. War- burg, Col. Herbert H. Lehman, ourselves, and other associates. The sole aim of the conference is to bring the leading Jews of America into intimate, personal contact and make it possible for them to get a comprehensive and sympathetic understanding of the problem of the Jew in Europe and determine upon means of helping him. We are writing to you with the earnest request that you attend this very important meeting. Please wire your acceptance within three days to Mr. Julius Rosen- wald. Sears, Roebuck & Co., Chicago, Illinois. In the same spirit in which you have made sacrifices in the past, we ask you to come to this family gathering to help us in the solution of the difficulties confronting our unfortunate brethren across the water. Yours cordially, JULIUS ROSENWALD, Chairman, Invitation Committee. LOUIS MARSHALL, Chairman, American Jewish Relief Committee. A. G. Becker Paul Baerwald James H. Becker Howard S. Gans Gen. Abel Davis Col. H. A. Guinzburg Samuel Deutsch Arthur Lehman Max Epstein Herbert H. Lehman M. E. Greenebaum Judge Otto A. Rosalsky Sol Kline Nathan Straus Adolf Kraus Cyrus L. Sulzberger Charles Rubens Felix M. Warburg INVITATIONS were sent to Jewish relief leaders in the communities throughout the country. The complete list of those invited follows: ALABAMA Joe Sacks, Anniston Coleman Black, Birmingham Sam Black, Birmingham Major M. M. UUman, Birmingham Julius Hammel, Mobile Simon Gassenheimer, Montgomery L. Thalheimer, Selma ARKANSAS I. H. Nakdiman, Fort Smith B. Seelig, Helena Phil Levy, Hot Springs Ike Kempner, Little Rock Simon Bloom, Pine Bluff ARIZONA David Goldberg, Phoenix S. B. Goldman, Tucson CALIFORNIA Joseph Redlick, Bakersfield L. M. Mendelsohn, Fresno Louis M. Cole, Los Angeles Frederick Kahn, Oakland Simon J. Lubin, Sacramento Samuel I. Fox, San Diego Mortimer Fleischhacker, San Francisco Moses A. Gunst, San Francisco Max Levy, Stockton COLORADO Henry Sachs, Colorado Springs Oscar Livermore, Colorado Springs Samuel E. Kohn, Denver Hyman Isaacs, Leadville S. Bernheim, Pueblo CONNECTICUT Charles H. Shapiro, Bridgeport Asher Papish, Danbury J. S. Silver, Hartford J. Slade, New London Morris D. Saxe, New Britain Col. Isaac M. Ullman, New Haven S. Roodner, Norwalk Louis M. Raffel, Waterbury DELAWARE Henry D. Dorzbach, Dover Sol Wilson, Newark David Snellenburg, Wilmington Nathan Miller, Wilmington Louis Topkis, Wilmington DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Simon Lyon, Washington FLORIDA Julius Hirschberg, Jacksonville Jacob Aronowitz, Key West Isidor Cohen, Miami Morris Bear, Pensacola S. Mendelson, Tallahassee Abe Maas, Tampa Fred Wolf, Tampa GEORGIA Leopold Adler, Savannah S. B. Brown, Albany V. H. Kriegshaber, Atlanta Armand May, Atlanta M. G. Michael, Athens Albert Fendig, Brunswick Leo Loewenherz, Columbus Hon. Izzie Bashinski, Dublin L. I. Waxelbaum, Macon Judge Max Meyerhardt, Rome Edwin M. Frank, Savannah IDAHO Gov. Moses Alexander, Boise ILLINOIS Judge Samuel Alschuler, Aurora Jos. Saenger, Belleville S. J. Michelson, Cairo Isaac Kuhn, Champaign Samuel Jaffe, Chicago A. G. Becker, Chicago James H. Becker, Chicago Marcy I. Berger, Chicago Abel Davis, Chicago James Davis, Chicago Samuel Deutsch, Chicago Joseph Feuchtwanger, Chicago Judge Harry M. Fisher, Chicago M. E. Greenebaum, Chicago Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, Chicago L. M. Katz, Chicago Sol Kline, Chicago Adolf Kraus, Chicago L. Liederman, Chicago Samuel Phillipson, Chicago Julius Rosenwald, Chicago M. S. Rosenwald, Chicago Charles Rubens, Chicago Louis S. Berlin, Chicago Louis M. Cahn, Chicago Mrs. Israel Cowen, Chicago Leon Fram, Chicago Nathan D. Kaplan, Chicago M. J. Karpf, Chicago Max Klee, Chicago Hyman N. Kohn, Chicago Dr. Gerson B. Levy, Chicago Rabbi Fehx A. Levy, Chicago Jacob M. Loeb, Chicago Julius Savitky, Chicago Dr. I. Schanfarber, Chicago Samuel Schweitzer, Chicago A. B. Seelenfreund, Chicago Philip Seman, Chicago Dr. Samuel Schwartz, Chicago Max Shulman, Chicago Dr. George Sultan, Chicago Dr. Joseph Stolz, Chicago Elkan C. Voorsanger, Chicago Rabbi S. Felix Mendelsohn, Chicago S. J. Rosenblatt, Chicago B. J. Epstein, Danville Max Atiass, Decatur Samuel B. Bensinger, E. St. Louis Simon Klee, Evanston B. Michelson, Galesburg Max Sklovsky, Moline A. Warsaw, Ottawa W. B. Woolner, Peoria J. J. Reib, Quincy Charles Shanhouse, Rockford Henry Morris, Rock Island B. A. Lange, Springfield David Benjamin, Springfield Albert Myers, Springfield Sam Swartz, Waukegan INDIANA Sam Winer, Elkhart Isidor Kahn, Evansville I. Weil, Fort Wayne William Feder, Gary Dr. I. J. Propper, Gary Joseph Steiner, Gary Samuel E. Rauh, Indianapolis Sol S. Kiser, Indianapolis Albert M. Rosenthal, Indianapolis A. L. Thalman, Kokomo M. Rosenthal, Lafayette Irving Jacobs, Ligonier Isaac Oppenheimer, Logansport Charles Indorf, Muncie Julius Falk, Peru Morris Greenberg, Shelbyville S. Weinstein, South Bend Leopold Joseph, Terre Haute Ben Blumberg, Terre Haute Max Blumberg, Terre Haute Abe N. Levin, Terre Haute I. B. Kuhn, Vincennes Isaac Beitman, Wabash IOWA H. Smulekoff, Cedar Rapids O. Hochman, Council Bluffs E. P. Adler, Davenport Jacob L. Sheuerman, Des Moines Louis Arkoff, Fort Dodge A. Abramsohn, Iowa City A. Oppenheimer, Oskaloosa J. B. Sax, Ottumwa Dave Davidson, Sioux City Edward Baron, Sioux City A. L. Galinsky, Sioux City H. Levine, Sioux City KENTUCKY Sam Pushin, Bowling Green M. Berman, Covington David P. Davis, Frankfort Gus Starr, Henderson Simon Wolf, Lexington Col. Fred Levy, Louisville Silas Rosenfeld, Owensboro Louis Rubel, Paducah E. R. Rothschild, Shelbyville A. A. Greenbaum, Versailles LOUISIANA Henry Cohen, Baton Rouge Charles Rosen, New Orleans Sidney L. Herold, Shreveport MAINE Hyman Chernowsky, Augusta Louis Kirstein, Bangor B. L. Berman, Lewiston MARYLAND Leon Gottlieb, Annapolis Julius Levy, Baltimore Simon Rosenbaum, Cumberland Leo Weinberg, Frederick Joseph Brenner, Hagerstown MASSACHUSETTS Louis E. Kirstein, Boston A. C. Ratchesky, Boston David A. Lourie, Chelsea David L. Course, Fall River S. Starensier, Haverhill Lewis M. Potolski, Holyoke Harold M. Siskind, Lawrence Bennett Silverblatt, Lowell W. M. Pruss, Lynn Samuel Barnett, New Bedford Leo Zander, Pittsfield L. Berman, Quincy Nathan E. Goldstein, Springfield Judge Jacob Asher, Worcester MICHIGAN Frank Bachrach, Adrian J. Seaman, Battle Creek H. S. Atlas, Cadillac David A. Brown, Detroit Abe Levy, Detroit Herman Gessner, Escanaba Morris Rosenbloom, Flint Meyer S. May, Grand Rapids Hugo M. Field, Hancock M. Levine, Houghton Ben Seaman, Iron Mountain Harry Pious, Iron River M. A. Kahn, Ishpeming Meyer M. Levy, Jackson Selig Stern, Kalamazoo J. B. Simon, Lansing S. Rothschild, Manistee M. Winkleman, Manistique A. Fine, Marquette J. Simansky, Menominee I. J. Chudacoff, Munising Abe Levine, Negaunee Samuel Rosenthal, Petoskey Benj. Netzorg, Pontiac A. i). Philippe, Saginaw David Eliassoff, Sault Ste Marie A. Rosenthal, Traverse City MINNESOTA Max Gendler Albert Lea Max Minsker, Atwater George Hirsh, Austin S. Sapero, Chisholm H. Y. Joseph, Duluth I, Freimuth, Duluth Sam Ellis, Eveleth Charles Hallock, Hibbing L. Salet, Mankato Joseph H. Schanfeld, Minneapolis Louis R. Frankel, St. Paul James Neiger, St. Paul Isaac Summerfield, St. Paul J. R. Kolliner, Stillwater Julius Shanedling, Virginia MISSISSIPPI Jake Fink, Clarksdale Abe Rubel, Corinth Nathan Goldstein, Greensville Herman Katz, Hattiesburg Abe Feibelman, Jackson Leo N. Neugass, Magnolia Gabe Jacobson, Meridian M. Kline, Merigold A. H. Geisenberger, Natchez Joseph Hirsh, Vicksburg Ben Goldstein, Yazoo City MISSOURI Mrs. V. K. Fischlowitz Bonne Terre Louis Gratz, Carthage Joseph Wallbrunn, Chillicothe Charles Ettenson, Excelsior Spgs. L. M. Aronson, Hannibal Harry Bobier, Independence Joe Goldman, Jefferson City G. H. Newburger, Joplin A, C. Wurmser, Kansas City George Eisenstein, Moberly Harry Block, St. Joseph Simon Binswanger, St. Joseph Samuel Hassenbusch, St. Joseph Aaron Waldheim, St. Louis M. Chasnoff, Sedalia MONTANA Sig Goodfriend, Anaconda Max Friedwald, Billings Abe Wehl, Butte M. Handler, Great Falls Sol Hepner, Helena Irving L. Cohn, Missoula NEBRASKA A. Zolsky, Fremont Sam Hexter, Grand Island Morris Friend, Lincoln Jos. Sarbach, Nebraska City A. L. Alpirn, Omaha Wm. L. Holzman, Omaha Harry Lapidus, Omaha Henry Monsky, Omaha H. G. Fleishman, Omaha Harry A. Wolf, Omaha NEVADA A. Cohn, Carson City Samuel Rosenberg, Fallon E. Marks, Goldfield George Wood, Reno NEW HAMPSHIRE A. M. Stahl, Berlin M. Goldberg, Concord H. D. Freeman, Dover Edward M. Chase, Manchester Nathan Kamenske, Nashua Louis Shapiro, Portsmouth NEW MEXICO Ivan Grunsfeld, Albuquerque R. W. Isaacs, Clayton Louis C. Ilfeld, Las Vegas NEW JERSEY Felix Fuld, Newark Sigmund Eisner, Red Bank Abe J. Dimond, Newark Jacob Fabian, Paterson William Newcorn, Plainfield A. J. David, Elizabeth Dr. B. Pollock, Jersey City Benj. Natal, Camden David Holzner, Trenton Jos. B. Perskie, Atlantic City NEW YORK Nathan Hatch, Albany Samuel Hessberg, Albany David Wasserman, Amsterdam Lazarus Marshall, Auburn J. G. Joseph, Buffalo Benj. F. Levy, Elmira Samuel M. Meyers, Geneva Julius Jacobson, Glen Falls Samuel Rothschild, Gloversville Miss Frances M. Schermer, Herkimer Daniel Rothschild, Ithaca Jos, O. Harrison, Johnstown Sol N. Levy, Newburgh L. S. Silberberg, Niagara Falls Julius Frank, Ogdensburg David Friedman, Oneida Ely Elting, Poughkeepsie Joseph Michaels, Rochester Irving Goldsmith, Saratoga Spgs. Louis M. King, Schenectady Meyer Todtman, Seneca Falls Gates Thalheimer, Syracuse H. H. Butler, Troy C. S. Silverman, Watertown Harry Kitzinger, Yonkers Henry G. Alsberg, New York Dr. Boris D. Bogen, New York Morris Engelman, New York Howard S. Gans, New York Col. H. A. Guinzburg, New York Dr. Nathan Krass, New York Col. Herbert H. Lehman, N. Y. Louis Marshall, New York Henry Morganthau, New York James N. Rosenberg, New York Dr. Frank Rosenblatt, New York Henry H. Rosenfelt, New York Felix M. Warburg, New York NORTH DAKOTA Alex Rosen, Bismarck D. Naftalin, Fargo I. Papermaster, Grand Forks E. Rosen, Minot NORTH CAROLINA Abe Weil, Charlotte Lionel Weil, Goldsboro E. Sternberger, Greensboro J. M. Solky, Wilmington Aladdin Rosenbacher, Winston-Salem OHIO Bert A. Polsky, Akron I. C. Rudner, Alliance Morris Pickard, Ashtabula Max L. Herzberg, Bellaire Edwin I. Baer, Canton E. L. Bergman, Chillicothe Oscar Berman, Cincinnati Maurice Joseph, Cincinnati Dr. Julian Morgenstern, Cincinnati Charles Eisenman, Cleveland Paul L. Feiss, Cleveland Isaac Joseph, Cleveland Joseph Schonthal, Columbus Sol Levinson, Cuyahoga Falls Fred J. Ach, Dayton Harry Lehman, Dayton Dan Lieberthal, Defiance G. Bendheim, East Liverpool G. Rothbart, Lancaster N. L. Michael, Lima Henry Flesh, Piqua Samuel Horchow, Portsmouth Sam Kaplan, Sandusky Justin Altschul, Springfield S. J. Anathan, Steubenville Sigmund Saenger, Toledo Otto Kaufman, Youngstown L. Steinfels, Xenia OKLAHOMA Max Westheimer, Ardmore M. Collar, Guthrie Louis Berlowitz, McAlester Samuel Sondheimer, Muskogee A. D. Engelsman, Oklahoma City D. R. Travis, Tulsa OREGON Ben Selling, Portland PENNSYLVANIA Max Hess, AUentown Isaiah Scheeline, Altoona Max Salmon, Beaver Falls Wm. Horwitz, Butler Louis Shapiro, Clearfield Henry Klewans, Dubois Louis M. Ralph, Easton Philip Hanauer, Erie David Kaufman, Harrisburg Nelson A. Elsasser, Johnstown Samuel Weiss, Jr., Mauch Chunk Marcus Feuchtwanger, Newcastle Dr. Cyrus Adler, Philadelphia Jacob Billikopf, Philadelphia Albert M. Greenfield, Philadelphia Jules E. Mastbaum, Philadelphia Philip Newman, Punxsutawney Irvin F. Lehman, Pittsburgh Nathaniel Spear, Pittsburgh A. J. Sunstein, Pittsburgh Sig Schweriner, Reading Albert N. Kramer, Scranton B. Hirsch, Shamokin Alex Green, Sharon Elias I. Glassman, Warren J. K. Weitzenkorn, Wilkes-Barre Max Grumbacher, York RHODE ISLAND Max Levy, Newport Henry Friedman, Pawtucket Archibald Silverman, Providence Arthur I. Darman, Woonsocket SOUTH CAROLINA Montague Triest, Charleston August Kohn, Columbia Max Greenwald, Spartansburg Isaac C. Strauss, Sumter SOUTH DAKOTA Sam Calmenson, Aberdeen Louis Kuh, Sioux Falls Ben Katz, Yankton TENNESSEE Herman Hecht, Bristol Morris Friedman, Chattanooga Milton Baum, Humboldt Joseph L. Rosenbloom, Jackson Joseph Newburger, Memphis Lee J. Loventhal, Nashville Sol Cohn, Pulaski Louis Lipsky, Somerville TEXAS Joe Koen, Austin Leon R. Levy, Beaumont Joe Hirsch, Corpus Christi Louis Cerf, Corsicana J, K. Hexter, Dallas Simon Linz, Dallas G. Zork, El Paso Dr. George Fox, Fort Worth H. Kempner, Galveston Oscar Berman, San Antonio J, A. Hayman, Waco A. Zundelowitz, Wichita Falls UTAH Joseph Reinshriber, Ogden Daniel Alexander, Salt Lake City VERMONT N. Gisson, Brattleboro M. G. Rosenberg, Burlington Louis Gould, Montpelier Harold Cohen, St. Albans VIRGINIA Leopold Ruben, Alexandria J. A. Herman, Danville C. M. Guggenheimer, Lynchburg Moe Levy, Norfolk Edward Eigenbrun, Petersburg Isaac Fass, Portsmouth Jos. Spiegel, Roanoke Abe Walters, Staunton P. Feinberg, Winchester A. L. Straus, Richmond WASHINGTON Julius C. Lang, Seattle Ralph Schoenfeld, Seattle Samuel R. Stern, Spokane Louis H. Burnett, Tacoma WEST VIRGINIA H. O. Baer, Wheeling Isaac Lowenstein, Charleston W. A. Hersch, Parkersburg WISCONSIN Julius P. Frank, Appleton A. Roth, Beloit M. M. Horn, Eau Claire M. Shurman, Fond du Lac B. Brill, Green Bay M. A. Wertheimer, Kaukauna E. Epstein, Kenosha Joseph Goldstein, Kenosha Chas. H. Schweizer, La Crosse Alex Komhauser, Madison Harry Krom, Merrill Charles Friend, Milwaukee Nat Stone, Milwaukee Dave Kallen, Oshkosh David B. Eisendrath, Racine Anton Hoenigsberg, Sheboygem A. Locke, Sheboygan Herman Davis, Sheboygan S, Y. Josephs, Superior S. Winkelman, Wausaw WYOMING Jacob Sherman, Cheyenne CANADA Sir Mortimer Davis, Montreal Lyon Cohen, Montreal D. S. Friedman, Montreal Mark Workman, Montreal Leo Frankel, Toronto LOUIS MARSHALL Chairman, American Jewish Reliet Committee "Jews of America, the answer is to be given by you within the next few months. Shall we allow our fellow -Jews to sink back into chaos or shall we extend them the chance of becoming again the self- supporting, self-respecting, useful, productive Jews they formerly were ?" Session of Saturday September 24—2 P. M. Mr. Rosenwald: Ladies and Gentlemen — Permit me, in the name of the Chicago Committee, to extend to each of you the heartiest possible welcome to Chicago. No city could give you a more hearty wel- come than our own. You have all received letters outlining the nature of the business for which we are called together, and I shall not endeavor to speak at all along that line. Whatever discussion there is— and as I un- derstand from the members of the Commit- tee there are no preconceived plans — we are here for discussion and we want to follow whatever the delegates from the various cities think should be carried out. I am glad to say we ought to be proud as Jews to recognize the fact that we have delegates from most of the States, from California to Massachusetts, and from most of the States between the northern boundary and the Gulf. Whatever plans you gentlemen have will meet with the approval not only of the Chicago Committee, but of all those who have been working in the cause for which we are gathered. In order not to delay the business for which we are brought together, I would request General Abel Davis, if it meets with your views, to take the chair as temporary chair- man. General Davis. (Applause.) General Abel Davis : Suggestion of some name for tem- porary vice-chairman will be in order. Any suggestions? Mr. Felix Warburg: I suggest Mr. Howard S. Gans, who has been acquainted with the work for quite a while and has been most valuable to us in New York. Mr. Rosenwald: I second the nomination. Nomination put to the meeting and carried unanimously. Mr. Gans was declared by the Chairman to be unani- mously elected vice-chairman. General Abel Davis: Nominations for one or more secre- taries will be in order. 11 Mr. Warburg: I suggest that you have already Mr. James Becker, Mr. Rosenfelt and your Mr. Berger, who know the de- tails of the secretary's office to assist you in your arduous duties. Nominations seconded. Nominations were put to the meeting and carried unani- mously. The Chairman: May I suggest that as any member rises to address the conference or to make a suggestion that he give his name and State, so that we may get the record of all of those who participate in our deliberations. Gentlemen, what is your pleasure as to your temporary organization? Moved and seconded that the temporary organization be made permanent. Motion put and carried unanimously. The Chairman: So ordered and your conference is organ- ized. It seems fitting at this time that we should have an un- derstanding about the things which are proper for your consideration before this conference. The letter inviting participa- tion in this occasion set out rather fully what was in the minds of those who have asked you gentlemen to come. It may be well to restate them concretely. Every com- munity throughout the United States which has in one way or another participated in the efforts of the Joint Distribution Com- mittee and the American Jewish Relief Com- mittee has been asked to send one or more delegates to this conference for the following purposes: To ascertain from those who have been in the field the condi- tions as they now exist in Europe and particularly in those regions which have not as yet overcome the disastrous effect of the world war. To ascertain what are the future plans of the American Jewish Relief Committee and of the Joint Distribution Committee, and to receive suggestions from those who are present as to the methods of collecting the funds, if we should determine that such a step is advisable, and the method of application of those funds. We shall also consider such other matters as you may find to be germain to the specific matters just mentioned. Does that meet with the view of the delegates present? Does that statement represent your views? Is there any intention to broaden the matters for the discussion, or is there any intention to put any limita- tion on them? If not, it will be considered to be the purpose of the conference to limit the discussion to the object and matters mentioned. What is your pleasure regarding the pro- cedure? 12 Your Chair suggests that in order that we may arrive at proper conclusions that a basis be laid for our deliberations. I do not know of a better basis than a summary of the things which have been done in the past. I may say that it is not intended to make any speeches; it is not intended to have anyone tell us anything else except what he knows, and I want the delegates to know that we have not asked anyone to come here prepared to make a speech, but we have taken it for granted that everyone has come here with a heart and soul which is responsive to the situation as we know it to exist in Europe, or as it may be pictured to us to exist there. The press is not represented, no publicity has been given to this meeting. Nothing is to be reported as coming from this meeting except as you may determine yourselves. We have come here to plan together, to put our heads together, our hearts with a single purpose of interest and service, with the hope and determination that we shall all get back of the proceedings of this conference, and put them into execution. It has occurred to the Chair at this time that it may be well to call Mr. Warburg to tell us, in his own way, the aims and purposes of the Joint Distribution Committee. Mr. Felix Warburg: (Applause.) Ladies and Gentlemen — I would like to suggest to the Chair that before we begin he should make a ruling that inasmuch as nearly everyone here will want to contribute to the deliberations, the first speaker be limited in time to not more than ten minutes. The Chairman: The Chair suggests that if there is anything to be done in that mat- ter that we defer it until after the first speaker has spoken. Mr. Warburg: We have received from time to time printed minutes and reported speeches of the people who have returned, and I take it for granted, knowing a good many of the delegates here, that I do not have to begin with the alpha of the alphabet. I take it for granted that you know what has happened since the armistice. I take it that you know that in this room there must be at least ten people who have person- ally been as your servants in Poland, or in the different parts where our operations have taken place. I hope that you will get from them directly the impressions that they have had, and such details as I know you will not be able to get in the brief outline given you. I take it that you know that the Polish Unit has worked during all these years and has finished to a great extent the work of the Relief Committee, this last year, and I shall 13 address myself to the last year, because that will bring you the picture more up to date, and has represented the effort to go from war footing to a peace footing. We have tried to cut out relief based on almsgiving, the giving of clothing to the population, and have tried to reawaken the population to become once more as they have been before the war, self- respecting and self-supporting. The efforts made in that re- gard have been exceedingly successful. The two fields of operation where the largest amounts of money had to be spent have been Vienna, as the center of the refugee assemblage, and Poland, the country overrun so many times by the Huns. The conference that Mr. Becker very fortunately called in Vienna had the result of laying down a certain policy in the different countries. They pro- posed and we adopted a certain maximum of how much those countries should be permitted to spend for relief, for clothing, for general work and for child care. You saw those tabula- tions a year ago. I am glad to say that they have lived up to those promises. What to us at that time seemed very doubt- ful, namely, that it should be possible to reduce Poland so quickly and so successfully to self-administration, has been done. It was due to a great extent to the tact of Dr. Bogen and his friends who were with him over there, that this has been achieved, and I am glad to see him back with us once more and I know that there is no better servant and no wiser than Dr. Bogen. Without him, most of our operations would have been impossible. (Applause.) I come back to the conference over which Mr. Becker presided. It was decided there that the Viennese activities, all good, but very expensive, should be reduced to normal. That was difficult because the Viennese people at that time were very much demoralized. The Jews of Vienna, whose crowns and hellers had gone down to nothing, felt so much dejected, so helpless and hopeless, that I, for one, doubted whether any change could have taken place in so short a time. I do not think it would have taken place up to that day if Mr. Gans and Dr. Bogen and a number of his friends had not gone to Vienna last summer, and if we had not taken the commu- nity in Vienna into our confidence and had not told them that the time has come when Vienna has to be treated like other countries. It has to stand on its own feet. It was a shock to them, and I am afraid that the first session, which my brave friends had before we arrived, must have been very disagree- able and a very painful one to both sides, because the Viennese people were not prepared to assume their own duties and we could not be prepared to continue. After a number of conferences they had changed, and we succeeded in making them assume their duties, we giving 14 them only a relatively small payment to start them off; but the work, the medical work, the alms-giving work, and some of the child-care work, has been handed back to the Viennese community, and we hope that they will be able to carry it. They may be able to carry it. So the Eastern picture is a more favorable one. The Polish picture is a more favorable one. The Palestinian pic- ture is not any more favorable than it was a year ago. Things are about as they were a year ago. We have reduced our allowances there, too, as we feel that the institutions have been brought up to a better standard; that with the influx of immigrants at the slow rate at which the Zionists permit them to come in, they should be able — to use the boy's own expres- sion — to paddle their own canoe with the water they have. (Laughter.) We come to Roumania, where the conditions have im- proved decidedly. The poverty of Roumania does not cause any great difficulty at this moment, but you will hear that in that country, as in every other country I have mentioned, the activities of Col. Lehman, who will speak to you of recon- struction, will need a good deal of earnest attention. The method of doling out charity has stopped for the moment, but we must not feel that because of that our several activities should be diminished. The reconstruction is a most important part. The medical work is a most important part, and you will be informed on that from other sources. I only in general remarks want to say that unless we succeed in putting the Jews in Eastern Europe on a basis where they become self-supporting and where they become human beings as far as sanitary conditions are concerned, anti-Semitism will not die out. I was over there a few months ago and we still heard the Eastern Jew described as the "lousy Jew," the "filthy Jew," etc. We must see to it that the Jew is not so considered, because it provides an excuse for special restrictions against their moving about, and it is most important that our medical program be supported by a large amount, as it cannot be had over there. You will hear about that, too. I only give you a general outline. You will also hear about the child-care, and there I feel that whatever our future policy may be, whether we will have more drives or no more drives, whether we will have more appeals to Jewry or not, the Jewish orphans will need your at- tention for the next four or five years. There is no way of avoiding that responsibility. The financial adoption of Jewish children is a thing which ought to occupy the hearts and the minds of the Americans, especially of the women in the United States. I say that with a good deal of conviction. I have seen a good many cases where the fatherless children of France have 15 been adopted by Jewish women or other women. Their interest remains alive through the Httle letters that these ladies receive from these children whom they have never seen, and whom they probably never will see. But if it means something in their lives they connect them with the country where these children have to live. They remain a chain which is stronger than the cold check which is sent by the husband to the treasurer of the committee. I do hope that as you consider the combined plans a little later on you will not forget the warmth of this appeal, which to my experience is a decidedly great one. I do not want to go into any further details at this mo- ment. I shall be delighted to answer any question in the discussion which no doubt will ensue. I want to express, on my own behalf — I have no right to speak for the Jews of New York, or for any other Jews — that it is a privilege to be in Chicago in connection with this enterprise. Chicago, through its leader, has been foremost in war relief. Mr. Rosenwald has always marched at the head of the line. Unfortunately for us, perhaps unfortunately for you, the Jewish people of New York had to carry the burden of the executive work — not on account of any other reason than that they were situated at that place where these things had to be attended to. We shall be glad to give you all the informa- tion you desire, and whatever mandate you give us will be executed in the best possible way. Of one thing I want to give you assurance — that we have been exceedingly fortunate in finding people who would be unselfish and would give their time unselfishly to this work. The Chair has already spoken of one individual's work, of the work Dr. Goldman has done at such sacrifice — his own practice in New York, and a sacrifice of even his own health. We have had the privilege of calling on Mr. Howard Gans, who has done this work to the same extent, but, fortunately, his health is per- fect. He administers the affairs of that committee through daily hard work, following in the footsteps of Colonel Lehman, and we have no idea what these details mean. We criticize — I criti- cize myself — and the work needs the right kind of criticism. We want criticism when it is just. Do not hesitate to tell us anything that is on your mind, because we are all only human ; but we want you to know the people who do the work, and how unselfish they have been. You must know a delegate at this conference who has done and who is going to do a most extraordinary piece of work — James N. Rosenberg, a lawyer of high standing in New York, giving up all his practice for us, so as to help us abroad, following in the footsteps of Dr. Goldman and Mr. Howard Gans. He will act as Chairman of the European Council with all the other men in that Council. I want you 16 to know this morning we have four countries which are the most important ones, divided up in such a way that we have one extra man in each country. These people act together as a Council and check each other up. There is no one man who can work in such terrible circumstances as you find there, such suffering and distress, without becoming depressed. You see things only through the glasses of that horrible problem we are trying to solve and cannot solve. Therefore it is important that not one person, but a body of persons, not specializing independently, but that will counsel together — men of the type of Dr. Goldman, Mr. Waldman, known to a good many of you through his work in New York and Boston, Dr. Peyser, who worked so hard for you as to undermine his health to such a degree he is now trying to heal his lungs, which are in a wretched condition. These are the men in charge of the medical work, and reconstruction work is in the hands of Mr. Landesco. Mr. Landesco is a business man. Mr. Lehman will probably give you more about the scope of his work. I only want to assure you as far as the personnel is concerned there is nothing to worry about. It is difficult for the rank and file to stay under fire, to stay under disease, and under the circumstances which our personnel continually suffer because the conditions are so bad, and the lure of the people at home and the influence of the United States is very strong. I will now cease for the time being, but we will be only too glad to answer any questions that may be asked. The Chairman: I beg leave to read two messages, one from Mr. Paul Baerwald: New York, September 19, 1921. James H. Becker, Esq., Chicago, 111. My Dear Mr. Becker: I want to express to you again my sincere regret at not being able to be present at the Conference. I would have wel- comed this opportunity to make the acquaintance of so many of the men through whose imtiring efEorts the money has been collected which has passed through the office of the Treasurer these last few years. Your Conference is bound to be a success because all the participants want to make it a success and you will be able, I am sure, to arrange for a larger degree of co-operation and joint effort than ever before. And from a general point of view I am sure you have just managed to select the best moment for the staging of this important gathering. Sincerely yours, PAUL BAERWALD. 17 The other is a telegram from Mortimer L. Schiff, who has been asked to come to this conference. New York, September 21, 1921. Julius Rosenwald, Chicago. Not only because of my father's great interest in all phases of Jewish War Relief but also because of my own recognition of the continuing need I would very much like to do as you desire and be present at the Conference of the American Jewish Relief Committee to be held in Chicago on September 24th and 25th, but it is to my great regret impossible for me to do so. September 25th is the first anniversary of my father's death and I want to spend this day with my mother and with her attend a memorial service which is to be held here. I am sure that you and your associates will understand that under these circumstances I cannot absent myself from this neighborhood on that day. MORTIMER L. SCHIFF. The Chairman: Ladies and Gentlemen — Mr. Schiff's an- swer to the invitation suggests the anniversary of the death of his father, who has been one of the main supporters and enthusiastic in his allegiance to our work. If the conference desires to take any action on that they can. What is the pleasure of the conference? Mr. Rosenwald: May I ask, or suggest, Mr. Chairman, that a committee be appointed to formulate resolutions upon this occasion, which brings to our memory the most outstand- ing Jew that America has ever produced. Mr. Schiff was not alone a philanthropist, not alone a leading Jew, a valiant, outspoken Jewish representative in other things, but he was a type of American citizen of which every American, Jew or non-Jew, should be proud. And, in addition, Mr. Chariman, I would like to ask that this group, for a brief moment, rise in silence to the memory of our dear departed Mr. Schiff, Chair- man of the Joint Distribution Committee. The Chairman: Mr. Rosenwald moves that the Chair be authorized to appoint a committee to pass suitable resolutions in honor of the memory on the first anniversary of the death of Mr. Schiff. All those in favor of the motion signify the same by rising and remaining silent. (Entire convention rises and remains silent, followed by Kadish in Hebrew by Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch.) The Chairman : The Chair will announce the composition of the committee after receiving suggestions, if any member of the conference desires to make them. May the Chair suggest that we follow up the general sur- vey of the situation as given to us by Mr. Warburg by listen- ing to statements from such of the gentlemen who have been in the field and who have perfected themselves in some par- ticular phase of the work? 18 The gentleman upon whom I am going to call, Mr, How- ard Gans, is one of those who has given great service to the cause. Mr. Gans knows about this thing known as Sanitation, and all the questions related thereto in devastated Europe. We shall be delighted to hear from him. Mr. Howard Gans: I want to thank the conference for the honor conferred upon me, and for selecting me as one of the speakers. I want to deprecate the things that have been said about my services, be- cause I don't think the little I have done merits praises such as you have given. The subject I have been announced to speak upon I know only from the adminis- trative side. That phase of our work which is the greatest and makes the strongest humani- tarian appeal to service, is the attempt to pro- vide for so many of the little children of Poland, who have been orphaned from war causes, with the bare necessities of life as far as it is possible for us to give them. The best we can do in that direction is little enough. Whatever we can do in bring- ing a small percentage of the rising generation to some training in the decencies of life is a contribution probably greater than we can imagine in the rehabilitation of Eastern Europe. Next to that comes what we call our reconstruction work, to enable our co-religionists of Eastern Europe to help them- selves, the attempt to furnish them with the means of helping themselves. Colonel Lehman will tell you what the plans are as to that phase of our work which deals with the refugees. Now these, to my mind, are the activities here that should and will make an appeal in a public attempt to gather funds. But what we are trying to do through our medical program is fund- amentally connected with these other activities. Unless we carry on this work other activities will be nullified. Picture to yourself the devastated areas, through which armies have fought and refought, leaving ruins and destroy- ing communities. You must try to picture a country where there is suffering almost beyond description, a country in which facilities for sanitation are few — comparatively few. The bath houses existing before the war have in large meas- ure been swept away. Now, unless something is done to rem- edy that condition^, unless bath houses, which are the sole pre- ventative for the spread of typhus and other diseases, are sup- plied at least in small measure, unless something is done to furnish water supply in places where there is none, where they haven't any way of f?;;etting it, unless there is some attempt to stop these various diseases which, if not taken as they begin to spread, will sweep through and take at least half of the population, those in authority cannot deal with the situation. 1Q I£ not checked, these diseases are bound not only to increase in that vicinity, but because of the floating character of the population you are going to have a condition in the commu- nity where whatever else you do your efforts will be fruitless. What use is there to bring up children if they are going to die of typhus? What use is there to spend money for rehabili- tation, of providing workmen with tools to set up their business, if the tools which you provide are to be useless because the little shopkeeper is carried away by typhus or cholera? What use is there to deal with people in concentration camps, fur- nishing them with food and clothing, unless we are also doing something to prevent the typhus germs from spreading through- out the camp and devastating all those concentrated? With a picture of this sort before us about two years ago we made a tentative proposition for an immediate campaign. We have now a survey of the field, and we now have in the field about fourteen doctors, who have been added to the nine separate districts into which Poland is divided, covering ap- proximately 3,300,000 people. We organized in this district and are in process or organizing in the other districts, with the aid of the local communities, a movement to bring about the sanitation and the co-ordination and creation of important organizations to deal with sanitation and diseases and the emergencies that we have attempted to describe. Work is being done in an effort not of bringing something superimposed, but being done in the effort of arousing a com- munity to her own need, calling upon the community to help solve the sanitary and medical problems by their own efforts, through their own practice and with their own contributions. The communities in the main so far have responded with the needed stimulus. The problem of instituting such a movement seemed too great. What we think we can do there is to give them a little help. Of course at first we will start by giving to the management a portion of the funds devoted to that purpose, but the maintenance of every institution is undertaken at the start by the communities themselves. They organize a local committee which is called upon to see that the work is carried on. That is a picture of the work in brief, and this in brief is the reason why we have undertaken it. I, as one of those charged with administering relief in Europe, would hope that a sum will be raised through this campaign which will enable us to continue and increase the appropriation made for this purpose until the communities in Europe are able to carry on, as they will carry on, this sort of work on their own account. The Chairman: The Chairman of the Reconstruction Committee is one of the members of the conference, and 20 I would like to present to you Colonel Lehmann, who will speak to you on the work o£ Reconstruction. Colonel Leh- man. Col. Lehman: Ladies and Gentlemen — There came a time in the administration of relief committees and of those who were charged with the responsibility of handling the work abroad when the kind of r -i co-operative relief work we had been doing "' for a number of years, both during and sub- sequent to the war, had come to an end, ex- -f. cept for some sporadic efforts. Steps were ' ' ] taken to improve the transition period be- ' tween that and the time when the people should again be able to care for themselves by their own efforts — become self-supporting. || ^- WM So that as far back as eighteen months ago ^ — — ^ Dr. Bogen and Mr. Becker, our other rep- resentative abroad, did put into effect in a small way recon- struction, through the granting of loans to small merchants, artisans, farmers and workers. This was done largely in Poland and in Roumania. About a year ago they prepared to take steps to really bring about a situation where these people they had helped for a number of years could be made as self-supporting and self-sustaining as possible. Therefore there was given to the Relief Committee a fund of five million dollars, which should be used over a period of time to bring about the desired effect. There was also set up within the committee a sub-committee to administer these funds and re- port to the larger committee yearly. The term Reconstruction Committee is a misnomer, be- cause it is not that. Within a reasonable time I think we shall ask that the name be changed to Rehabilitation, because, after all, that is what the work means. The Reconstruction Committee, because of course we have to have a head, has appointed as its Chief Director of Reconstruction or Rehabili- tation abroad, Mr. Alexander Landesco. He has surrounded himself with an able group of devoted, earnest men who visit various parts of Europe where our activities have been initiated. The difficulties which the Reconstruction Committee has met are due largely to the following: We have to try as far as possible to combine with good business judgment the neces- sities of the Jewish situation. In other words, it is easy enough to set up in various parts of Europe a purely business machine; it would be easy enough to set up a machine simply to give charity. We do not call it charity. We want to make our work as far as possible follow the lines of good business sense, to make the people realize when they make a loan from us, or receive other help, it is on business lines — permanent 21 help and not merely for the moment. We should not allow that situation to arise— we must be sure when we set up credit or give other aid we are doing it for people who really need it, who without it could not help themselves. These are the situations we must meet — these are the problems that are being now solved. We have circulated through the field in a considerable portion of Europe. We know there are endless activities to be undertaken before us in making a community self supporting or at least fairly so. We know also that our limited means—five million dollars spread out all over the world— even in Palestine, is a small sum. It does not permit us to do one-tenth of the work. We know we have to limit our activities to definite channels. Therefore we have for the time being set for ourselves the limitation of setting up in the territories where we have been functioning, using one-half of it for the granting of credit to small merchants, artisans and tradesmen. We believe that that is the first step that must be taken in the process of rehabilitation. We believe in that way we shall reach a larger number of people and do a greater work than we could by spreading out and dividing our efforts in too large a field. We have gone so far under the leadership of Mr. Landesco abroad and have made a definite start over in Roumania. Roumania suffered greatly from the war, but seems to be getting back on its feet somewhat more rapidly than other countries, owing to its situation. We therefore thought there was a chance to do our work without hindrance, and with a fair amount of safety, and with a reasonable assurance that we were going to reach people who needed it. It was put into effect in the following way: Our committee appropri- ated three hundred thousand dollars, two hundred thousand of which was paid out in the form of loans made by co-opera- tive societies, and one hundred thousand was paid for loans for reconstruction — reconstruction of houses; in other words, mortgage loans. The mortgage loans are handled through an organization known as European Executive Council, which rep- resents us, makes the loans to these people, taking security and endorsements, and such degree of care has been exercised, always taking into account the actual essential needs of the people. In other words, we give careful consideration to those suffering, and our main object is to give aid to the suffering, always to those people who deserve help and for whom we have confidence rehabilitation through our efforts will succeed. As to the other one hundred thousand, it is handled through co-operative societies set up in various parts of Roumania — old Roumania, that part devastated through the war. Each co-operative society makes itself responsible for its debts and also responsible to its fellows for loans that are made, as I said, to artisans, tradesmen, farmers, banks, etc., 22 with the understanding that the two organizations to which we are allied may also charge a rate only sufficient to cover its actual expense. In other words, there must be no profit to this committee or to anyone through forfeiture. I think it is a significant thing to be able to report that last Monday we received a check of about $1,100 representing interest paid by one of these Roumanian organizations, through an agent of the committee, on its loan. In addition to this three hundred thousand which we have given to Roumania, we have placed at their disposal also a considerable number of tools to be sold to artisans and workmen, on easy terms, payment to be spread over a long term. The people are taking advantage of this, and the pay- ments and the handling of all this part of the work is also done by one of the Roumanian societies, and we have in thia case, too, received repayment on the advance made against the tools. They set up a fund of $75,000, or about $80,000, for reconstruction work in Lithuania, which will be done on not exactly the same lines as that in Roumania, but more or less similar. They have set up a fund of $200,000, of which only $100,000 has thus far been expended, in the purchase of tools which will be distributed through the "Ort," an organization which existed before the war for the encouragement of agri- culture. The tools to which I refer in Roumania were substantially artisans' and household tools, such as sewing machines, car- penters' tools, etc., tools which would make either the woman in the house self-supporting or aid in the support of her family, or would make the artisan in his regular line of work more able to become self supporting. The tools which we are distributing through the "Ort" are to a great extent agricul- tural tools and tools which will be used in the development of agriculture in Poland, and we hope also at a somewhat later date in Russia and also in Roumania. In connection with this expenditure we have made an arrangement with the "Ort," which is an organization of con- siderable responsibility, by which they would hold themselves definitely responsible for a repayment of between 60 and 70 per cent, of the value of these tools. In other words, we risked the 40 per cent, and we received an obligation from the "Ort" for the 60 per cent., and I hope that we will receive back from the actual purchasers of the tools a substantial part of that 40 per cent., although how much of it is, of course, quite impossible to tell now. In Palestine our problem has been a serious one. We have wanted to commence work there, but we have not felt that the time was ripe to do anything on any substantial scale. I need not refer you gentlemen to the political situation in regard to Palestine, which of course is bound to be a ham- 23 pering and a hindrance to any reconstruction work in Pales- tine. Furthermore, we have felt that as far as possible we must adopt the plan that we could not afford to undertake the responsibility either of administration or of the administrative expenses — that if we did it would simply mean setting up an enormous organization. As we have found credit institutions run by the Joint Distribution Committee or any philanthropic or semi-philanthropic society, we were bound not to be self- supporting. So that if the administrative charges of these institutions were paid out of our funds it would only be a question of time before our funds would be depleted, not only through the losses on loans to those people who deserve help, but through administrative expenses. We have, therefore, adopted a general rule that we are not going to run the joint organizations without the help of the people in the country, that the people in the country must run themselves to the extent of putting up a certain proportion of the capital out of which the administrative expenses could be paid. We have done that wherever we could so far, but we have not found it practicable in Palestine. In Palestine, of course, there are no independent credit organizations except the Anglo-Palestine Bank, and in that institution they neither wanted to handle a job of that sort nor would we have been willing to let them do it. So thus far we have not set up any credit institution in Palestine. We have had in the last three or four years what is known as the Kupeth-Milveh organization, a loan as- sociation in which a very nominal interest is charged. It functions in Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa, and one or two other Palestinian cities. That fund is built up largely through loans which we made before we began the reconstructive committee. It was made by people in Palestine as a means of allowing the people to retain their self-respect after the very urgent situation disappeared. We checked up and we found that in some places the people could repay and in other cases the people voluntarily offered to pay over a term of years, so we took on the Kupeth-Milveh, from which we have realized some small sums of money. We are going to continue the Kupeth-Milveh organization until we can set up in Palestine a more permanent credit organization. I wish to say that we will be in conference very shortly with a British economic board in Palestine known as the Zionist Economic Organiza- tion, and we will discuss with them, as some of you gentlemen know was discussed last winter with this British economic organization, the question of co-operation in the setting up of a credit institution run on a like basis in Palestine. That brings me to the last and most important piece of our work, and that is the program which we have initiated in Poland. With the exception of Russia, which, of course, has not been open to us up to the present time, the most important part of our work must necessarily be in Poland and through 24 Mr. Landesco and his assistants, as well as our own, we have been giving it the closest attention. We have set aside in Poland as an experimental amount the sum of one million dollars for the setting up of a compre- hensive credit institution within Poland. There have been in Poland for a reasonably long time various co-operatives — co- operative loan banks, co-operative business organizations. What we have done is the following: We have divided Poland into seven separate districts. In each one of these districts we have selected, or in a few cases actually will set up, a certain number of small co-operative banks and a small num- ber of consumers, producers and artisans, all co-operatives. All of these within a district will head up into a union of co- operatives. Iri other words, if we have ten co-operative banks within the district, they will head up into a district of one co-operative, so that there will be in all seven co-operatives. We will set up after the next sets are completed, in Warsaw, a reconstruction corporation of Poland, into which this federa- tion of co-operatives will head. We will place our money in the hands of the reconstruction corporation of Poland under safeguards which will be laid down by ourselves for safety and co-operation. We will say to the small bank in the prov- inces: "You start with a million marks capital." We have in all cases insisted that not less than ten to twenty per cent, of the money which we provide must be met by subscriptions in Poland. We will say to them: "You provide a million marks as the working capital of your bank. This capital is to be used, first, for the making of loans by yourself and to cover administrative expenses. After you have lent this million marks you can come to the reconstruction organization at Warsaw through the federation of co-operatives, which is the intermediate agency, and rediscount these loans so that there will continuously be a degree of working capital which these banks will have." We will lay down, and have already laid down, many of the rules under which this can be done. We are limiting, of course, our rate of rediscount — I mean our progression of re- discount — because there is a limit to which we can go, but we believe that by placing the incentive of administration to cover the administrative charges, we are going to make the people careful in their loans. We are going to make them consider the benefit of scrutinizing the character of their loans and insisting that they make loans to those people who really will be helped by this work. I say we will scrutinize it — whether we will scrutinize it in all its details is a question. But we will make every effort. We will limit the amount of interest which they can charge to a man and which will just cover the administrative expenses of the various banks or organizations which are handling them. 25 The thing is an experiment, but I have every reason to believe that it is going to work out successfully. I have every reason to believe that this is a means by which we really can reach in the way of reconstructive activities those people who are particularly in need of our efforts. We have already received most encouraging reports as to the enthusiasm with which the plan has been received, as to the care and devotion with which all the details have worked out and the early stages put into teffect. I have every confi- dence that while unquestionably part of the money which we are in this way investing will be lost, that on the whole a dollar spent in this way is going further as a permanent help to the relief of the situation than could a dollar spent in any other way possibly do. I want to emphasize the fact that while I have talked a great deal of the business aspect, em- phasizing the fact that we are trying to run this along busi- ness-like lines, and we will not undo any work unless we have to (for we think there is a chance of running it along business- like lines and running it with safety), yet I do not want you to go away thinking that we are not going to lose over a term of years a considerable portion of the funds we are putting in. We are. But we are going to lose it solely, and I believe we are going to lose it after, we have done a tremendous amount of good, I believe that with the exception of child work, which to me is closer than any portion of our work, there is noth- ing which we possibly can do actually and permanently to relieve the situation and help the peoples of Europe to help themselves to the same extent as this job of reconstruction work. (Applause.) Mr. Adolf Kraus: I would like to ask the speaker a ques- tion. I understood you to say that these banks that will loan out the money will charge no more in the way of interest initially than if we had administered the cost of carrying on these banks. Did I understand you correctly. Col. Lehman: Yes. Mr. Kraus : If the initial cost will be ten per cent, will those people be charged ten per cent.? Col. Lehman : I have said that we will not allow them to charge an amount more than will be necessary. Mr. Kraus: You are not answering my question. Col. Lehman : Yes, I v/ill answer it. I should have said that we will not allow them to charge more. I did not mean to give the impression that v/e will not allow them to charge as much as may be necessary to carry on with the administra- tive charges. In other words, I believe that about ten per cent, will be necessary to carry on the cost of administration. Mr. Kraus : I protest against charging these people ten per cent, interest. 26 Col. Lehman: I want to emphasize the fact that the reconstruction committee, the Joint Distribution Committee, will under no circumstances charge ten per cent, or any sub- stantial proportion of that. The reconstruction committee in Roumania is charging to the federation of co-opsratives making these loans two and one-half per cent. You can't expect these people to whom we are giving the money to run this thing for us and to assume all the cost of administration. They are willing to take some chance of loss on the adminis- tration, but where their cost is, say, six per cent, to eight per cent, for administration, it would be hard to expect them to carry that themselves. Now, in Poland I should say that the cost of administration would be that, while the Joint Distribu- tion Committee is only going to receive three or four per cent. Mr. Kraus: What is the difference to the man who pays the interest whether the bank in Roumania receives the interest, or in Poland, or the Joint Distribution Committee? My opinion is that if any interest is charged it should be limited, so it should not cost the person who pays it more than five per cent. If we are going to do charity at the rate of ten per cent, interest and over, let us stop. It is no charitv at all. ^ Col. Lehman: I don't think you can change the economic laws by the use of a million dollars. You can change them to a certain extent. I think Dr. Bogen will bear me out when I say the interest rate in Poland is much higher than that. Dr. Bogen: In Poland the moneys that will be received from America will be used in reconstruction work and to help the Polish Jew so that he will be able to help himself. The usual rate of interest in Poland is one per cent, a week, or 52 per cent, a year. The Jews in Poland do not want to borrow money without interest. When I told them that we were going to give them relief they told me that they wanted to send you an appreciation for all that was done in the mat- ter of relief. The Chairman: Subject to the approval of the confer- ence the Chair would suggest that such questions as may arise in the minds of the members of the conference be jotted down and the Chair proposes to set aside all the time that we need for answering questions. Mr. Marshall: May I suggest to the Chariman that it might be well to have these questions put while the gentle- man making the report is on the floor, because it might save considerable time, and the whole matter might come up be- fore us under such conditions that all of the background is still clear in our memory. If I might make a comparison, these gentlemen are a part of the cabinet and they are making their report to the parliament which is here assembled, and of course interpolations are proper at any time. I think it would 27 save a good deal of time and it would serve to clarify things if we could have the discussions in that way. The Chairman: Is the view expressed by Mr. Marshall concurred in by the organization? (Cries of "Aye.") The Chairman: If so, questions are in order at this time. Mr. Savitsky: Mr. Chairman, I believe one point is to be taken into consideration, and that is the matter of exchange. The interest rates are very high in Poland, due to the exchange drop. Dr. Bogen stated, and he knows the situation not only in one district, but all throughout Europe, that an interest rate of 52 per cent, is considered a banking rate, and I have seen in- stances where people have paid 3,000 per cent. — and what is ten per cent, in comparison with 3,000 per cent.? We have had this question up time and again, and it has been proved to my satis- faction that 12 per cent, can cover only the actual administra- tive cost of a loan society. The Chairman: The Chair wants to call the attention of the conference to the fact that Mr. Savitsky speaks from experience. He has spent a great deal of time in Poland. Any more questions? Mr. UUman: There is one question in my mind as to the reconstruction committee. There have been reports at various times over here that under no circumstances would it be possible to rehabilitate the Jews over there so that they could be placed under and remain under satisfactory conditions. I for one should like an expression from one who has been over there as to whether the condition of the Jews will be satisfac- tory after we have taken action as outlined. The Chairman: Dr. Bogen, would you like to answer that question? Dr. Bogen: The Jewish people in Poland will remain in Poland. The conditions in Poland are evoluting, but no one in the world can say what will happen. The conditions there today are such as no one can imagine, no one who has not been there can realize it. Conditions are terribly bad. We still have districts where it is hard to get food. We have districts where we have thousands of people on the streets. We have children begging. We have men and women dying with tuberculosis on the streets in Poland. And still the Jews in Poland say, "Thank God, the conditions are improving." Now you can imagine what it was two years ago, when thousands of children begged bread on the street. Thank God, the conditions are improving. The American Jews, through the help of the American relief administrations, are feeding today not less than 40,000 Jewish children every day. Whether we shall be able to continue to feed the children or whether this particular activity will be liquidated, it is hard 28 to say. The conditions are bad, but the Jews as citizens of Poland will remain in Poland. Some will come to America. Some will go to other countries, but in no way is it possible to think rationally that we can remove three and a half mil- lion Jews — and I really believe Mr. Gans has underestimated it, for, truly speaking, there are five million Jews in Poland. We cannot think of moving the Jews from Poland, nor can we plan for anything for the Jews in Poland outside of Poland. In this connection I want to say that it is not only true so far as the Jews in Poland are concerned, but it is true with regard to the orphans, because you cannot with that large number of children provide the same facilities that America had for moving the troops to Europe. You cannot move three million children, you cannot move thirty or forty thousand children. The maximum that you will be able to take out of Poland will not affect the Jewish population in Poland. The Jewish prob- lem is very acute today. While I am on my feet will you permit me to bring the message of the Polish Jews in this connection? The Chairman: Indeed, certainly. Dr. Bogen: The Jews in Poland are exceedingly happy that the time has come when they can take part in the gen- eral relief activities. Almost everywhere they expressed sat- isfaction with the movement, and they also want you to know that the most important help that you have given them is not only relief and not only money, but it is the moral support which you have given them. A member of one of their com- mittees over there said to me: "We appreciate very much what the Jews in America send us, but more than anything else we appreciate the fact that they have let us know that they are thinking of us, that we can rely on them, that there is some hope besides actual emergency relief." They told mt at the time that I was not only a messenger of relief but a messenger of hope, and that while they need relief they need it in the sense that when we send it we send them not only relief but hope. The war is over, and as a result of the war, I want to repeat, there are thousands of children not provided for. The Joint Distribution Committee does provide for at least a por- tion of them, but thousands and thousands of children are not provided for. The people have no medical assistance. The refugees present a most horrible picture of distress. The people who could make a living cannot do it because they have no credit, and the most important thing, in my opinion, is to realize the enormous work of the Joint Distribution Com- mittee. You must remember that last winter you people gave 70,000 overcoats in Poland alone. As I have already said, we have provided for the feeding of 40,000 children. In order to feed the children you must give as one person. When you think of the 10,000 employees in Poland; when you think of 29 the 2,200 committees and when you think that all this work was done through the Joint Distribution Committee, you will realize that this work cannot be stopped abruptly, and will have to be continued until the people in Poland are able to help themselves and be put in a condition of rehabilitation after the horrible conditions created by the war. Dr. Gerson B. Levy: I just want to ask one question. In the light of what Dr. Bogen has said about the policy to be pursued in Poland, it seems to me that the problem of rehabili- tation should include also the rehabilitation of Jewish life as well as the rehabilitation of the Jew. I would like to ask Col- onel Lehman whether the program of rehabilitation has included a program of rehabilitation by education. Col. Lehman: In answer to that I will say that the student committees of the Joint Distribution Committee, the American Relief, the People's, and the Central, have done a great deal towards that in the way of cultural interests. It was not felt by the Joint Distribution Committee or the Re- construction Committee that that particular kind of work came in the scope of the work of the Joint Distribution Com- mittee. I believe that the relief that the Reconstruction Com- mittee was to do was set out clearly to be economic recon- struction, not spiritual, although that part of the work has, of course, received a great deal of attention on the part of the other committees. The Chairman: The Chair wanted to call attention to the fact that Dr. Bogen has been in the relief work since 1914; that he has just returned from Europe, where he has been Chairman of the General Council and he is at the pres- ent time the General Director of the Jewish Committee in New York. I want to impose upon you. Dr. Bogen, since you have been on your feet at this time, to give us informa- tion on another question, in which we are all interested, and that is the condition of the refugees and the problems which they present. It is suggested that Dr. Bogen come forward. Dr. Bogen: Mr. Chairman, I wish to say that the question of refugees is a very painful question. Last year Mr. James Becker and myself, and Mr. Alsberg, I be- lieve, visited the jail in Budapest, where we saw men, women and children in winter on a bare stone floor, with no provision for food or heat. They were very badly and scantily clothed. Some of them were sick. There were babies in mothers' arms, and little chil- dren. It was a horrible sight. These were no criminals. The only thing there was against them was that they were refugees. I never saw such a sight before, though I visited the Bolsheviki camps in Poland and I visited the prisons in various countries, but I never saw 30 such a distressing sight as I saw in Budapest, I saw other sights later of refugees living in railroad cars, without any provisions. I have seen these refugees during a typhus epi- demic. I have seen these refugees on the border line of Russia in Polowitsky and Pinsk, begging for something to eat. They had no hope outside of a day's allowance. There is no provision for refugees today. All that we can do is to give them just a little bit. In one city we have provision for 400 refugees, whereas the city has from 10,000 to 15,000. The refugee problem is the most distressing problem we have. These people are, most of them, people who ran away from danger. They all want to return and they all want to be re- established. When I tell you that my estimate — and it is a conservative estimate (at my age people do not make extrava- gant or exaggerated estimates) — I claim there are 200,000 Jewish refugees who are without a home and looking for a place to live. All of them, as I said, or a large majority of them, want to return to their homes. The most pathetic sights I saw were in the city of Minsk when it was in the pos- session of Poland, where I met the refugees from Smargon, a little town razed by the enemy, and I asked what I could do, and they said the only thing they wanted was to go back to Smargon; so I went to Smargon, and there was nothing left of that town except chimneys. It was leveled. And yet these people still wanted to go back home, wanted to go to the same place where their parents were pogromed, where their people were put to death, where their brothers and sisters had been killed. It is a temporary situation. We must provide relief for the refugees, but we must provide ways and means by which we can return them to their homes. The attempt has been made, especially in Germany, to estab- lish these refugees, and they have been very successful. The Joint Distribution Committee has supplied funds, and these funds have been allocated. Their sufferings are a calamity and a shame. The refugees must have five million dollars. When it comes to going throughout this country with our beautiful parks, public places where people may stay, I claim the refugee would consider it a paradise, I believe that you ought to count on at least fifty dollars per capita, but what- ever your calculation is, I believe we will have sufficient to give to Mr. Bernard Cahn, who is an expert on this subject. We have established conditions in Galicia, in the Ukraine, and in White Russia and Poland, in Bessarabia, where we have the machinery to handle it. The plan is to provide palliative relief for a number of days or weeks and then try to estab- lish them in a place from which we can remove them to their homes where they belong. There is a small percentage, but a considerable number of prospective emigrants, people who have the documents and who are entitled, as far as legal pro- ceedings are concerned, to come to this country, but who can- not come on account of the restriction in immigration. Again, 31 there are others who do not have sufficient documents as yet, but these represent a small part. We are not handling it. We ought not to handle it. That should be handled by a separate organization. But what we are interested in, at least what I am interested in, is to see that provision is made for those refugees who are temporarily dislocated from their homes. I hope in a general way the problem is beginning to be understood, the various ways of helping the refugees by providing a home. Providing a home for one hundred or two hundred people is misleading. The number of refugees as estimated by us now is based upon a census that has been taken at our stations. We are trying to correlate all the dif- ferent organizations. As soon as the money is provided I believe you can depend upon the ability of Mr. Cahn that the machinery is ready to help these people. I have considered the refuge problem as a temporary problem. The Chairman: Are there any questions to be asked of Dr. Bogen? Dr. Bogen: Mr. Becker wants me to correct a mistake I made. I cannot dispute Becker because he is so much younger but so much wiser than I am that when he gives me an order, I must obey. He thinks that I made a mistake and that the number of refugees in Russia as they look now will reach 500,000. Mr. Block: I would like to ask the Doctor a question at this time relative to anti-Semitism and whether or not you meet with any interference in giving aid. The Chairman: The gentleman wants to know if the gentlemen in Europe, functioning there, are meeting with any lack of co-operation from the non-Jewish population in Poland. Dr. Bogen: I hope that the gentleman who has asked the question does not expect me to say yes or no, because that would be a very difficult proposition. It would remind me of a person who would ask me whether I have stopped beating my wife. (Laughter.) If it is not only a painful question, it is a very ticklish question. There is no question that there is some feeling of animosity existing between the various groups of population in these war countries. I cannot say that we were in any way interfered with by the governments in the countries where we were, but, to put it mildly, sometimes we were mis- understood. However, upon longer acquaintance, people got used to us and we got used to them. We do not meet with those terrible, horrible things that we met with twelve months ago. Twelve months ago, when there was the invasion and the retiring armies, the Jews were receiving a very raw deal. You can see this by the fact that when you visit these par- ticular territories you will still find women crying over the fact that they have lost every member of their family. You will see little girls and women who have lost everything that is dear to a woman. You will see a whole hospital of infected 32 women. You will see men who are lame and maimed by this horrible, warlike attitude, but during the last twelve months conditions have changed. They are now being treated much better, and when I say that they are now being treated much better, I mean all the people, the Jewish people and all the people in these countries are treated better. So far as our relief work is concerned, we have gained a great deal in getting the co-operation of the governments. We have been successful in helping our people to get consideration, which was one of our problems in the matter of relief. Our institutions in many places are now receiving not equal but at least some support from the Government. On the whole, I can report that the conditions are improving. The Chairman : The Chair at this time desires to pre- sent for the consideration of the Conference the following committee on Memorial to Mr. Jacob A. Schiff: Mr. Julius Rosenwald, Chairman; Mr. Louis Marshall, Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, Mr. Henry Morgenthau, Mr. Mortimer Fleishhacker, Mr. Irvin F. Lehman and Mr. Jacob Billikopf. Are there any further suggestions or corrections? If not, the committee will stand as named. Mr. Freimuth: I would like to inquire of Col. Lehman whether a survey or an attempt at a survey has been made of how many there are in the distressed districts of Poland, who could be assisted and made self-supporting. Col. Lehman: I cannot answer it categorically. There has been no numerical survey made. There has been a survey made of economic conditions in each one of the countries where we have started work. I think it would be almost impossible to make a survey along the lines you state. Of course the number of people that could be helped would so greatly depend upon the amount of money that we had at our disposal. I w^ant to make it very clear to you that we cannot possibly hope, with the amount that we have on hand or that we may expect to raise, with any reasonable degree of cer- tainty, to help more than a small proportion of the people who need our help in any of the districts in which we are now working. The Chairman : The Chair would like to present for the consideration of the Conference the following question: The Committee on Arrangements have thought that we could pro- ceed along more direct lines upon the assurance that no publicity would be given to the questions being considered by the Con- ference. The question is now raised whether or not we want any of the papers to know about this Conference. If a statement is to be prepared for the Sunday papers it ought to be ready by five o'clock this afternoon. The Chair wants to call attention to the fact that if that is done, Mr. Henry G. Alsberg will under- take the work of preparing the material for publicity. In this connection let it also be remembered that if any statement is 33 given out today, that undoubtedly tomorrow the press will be present, whether we want to give out anything or not. What is the pleasure of the Conference upon this question of publicity? Judge Harry Fisher: Mr. Chairman, don't you think it is too early to consider the question of publicity now? We are just listening to reports. We ourselves do not know what is in the minds of the delegates here assembled. Perhaps when we get to consider concrete propositions for future work, when we get some results from our deliberations, we may be able to make some proper statement. Until then I move that no state- ment for publicity be made. Motion seconded, put and carried. Mr. Paul F. Feiss: Mr. Chairman, it seems to me that the Committee or ofBcers should be authorized to give the news- papers such publicity as they think it wise; otherwise there will be something published and it will be wrong. The Chairman: Let the Chair call Mr. Feiss' attention to the fact that the Conference has decided that there should not be any publicity. Now do I understand you to move that a committee be appointed to decide this question? Mr. Feiss: I should think that we ought to have had an opportunity to discuss the question. Not having had it I should like to so move. The Chairman: Mr. Feiss moves to reconsider this ques- tion of giving out publicity. Motion seconded, put and carried. The Chairman: The question is, to reconsider. What are your suggestions, Mr. Feiss? Mr. Feiss: It seems to be almost impossible to have a conference of this size without the newspapers knowing about it, and from such experience as I have had they are going to have something about it in tomorrow's paper, which I think should be accurately published. That is much better than to have it put in inaccurately. Mr. Rosenberg (New York) : If anything goes to the press, it has got to be there by five o'clock, as I understand. This question ought to be settled and I therefore move, unless there is such a motion before the house, that the Chair appoint three members to decide the entire question, whether or not to give a statement, and if so, to give it, because there is less than an hour's time to decide it. Motion seconded. The Chairman: The question before the house is the motion that no publicity be had until action is taken on that matter by the Conference, Mr. Rosenberg of New York moves a substitute motion for Judge Fisher's motion, that the Chair 34 be authorized to appoint a committee on the question of pub- licity and that that committee have power to act. Any remarks? The Chairman: Are you ready for the question? Question called for. Motion put and carried. The Chairman: The following committee will be ap- pointed: Mr. Alsberg, of New York; Dr. Bogen, of Cincin- nati; Mr. Billikopf, of Philadelphia; Mr. Frankel, of Toronto; Mr. Kline, of Chicago; Mr. Cans, of New York. Have you got a statement ready, Mr. Alsberg? The Chair has omitted one more name that I think should be on that committee. The Chairman: May I at this time, on behalf of Chicago, express the satisfaction which has been ours for the apprecia- tion which all of you gentlemen have given in the field to the feeble and modest efforts of James Becker. (Applause.) Mr. Rosenberg: Will you ask Mr. Becker to risfe so some of these people who do not know him may see him. The Chairman: I am going to ask Mr. Becker not only to rise but to tell us, in his own way, his observations, and what his conclusions are of the child-care and of his man- ner of work for the Joint Distribution Committee. Mr. James Becker. Mr. James Becker: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — Before I start to talk I should like to ask if a motion is in order that each speaker henceforth be limited to ten minutes, and inas- much as it is getting late I think that rule ought to go into effect immediately, as proposed by Mr. Warburg. The Chairman: Mr. Becker is out of order. (Laugh- ter.) The Chair repeats that Mr. Becker is out of order. Mr. Becker: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — There is unquestionably no problem so bad in all Europe as the orphan problem. No one who has been in eastern Europe can possibly forget those starved, naked, diseased, neglected children. In talking about the orphan problem I always think of a little incident that occurred when I went from the Roumanian border in mid-winter into the Ukraine. This was in December and although I traveled with the heaviest possible clothing, heavy woolen un- derwear and woolen uniform and two pairs of heavy wool socks and heavy shoes and overshoes and overcoat and a sweater, and then another overcoat and six blankets, still at the end of a day's trip I would always be numb with cold, and yet when I reached Kamanetz-Podolsk in the Ukraine and visited the typhus wards in the children's hospitals, I found that they had no heat, because there was no coal and no fire- wood. I was obliged to travel very slowly because there were 35 no railroads and it was impossible to bring fuel, and while in those hospitals, going around from bed to bed I saw that they were wooden horses, across which were stretched bare boards with mattresses consisting of gunny-sacks filled with straw — no pillow cases, no sheets, no milk, no disinfectants. The windows had to be sealed because it was so terribly cold and as you can imagine the odors were so awful that we could hardly bear to remain in the building for more than five min- utes at a time. Still one would see three or four or even five children in a single bed, and when I asked the doctors why it was that these children were huddled together, they invariably would say that it was due to the fact that their animal instincts taught them to huddle together because of the terrific cold in these hospitals. I am not telling you the story because it is a painful story, this is just one of the instances that I happened to see in my trip through eastern Europe. I am relating that to you not because I think you have to hear painful stories, for I know that if you were not interested in this work you would not be here, but I am telling you that to give you some idea of the conditions under which those poor children are trying to sur- vive in southeastern Russia and eastern Poland, and no one who has not been in southeastern Russia and eastern Poland can have any idea of the hell through which those children are passing. There are a minimum of a hundred thousand to a hundred and fifty thousand Jewish war orphans in Europe, and I am convinced that that is a conservative statement. The problem of the Joint Distribution Committee is during the next five years to take care of at least 50,000 children per year, or one- third to one-half of the children. From the very beginning, from 1914, subventions were given by the Joint Distribution Committee to the existing orphanages — per capita subventions were given to different families, that they might immediately care for the different children. We had inspectors traveling through the various parts of the country to see that the children were provided for after they were placed in the different families, but with all our work only a small proportion of the children were provided for. At present the work in Europe is on a functional basis, whereby there is a director in each of the departments. The work of child-care originally was under Doctor Peiser's super- vision. Unfortunately he is now ill, and Dr. Schoen is taking his place, and we are caring today for 12,000 orphans — 12,000 orphans out of 100,000 to 150,000. Of this number 1,000 are being cared for by the so-called financial adoption plan. By that plan I mean the system which has been instituted in this country whereby a person will give $100, and this $100 will go 36 to an individual orphan in Europe. In order to carry out this work in Europe, the department of child-care has various directors in each country, and these directors in turn have men who are in charge of each district. These district directors get the names and the pictures and full records of all the orphans and these are sent to the main offices in each country and in turn are sent to Paris and then to America. In America the work in New York is under Dr. Lowenstein's direction and as the money is given these orphans are financially but not legally adopted and it is planned that later on each person shall be placed in connection with the orphan so adopted, in order that he may be able to communicate with the orphan, as is done with the French orphans. We hope later on to extend this method of per capita subvention, for it is necessary that 50,000 children be cared for in the next five years. In addition to that type of work we have another type of work in New York, the so-called location work; that is, finding children in Europe who have relatives in this country, who are willing to enable them to come to this country. The office in New York assists them to get the legal papers to come to this country. Naturally a very few children, today not over 300, have been brought from Europe. Today our only hope, if we are to save these poor orphans, is the so-called adoption plan. That is the plan which we hope to put into effect, I could go on talking for a few hours about the orphans in Europe. My only object is to give you a brief outline of what the problem is and how we are to meet it. Fifty thou- sand orphans at $100 apiece, means $5,000,000 a year. These children will have to be cared for for five years. Many of you have already solved in your businesses, problems that are far more difficult to solve than the orphan problem in Europe, for fundamentally the orphan problem in Europe is not a difficult one to solve. It is merely a problem of organization and one which can easily be put through, if you gentlemen see to it that the necessary steps are taken to provide the money. If there is any message which I bring back from Europe, which any one of your workers has brought back from Europe, it is this : That in this terrible hour of need these poor, neglected, starving children should not be forgotten, regardless of what the conditions are in America, regardless of what our charities may be, because the needs of the charities here in the worst condition are as Paradise when compared with what those children are in need of in eastern and southern Russia. (Applause.) The Chairman: Are there any questions? The Chairman: The representatives of the American Jew- ish Relief Committee will be asked to present to this Con- ference such plans as they have at the present time in regard to any campaign for raising funds, so that we may discuss 37 that program. We have asked all those who have been con- cerned with the functional activities of the J. D. C. to give us their bird's eye view of the particular work which they have been carrying out. I know that the question has been asked during this Conference as it has been asked before the Con- ference: "What of Russia? What is the situation there?" The Chair wants to ask Dr. Rosenblatt at this time to tell us about the situation in Russia as he understands it. Dr. Rosen- blatt, (Applause.) Dr. Rosenblatt: Mr. Chairman The Chairman: Before the Doctor begins I want you to know that he has been in Siberia and he has been to Russia in every part where they would let him go. He has done the executive work and what he has brought to us is an understanding of the work. Dr. Rosenblatt: I feel somewhat hesitant in speaking on Russia for various reasons, particularly because I shall have to touch upon the various functional activities ^.; which have been assigned to various people ^ ^M^^ before. Russia is in a class by herself. The ^W^^^, Joint Distribution Committee could not send I K^s* * special representatives of the various func- ^W^p^ w tional activities and had to entrust the work » , of child-care, of medical care, of reconstruc- I — tion, of rehabilitation work, and the other I A . activities to one man. d|^k ^ , L And now in the ancient times the Romans or the Greeks had a custom when they wanted to convey a cheerful message to their neighbor, of choosing a slave, because the people who re- ceived the cheerful message were so grateful to God that they had to sacrifice that messenger to God. The Joint Dis- tribution Committee had to send a cheerful message through me and they chose me as the bearer of that message. It was, indeed, a difficult task. The conditions may have changed for the better now. I hope they have. At that time I had the difficulties not only of proper distribution of the relief funds but also how to distribute, to get the permission to distribute those funds. Judge Fisher of this city and Mr. Pine of New York had been in Russia before, and they had made arrange- ments, but the conditions in Russia are such, as they stated quite frankly and candidly, that there is no law but the one, and that is to do what is good today and to undo what is not good tomorrow. The relief the Joint Distribution Committee could afford to arrange for was not sent in full measure on that account. A million dollars had been appropriated prior to my entrance into Russia and that million dollars had never been touched while I was there because of those difficulties. While I was in Siberia I had the problem of helping the war prisoners. There were a number of refugees, a number 38 of exiles from Lithuania, from Poland and other territories, in Russia, but the main problem was the war prisoners. The Kolschak Government was very hostile to the work of the Joint Distribution Committee because they did not want to have the enemy prisoners. The condition in Russia proper was different. It was not a question of not wanting to help the Jewish sufferers; it was a question of how to help the Jews and at the same time how to help the whole of Russia. The whole of Russia has been suffering, is suffering and will undoubtedly suffer for a time to come, but there is no compari- son between the suffering of the Jews in Russia and the Jews of the other countries. There is no comparison between the suffering of the Jews in Ukraine, in White Russia and in Cen- tral Russia, and the suffering of the non-Jews in these same countries. The peculiar conditions, the economic and the legal conditions of Russia were such — they may have changed slightly now, that the economic basis has been torn out from under the feet of the people — but if a man bought a pound of potatoes he was liable to be arrested as a speculator and shot. I have a list, a very long list, only from one town, during my stay in Moscow, in which town about 50 or 60 Jews were shot because they were accused of being speculators. Their specu- lation consisted of selling a pound of potatoes or a pound of flour or trying to buy a pair of shoes or a pound of sugar. The non-Jews did not need to have recourse entirely to specu- lation. A great number of them were soldiers in the red army, and they and their families were provided for. A great num- ber were workmen for the Government and they were provided for. Whether they worked full time or half time or quarter time, the peasants, whether they had a surplus from 1914 or 1910, could manage in one way or another, to keep soul and body to- gether. Entirely different was the situation of the Jews who had been prior to the Russian revolution small merchants, small artisans and "luftmenschen." When they had no right to buy or sell anything the economic conditions of Russia could not provide for them to settle either on land or as workmen. They had to speculate, even though at the risk of their lives, at the risk of their families, but they had to do it. They told me frankly that if they knew that they would be shot tomorrow they would go out and speculate, because they could not help it. They would have to live today. The question of palliative relief, therefore, the picture that was drawn here by Mr. Warburg, by Dr. Bogen, by Col. Lehman, showing that there is no need of palliative relief in Central Europe, in Poland, Roumania and other countries, this picture could not be applied to Russia. Russia is in need of palliative relief. You must send them food; you must send them clothing; you must send them something to provide shelter. Aside from the economic conditions of Russia, aside from the famine, Russia today, as it was three or four years ago, is 39 a hot-bed of pogroms, of murder, of insanity. The Jews in the Ukraine, in White Russia, whatever their poHtical views may be, whether pro-Soviet or anti-Soviet, may be attacked by either. The one thing in their minds is, how to save them- selves from pogroms. Pogroms are going on daily. They spring up sporadically, unsystematically, in one place one week and the next week in another place, and there is no power on God's earth which can cope with the situation of the pogroms. I do not want you to misunderstand me. The Russian Govern- ment is trying its utmost to cope with the situation but it is powerless, because these pogroms, this pogrom movement, these criminal ways of killing the Jews, are a movement against the Soviet government. It is synonymous with them to make a pogrom and to fight the Soviet government and therefore the one insoluble problem today is how to cope with the pogrom situation. We cannot stop it and there are tens of thousands of Jewish families who are like the ancient Jew, like the eternal Jew, traveling from town to town, not finding a rest, and they cannot find rest because those towns cannot provide for them. They have no shelter to offer them; they have no food to give them; they have no protection to give them, and it is the duty of every American Jew to think of the Russian Jews first of all. I know Mr. Becker made a very strong appeal on behalf of the children. Mr. Gans proved to you that if we will not establish child-care, if they will die from typhus or from cholera, there will be no use for our work. Dr. Bogen has presented his views on refugees. Every speaker has presented his views. Now I am the salesman of all. I want to sell you children, medical work, rehabilitation work and refugee work. Tens of thousands of refugees are wandering around the Ukraine and White Russia. They are suffering in their misery and they cannot for one moment be compared with the paradise of the refugees in Roumania, or in Poland, or in any other country. It is just wandering and being afraid every night that they will never rise again. As to children, there are at least 200,000 children in the Ukraine alone, without shelter, without food, without protec- tion. While I was there we tried to gather statistics. It was impossible to collect statistics of the children, but after careful investigation — and I knew the resources of the Joint Distribu- tion Committee, I knew I could not come with chimerical plans to the Joint Distribution Committee — after sifting, after careful information, we decided that 95,000 children were there in danger of death if you did not take care of them imme- diately — 95,000 children! Now those children are not only without shelter, they are not only without protection, they are without feeling, and that fills me with horror. Most of all to think of the future of those children. Many of them will undoubtedly die. We cannot save all of them. Many of them, if the Divine law is correct, will save themselves in 40 spite of everything; but the danger is that those who will save themselves will be a disgrace to the Jews of the world. I witnessed scenes of children playing. What is the play, what is the game of the children? They are playing in pogroms, a group of 25 children on one side and a group of 25 children on the other side. One group is the pogrom maker and the other group consists of Jews who must save them- selves, and the psychology of those children, the frame of mind of those children is the most horrible thing to think of. Children of 5, 6, 7 or 8 years are forced to go out not only to battle, but to speculate. Speculation was a terrible crime in Russia and whatever bad you can think of speculation under conditions in Russia, the child gets imbued with those bad ideas, hence he has got to conceal, he has got to hide, he has got to bribe, he has got to do everything possible in order to bring to his mother a pound of flour or something else. Those children must be saved. The Joint Distribution Committee, during my stay there, during last year, sent about one million dollars' worth of sup- plies, mostly food and clothing, but that was a drop in the ocean. There are hundreds of thousands of Jews wandering around in the Ukraine, in White Russia, hundreds of thou- sands of children there and they could not be helped with one million dollars. Mr. Cans spoke of the medical work. It would be prepos- terous on our part to undertake a medical, sanitary program for Russia. The country is infested with all kinds of diseases, of plagues, of typhus. We cannot fight those diseases. We cannot introduce sanitary methods. But it is our prime duty to send medicaments and medical instruments to fight the typhus and the other diseases. There are hundreds of thou- sands of children who will remain with a terrible defect — favus it is called — it is not a thing that they may die from but it is a nasty or an ugly thing for a man or a woman to have. It can be cured very easily but it requires X-ray ma- chines, and they have not got them. To speak of rehabilitation — it would be impossible for us to speak of reconstruction of Russian Jewry and yet there is no more sacred duty for the Jews of America than that. We must remember that there are hundreds of thousands of Jews who have been torn out from their former life who have to adapt themselves to new conditions; and they can, on the land as small workmen, if we give them the means. There is plenty of land in the Ukraine and in White Russia, land which the Soviet government would be only too happy to have the Jews take, but they have no seeds, they have no agricultural imple- ments. The tendency during the last two or three years among the Jews in the Ukraine and in White Russia is towards land, 41 to settle on the land. In short, you have all these problems, child-care, refugee work, child work, and most of all palliative relief, that you must offer to Russia. I am convinced that the next campaign will bring an appeal from Russia to the Jews in America to help the Jews of Russia to get again on their feet. (Applause.) Judge Jacob Asher: Might I ask not only the last speaker but the previous speakers, what co-operation is going on be- tween the J. D. C. and the other relief organizations, such as Hoover's committee. The question is sometimes asked of our own relief committee as to what Hoover is taking care of and we would like some information. Mr, Becker: The Joint Distribution Committee has co- operated very closely with the American Relief Commis- sion; or, perhaps, to state it better, the other way around: In the American Relief administration we have always found a great friend in Mr, Hoover and I think that every one can say, whether the work was in Roumania, in Poland, or in Austria or in Germany, that the American Relief Committee, co-operated in every way with the Joint Distribution Com- mittee, and that in the work by Mr, Hoover the work was carried on along non-sectarian lines. The American Red Cross has co-operated, perhaps, to a lesser degree than the American Relief, but, nevertheless, I, working for the Joint Distribution Committee, know that for the last six or eight months, the committees have been working together; the Joint Distribution Committee has received considerable aid from the American Red Cross in Poland and through the American Red Cross we have had placed at our disposal some six hundred thousand dollars worth of medical supplies, which will be of tremendous help to us, and the Joint Distribution Committee has received help from the American Relief and the American Relief has received help from them. Mr. Warburg: I want to add that the children will have to be taken care of. You have touched upon the orphan prob- lem and w^hen the orphan problem comes up the orphans will have to be taken care of. Mr. Eisenman: Mr. Chairman, may I suggest that we resolve ourselves into a committee of the whole and do the thing that we were brought here to do and that is to pro- vide ways and means for the very things that we are hear- ing these appeals about. I conclude that it is well under- stood that there is great need for the rehabilitation of the unfortunate peoples of Europe, I doubt very much whether any of the speakers could in any way accentuate our de- sire to help. We were brought here, I take it, for the pur- pose of helping, and I would like very much to begin to think how we can best help those in Europe who need our help and do the thing without any further tales of woe, of which we are fully aware, I do not wish to appear unappreciative, Mr, 42 Chairman, but I think that this body desires, in the interest of time, to co-operate with the Joint Distribution Committee, who know this job above all else, and to have plenty of time to consider with them what we shall do while we are here and what we shall do after we get to our respective homes. I would respectfully move you, Mr. Chairman, that we get from the Joint Distribution Committee of New York a score-card of the game, which I know they have, and to let us discuss with them how we can help them. The Chairman: Mr, Eisenman's suggestion can be readily carried into effect, I know this conference will agree with me. If we want to take a peep into the future, ask the man what to do, while we have the man here who can give us the an- swer. May I call upon you, Mr. Louis Marshall of New York? Mr. Marshall: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — First of all, let me repeat to the community of Chicago the thanks that have been already expressed by Mr. Warburg for the opportunity of meeting in this conference. We have been working for seven years nearly in the problem of war relief, and we have not had the opportunity, except as we have had our campaigns in the various communities, to discuss the problem which confronts this committee. There is nothing so valuable as interchange of opinion, of the opportunity of the people of the coun- try to come together and to understand what is to be done and how the work should be done, and at the same time I say, with all due respect to Mr. Feiss and Mr. Eisenman, it is important that your committee shall have an opportunity to give an account of its steward- ship. The least we can do is to take into our confidence the men who are responsible to their several communities and let them know what we have done and how we have done it. There is no man to whom we owe more than to the father of this conference, James Becker. (Applause). He called a conference of the workers in Vienna last year and got up for the first time an intelligent budget, and now^ he has brought us together for the purpose of finding the ways and means of raising the money to meet that budget. If this war work has accomplished anything for the people abroad, it has accomplished much more for us here in Amer- ica. It has created a Jewish solidarity which has never before existed to the degree that it exists today, and the heart-throbs of Eastern Europe are felt right here among us. (Applause.) And, as Mr. Billikopf has frequently said, the spiritual by- products of this work are most valuable. Chicago has raised large sums for its war work. It has dealt with us munificently, but if we were to capitalize James 43 Becker as an asset, it would be valued more than all the money in Chicago. (Applause.) It is true that we have had these reports — and they are agonizing reports. You have heard merely the pale reflection of what actually has occurred, from those who have been on the scene of action, from the men who have talked here today. Dr. Krass and the others who will talk here today know more than they can ever tell of what has transpired, and it is the most horrible reading matter that can be presented to a man with a heart to read the reports that come to the Joint Distribution Committee, month after month, from every part of Europe, of the terrible sufferings of our brethren. We have done much. If anybody had told me in October, 1914, when the American Jewish Relief Com- mittee was organized, that in the next seven years the Jews of the United States would collect in one fund $47,000,000 for war relief, I would have thought it a war dream; but we have done it. We have not reached the end. The problem still confronts us as an appealing one. It has been modified, but it has taken a different form. Palliative relief is no longer necessary outside of Russia. Alms-giving has no longer any office to perform in that part of Europe which is not contained in Russia, but the problems now are the more important, the greater problems, those that require statesmanship. The giv- ing of alms requires merely a willing heart and a ready hand. How to help the people rehabilitate themselves, to become self supporting, to make it possible for these young children to live — those are the real problems. The highest conception of character that the world has ever known is — and I can say it with all modesty as a Jew — that of the Jewish people, not merely the giving of alms, the highest charity is that of help- ing men and women to help themselves and to gain their self- respect. (Applause.) Now that is precisely the program that we desire to lay before this meeting today, and it is with respect to that that we have called together this conference in order that we may get the judgment of those present and the whole-hearted assistance of those present to carry out that program. In the first place, leaving the subject where the last speaker left it, we want to say that there is entire concurrence on the part of the Joint Distribution Committee in the idea that we must make provision for the Jews of the Ukraine and in White Russia and in such other parts of Russia where there are Jews who are suffering, and nobody can pen the picture of those sufferings. The veil has only been partially lifted. We will never know the full extent of the horror. If there has not been a loss of 25 per cent, of all the Jews of the Ukraine by death and murder and by pestilence, our calcula- tions are very much astray. Let us not say anything about the dead. We must consider the living. We must give to them their chance, the same opportunity that we have had; let us give to those children, those innocent children of Russia, 44 the same opportunity that we expect for our children and our children's children, and therefore let us remember that, al- though for the last seven years, even in the midst of the conflict, we were able to do relief work in Poland, in Lithuania, in Czecho-Slovakia, in Roumania, we have practically been excluded from doing anything for our brethren in Russia. This is a question of common humanity, and it is also a question of Jewish self-preservation. We are not to be misled by any slo- gan or by prejudice or by ignorance. The people who are suf- fering are not responsible for this suffering; they are the victims of every party, of every army, of every group of bandits who infest the Ukraine, and they are entitled to the same consideration that we would give to any human beings in like circumstances. Yes, they have been the victims of pogroms, and those pogroms are still continuing. It will be a long time before they disappear, but disappear they must, disappear they will. I do not take the pessimistic view that the future is black. If we ask that we may keep the people alive, God will find a way of putting an end to these horrors, because they cannot continue much longer. Lest, however, anybody should feel that in carrying on this war relief in Poland, we are doing aught that the most patriotic American citizen can criticize, let it be understood that we have entered into the most complete arrangement with the Hoover organization, which is the organization behind which stands the Government of the United States, to co-operate with them, to have our representative work with that committee, to visit those regions under the auspices of that American organization, and, moreover, we have co-operated, and will co- operate with the Society of Friends, and also have our own representatives for the purpose of carrying on the work of giv- ing help. Therefore, the first proposition which relates to the subject of palliative relief is to be considered as confined exclusively to Russia, which includes the Ukraine and White Russia, and various districts in Russia proper. That, however, means not merely the giving of alms. That necessarily means rehabilita- tion work; that necessarily means work with the orphans and sanitary work, the same kind of work we are doing in other parts of Europe and intend to do in other parts of Europe. Tentatively, in order to indicate a sense of proportion, our idea has been that the total amount of money that should be raised in the United States in the campaign upon which we are to embark now, should be approximately fourteen million dollars, and on that basis our idea is that approximately five million dollars should be spent in Russia. When we consider the large amount of money that has been spent in other parts of Europe that is a very small sum indeed, but it is probably as large as we can use economically and practically during the coming year, with the aid of the A. R. A. and Society of 45 Friends and such instrumentalities as we ourselves can create for the purpose of doing the work which is attempted to be done in Russia. Nobody need feel that in contributing money to that cause he is doing anything that is contrary to the policy of our Government, because, even in those plans which turned out not to be effective, or which we had entered into heretofore, they were submitted to the State Department and they were approved. Therefore it is clear that our Govern- ment is not only willing but desirous that we shall do what- ever work can be done for the sake of humanity in the pres- ervation of Jewish Russia. (Applause.) Let us then pass to the next page of our problem: The proposition that we made in pursuance of the budget which was prepared at the Vienna Conference, covering a period which expired on the first of July of this year. Therefore, on the basis of that program, which has been established more than a year ago, and which has been conscientiously carried into effect, and which we believe has been very useful and very effective, we would probably require for the current six months from the first of January, approximately a million and a half. That takes care of six and a half millions of dollars. Then comes the question of the refugee, which has been so graphically portrayed by Dr. Bogen. His report is that of an eye-witness. He has taken great risks, great chances in penetrating into some districts that he visited. We, unfortu- nately, lost two of our Jews in this time, penetrating into the Ukraine, Professor Friedlander and Rabbi Cantor. And every one of our workers has performed heroic tasks, has taken his life literally into his hands, in visiting some districts. Dr. Bogen, in the results of his investigation, supplemented by reports that have come from various parts of Europe — one remarkable report which we heard recently from one of our workers who visited Hungary — shows this terrible problem, which is an acute problem, of the refugee. I believe his estimate of 200,000 is a very moderate one when you consider, of course, the condition in the Ukraine and in Russia, you will find probably there will be a much larger number of people who must be brought back to their homes. Because, as dur- ing the war, when the Germans made their inroads into Russia, the Russian army sent the Jews helter-skelter into all parts of Russia, down to the Ural Mountains and to the Caucausas, and some into Siberia. These people desire to return to their homes. Now, understand me, I don't want any misunderstand- ing on that proposition. This refugee problem is not an emi- gration problem. This Committee has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of immigration, directly or indirectly. There is probably no chance for immigration under the law as it stands today. However much we feel that the law enacted is unwise — this is not an immigration problem. Understand that and tell your people we are not trying to bring these hundreds 46 of thousands of people from Europe into America, but we are trying to return them to their homes, where they desire to go, and to give them an opportunity in their homes once more to lead the lives that they led before the horrors of war burst upon them. Now that re-creation problem is a serious one. It is diffi- cult to put into dollars and cents, it all depends upon the dis- tribution. They have got to be transported, and the transpor- tation has to be paid. If I say that we would require two million dollars for that problem it would be less than is actually necessary. Now, then, there is the sanitation problem, which Mr. Gans has carefully explained, and which is so important, not only from the standpoint of the people who are in need of sanitation, but it is important for every part of the world. I have fears that unless we fight typhus in the countries where it exists, the time may come when it will jump the ocean, as other diseases such as this have jumped the ocean. And when we fight this disease in Eastern Europe we are not only protecting the people there and saving their lives, but we are protecting our fellow-citizens and the children of America. It is not a small matter, but I may say that the organization that has been perfected is an admirable one, and as has been said — we are not seeking to superimpose ourselves upon the people there, but we are trying, through our representatives, to fa- miliarize ourselves with the conditions in those countries, with the necessities dealing with sanitary problems, so that they may be able to save themselves with our help and the plans we may develop; to convert a country which throughout its borders has thus far been ignorant of the first principles of hygiene and sanitation into one which these new ideas in respect to sanita- tion have at last entered. I do not attempt to say how much that would require. I presume quite a large sum. Then the need that has been emphasized by Colonel Leh- man requires no further elaboration, so far as I am concerned. The plans of the committee have been fully studied. Colonel Lehman is an expert on matters of that sort. He has had associated with him men who have given the matter most care- ful thought. The plans are wide. They are based on business principles and at the same time the sentimental and essential features of the problem have been recognized. They are prac- tical. We here cannot judge as to what the proper basis for doing that kind of work should be as well as those who are familiar with the conditions. At first blush I will say just what Mr. Kraus said upon this subject of interest loans. That is outside the question. The people themselves do not want it. It would not have been considered as a gift to let them have money with the idea they will have to pay it back and pay some sort of interest to cover administration. That 47 can't work. It would be - only another way of telling them, "Well, we never expected to get this money back with inter- est at 6 per cent." I think we better not here in Chicago deal with the subject of how that business should be done, other- wise we would be put in the position of the Schnorrer who was told by Rothschild as to what his ideas were as to how to do business. "You must not attempt to tell me about my own business. I understand that better." Then we come to that phase of the subject which would move to tears the most hardened individual — the fate of the children. It has been feelingly and touchingly presented by Dr. Bogen. The things whereof he speaks he has sur- veyed, as far as a survey is possible of the situation. The money gives out before we reach the end of the line. No matter how much we can raise we can only give partial relief. Let us add as many as we can, but let us not set a low figure. We can't help everybody. We must help as many as it is practicable to help. We must consider, too, that when we consider these orphans we have a problem — not merely helping them for a year, otherwise their latter state would be worse than their present. We have got to take care of them for a reasonable period of time. We may have to devise various methods of interesting the community in the orphans. Whether it will be a matter of a total that can be reached during the campaign, may be a matter to discuss here when the conference is getting the ideas. The idea of adop- tion by bringing the children to this country is out of the question. We can't get them in. There may be, however, a policy of adoption — pecuniary adoption — by having people here take care of the children on the other side, but the sum and substance of all I have said is that taking this out of the limitation — without attempting to make up now a so-and-so much for children's relief work, sanitation, rehabilitation, if we give five million dollars for Russian relief and nine million dollars in addition, it will not be an excessive amount. Would that it were ninety million, and we could afford to do it. We could afford to do it, we can afford to do it, we can afford to raise fourteen million dollars for this year, in this campaign, and we must not permit ourselves to say it cannot be done, because if we say it, it won't be done. It can be done. There is not a man here that has not suffered a shrinkage in his fortune during the past twelve or fifteen months; but what we still possess, the poorest of us, makes us a Croesus as compared with the people — even the wealthy people of other countries, who are now occupying our attention. We still have dollars, and the harder the times are the more we feel the pinch, or imagine that we feel the pinch, we can the better appreciate the situation of people who have nothing but pinch, pinch, pinch, hungry, diseased, of those persons whose lands were devastated during seven years. I think there is not a man here who came from abroad, there is not a man whose 48 parents came from abroad, who, if he will take stock, will not immediately say, "I am a brute if I do not make up my mind this year to do more than I ever did before." Now, I have made up a program which I hope will be fully discussed. It is a program we agreed upon last spring, when conditions were worse financially than they are today. I don't want to lay down a program to frighten people here; I don't want to have a program of fifty million dollars and pay fifty cents. I want a program that will be carried out to the letter. Nothing less than fourteen million dollars is required, and fourteen million dollars should be subscribed. Gentlemen, if we have ever worked in the past, it is understood that the Jews of this country have voluntarily agreed to come together in the City of Chicago to deal with this tremendous problem, with a desire to solve it and to perform their duty. Questions have been asked with regard to the way in which the Jews are treated in other countries. Let me say that as far as that is concerned, the condition of the Jews in other countries has improved vastly during the last two years, that it depends upon the Jews themselves to a great extent how much more improvement there can be. If we are able through this campaign to enable the Jews of those coun- tries to rehabilitate themselves, the Jew who has heretofore been a failure and an outcast will be regarded as the equal of every man in the country in which he lives, and the constitution of these countries, carrying out the principles laid down in the minority agreement adopted in Paris, recognize that principle of political economy which was never dreamed of ten years ago. Mr. Schiff was one of the greatest and one of the wisest and one of the most statesmenlike men of our people, and he said over and over again, not the last year, or five years or ten years, but twenty-five years ago, that the Jewish problem in Russia and in other countries must be solved in those countries and could not be done anywhere else. Let us help these people to solve their own problems. We must help them to become self-supporting and independent. They never were schnorrers; we must not be schnorrers. We must give the people the spirit of independence for which they yearn. Jews of America, the answer is to be given by you within the next few months as to whether or not that program shall be carried into effect. (Applause.) The Chairman: Are there any questions to be asked at this time? Is there any discussion to be had on the many pertinent questions presented by Mr. Marshall? Mr. Newburger: Mr. Chairman, I think that these men, so far as Mr. Marshall is concerned, need make no further ansvjrer. I think the presence of these gentlemen from the in- ception of our work are the very best affirmation of the very things of which he speaks, and I think the thing he has asked 49 us is the thing to do, to go forward in this campaign, to say in the presence of the conference, "The thing shall be done." Let that be the answer to Mr. Marshall. The Chairman: Any other comment at this time, or any questions? Mr. Ullman: Mr. Chairman, I think it wise to continue to hear our representatives who have recently returned from abroad. Each one of these speakers instills into our hearts and into our minds such inspiration that when we go back to our communities we shall be better able to convey to them the eloquent messages to which we have listened. I am in favor of cutting off debate and report; I am in favor of having the fullest light shed upon this terrible situation, so that every man who leaves can go back imbued with understanding, and in- spired with determination to throw his own weight and his own power into the solution of this problem. The Chairman: The Chair wanted some statement, and that seems to convey positively the suggestion that he wants to carry away with him the fullest possible information. If that is true, notice is served upon the following gentlemen to present their views on any phase of the problem which may occur to them, either at the session this afternoon or the session tomorrow morning: Mr. Frankel of Toronto, Mr. Ull- man, Mr. Morgenthau, Dr. Hirsch, Mr. Rosenfelt, and every other member of the conference that has anything to suggest which will shed light on the decision of this conference. A Delegate: I move that a committee be appointed by you, Mr. Chairman, to work out the sense of this confer- ence, so that we have an opportunity to work on some con- crete lines, and not feel we are working without a plan of action, for the time is short. The Chairman: It has been moved and seconded that the Chair appoint a committee to make concrete suggestions as to a working plan. All in favor of the motion signify it by saying "Aye." The Ayes have it and it is so ordered. Any other suggestions or motions at this time? Mr. Rosenthal: Mr. Chairman, I think we have already come to the most important part of this conference, that is, insofar as the delegates themselves are concerned. We believe that fourteen million dollars is not enough, and we believe that we ought to use every effort to raise that amount. We have gone that far, so we are sold. The problem now becomes one of selling the people who need to give the money. That is going to be just a little more difficult, because we will not have these inspiring reports, the inspiring address of Mr. Marshall, to help us. It does seem to me, however, we are going to need 50 to be prepared to answer every question. The public are going to say, "Why is the measure of the entire responsibility to be upon American Jews? Are there no Jews in England? Are there no Jews in France, giving a part of this fourteen million?" The next question that is going to be put up is about the stewardship of the money. We know the administration has been everything that could possibly be hoped for. We don't need any definite report of the distribution of the fund. We know that our admin- istrative expenses have been insignificant; all in touch with the administrative affairs know that they have not had what they ought to have at all, but we ought to be able to tell the world so they will know where the money has been going. We have this problem, not to sell to the 150 people who are here, but to thousands of them — we do not know whether they are all going to be Jews or not, and I presume one of the questions we have to determine is whether this campaign shall be non- sectarian if we have not already determined these things from the business end of getting this money together. I don't want to impress my views on the views of the committee. We seem to have outlined a program to carry us through tomor- row. For my part I would like to stay here tonight and get down to business, and know tonight — not tomorrow, when we may possibly have cooled down. I would like to get it settled if it takes until two o'clock in the morning, on the business end of it. We have here a good many among us who can qualify as experts — at least we think we can — on getting four- teen million dollars. Dr. Rosenberg is one of them. Mr. Becker — all of us have been sold on the humanitarian side, sold on the side of appeals to our hearts, sold on the side of ap- peals to our minds; we can tell how much money is going to be raised by pulling the heartstrings, how much is going to be raised by pulling the cold-blooded analytical mind of the Jew as to what he is to give himself. Let us get it tonight, and let us go home and start selling it to the other Jews of the country. The Chairman: Mr. Rosenthal suggests when conference reconvenes after dinner it remain in session until tomorrow morning. To that extent no program has been made. We have reserved today and tomorrow in case you desire to remain over. Mr. Rosenthal: Are we going to get a concrete program in line with the motion just made? The Chairman: The motion was that the Chair appoint a committee to present concrete suggestions if it has any. What is the pleasure of the conference? The Chair suggests that we take a recess until 6:30, at which hour we reconvene on the floor below for dinner. (Cries from the floor) : Appoint your committee. A Delegate: Mr. Chairman, was that motion carried ap- pointing a committee? 51 The Chairman: It was, sir. The Chair will now appoint the committee. It has been moved and seconded that the conference take a recess until 6:30, (Motion carried). The Chair will now name the committee. A Delegate: I offer an amendment to the question of the Conference Committee, that its report be the first order after recess — I mean after dinner. The Chairman: The following committee is appointed by the Chair, with authority in the hands of the Chairman to add such additional names as he desires : Mr. Warburg will be Chairman of the committee; Mr. Brown of Detroit, Mr. Harry Wolf of Omaha, Dr. Roper of Philadelphia, Mr. Fleisch- hacker of San Francisco, Mr. Schoenfeld of Seattle, Major Ull- man of Birmingham, and Mr. Leo Frankel of Toronto. If any names occur to Mr. Warburg which he desires added to this committee, if he will communicate with the Secretary the gen- tleman will be notified. It has been suggested that two addi- tional names be added, Mr. Rosenthal of Indianapolis and Mr. Eisemann of Cleveland. Mr. Billikopf of Philadelphia has been asked to work with the committee. His name will be added. A Delegate: Mr. Chairman, I think you neglected to name somebody from New England on that committee. The Chairman: Mr. Ratchesky of Boston and Mr. Rubens of Chicago. (Meeting breaks up informally.) 52 Session of Saturday September 24—8.15 P. M. The conference met pursuant to adjournment. The Chairman: The Chair desires to call your attention to the fact that the moving pictures which are about to be shown are submitted for your consideration. Your determina- tion will be asked at a future hour as to whether or not you consider these pictures of value in the campaign which shall be launched for further funds. The title of the picture is "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." It undertakes to show conditions as they have existed since the war, as they exist today, and also to represent the hopes and the ambition of the Joint Distribution Committee. We ask your kind consid- eration and expression after the pictures have been shown. (Picture shown upon screen.) The Chairman: Mr. Billikopf is a man who has the ability to raise the funds and also the ability to spend money. I want to present to you at this hour Mr. Jacob Billikopf, of Phila- delphia, and ask him to say a few words to the conference. Mr. Billikopf: I should like to begin these rather desul- tory remarks by calling attention to the unique appropriateness of holding in Chicago this conference — the first national meeting of the American Jewish relief Committee held since that memorable conference at the Hotel Savoy, in New York, in April, 1917. True, New York sounded the call; New York was the workshop; New York was the distributing agency; but Chi- cago was the dynamo that drove the great machinery of which we, who are gathered here, were integral parts. Chicago gave an even greater contribu- tion than this — it gave its greatest contribution in the shape of a man who rose magnificently to the tremen- dous occasion, to the great emergency. Chicago gave to this work Julius Rosenwald, who led the way, who set the pace, who, by his own example, showed American Jewry its real responsibility and real duty. (Applause.) Touching on the purposes of this conference, which was called "to determine the advisability of conducting a national fund-raising campaign," it is not for me to pose as an author- ity. I do not claim authority on this or any other subject. But I want your permission, as one who has spent three 53 months in Galicia, Lithuania and Congress Poland, as a com- missioner of the Joint Distribution Committee, to say that my own experiences corroborate the observations and the recom- mendations contained in the reports submitted to you this afternoon. Mr. Warburg reports that while in all of Europe, with the exception of Russia, which is now happily open to our ministrations, the need for immediate relief as a result of the war has practically disappeared, yet there is still need for child-caring work, for medical work, for loans, for refugee work. This means, notwithstanding all that has been done, notwithstanding all that the stricken Jewish communities of Europe are now able to do for themselves, that our work is not at an end. Just one more chapter has ended. A new chapter begins now. For, so long as there are 60,000 Jewish orphans, our work cannot and dare not be ended. What is to be done? I am aware that on all sides we hear that times are hard. Depression is abroad in the land. We are told that the people cannot give — that they are tired of giving. I do not believe either statement. I believe that the people are ready to give, the people are willing to give, if only we can make them understand, if only we can make them see that there is still a great, and perhaps an even greater, need to give now that we have entered upon the reconstructive phase of the task — reconstruction, plus the care of 60,000 orphans. But how? How can we make them understand? How can we make them see? I wish it were within my power to make some original contribution to this discussion. Perhaps someone may be able to do this during the course of the con- ference. All that I can do is merely to repeat some of the suggestions that I have made already and, in particular, one that I made early this year. In January I wrote to Mr. Marshall, Chairman of the American Jewish Relief Committee, reiterating what I first suggested a year prior to that — namely, that the American Jewish Relief Committee should send to Europe a commission — not a commission of social workers, valuable as such a commission would be, but a commission composed of from 25 to 50 of the leading Jewish business men of America, representing every section of the country. I men- tioned men of the type of David A. Brown of Detroit, Nat Stone of Milwaukee, Mortimer Fleischhacker and Morgan Gunst of San Francisco, Charles Eiseman and Paul Feiss of Cleveland, Sidney Pritz of Cincinnati, Julius Rosen wald, Charles Rubens, Abel Davis and Max Epstein of Chicago, Aaron Waldheim and David Somers of St. Louis, Jacob New- man of New Orleans, Isaac Ullman of New Haven, Louis Kirstein and Capt. Ratchesky of Boston, Felix Fuld of New- ark, Col. Fred Levy of Louisville, Lee Loventhal of Nashville, Sigmund Eisner of Red Bank, Albert Rosenthal and Sol Kiser of Indianapolis, Julius Levy and Jacob Epstein of Baltimore, Samuel Fels, Jules Mastbaum and Jacob D. Lit of Philadel- 54 phia, Ben Selling of Portland, Moe Levy of Norfolk, David Snellenburg of Wilmington, J. K. Hexter of Dallas, V. Kriegs- haber of Atlanta, Leopold Adler of Savannah, Irvin F. Leh- man, A. Sunstein and I. W. Frank of Pittsburgh, Herbert Leh- man, Paul Baerwald and Samuel Lamport of New York. I named, as you see, men who are prominent not only in their own immediate communities, but in all of the territory of which their cities are the centre. I named men who have accomplished not- able things in various fields of industrial and financial organiza- tion, and who are leaders in the affairs of their own communities, and who have been prominently identified with our fund-raising efforts. I argued then, as I argue now, that these men, having gone and having seen, would return to conquer — to win, each in his own community. I want to repeat this suggestion to- day. I still advocate the sending of such a commission, but I want to amplify my original thought by adding that such a commission, so conspicuous in its personnel, need not wait to return in order to report. By a carefully devised plan of day-to-day cables and letters, publicity would be given to the observations of this commission through at least a thousand persons prominent in the Jewish communities of America, who would, in turn, impart these observations, through public channels, to the people of their communities, and thus to the people as a whole. In this manner the seemingly stale and unprofitable work of fund-raising for European relief could be revitalized and redramatized. Against this method the cry of "Depression" and the cry "The people are tired of giving" would be silenced. Is there any doubt in your mind as to the impelling force of personal observation? I refer to James Becker, for whose extraordinary work in the war-stricken lands I cannot express myself too enthusiastically. He returned to Chicago, inspired by a divine impatience with our lagging efforts, and with this impatience as a motivating force, through his insistence that the work must go on with renewed energy, he inspired his associates to invite us to this conference. Every man of the type whom I have described would be another James Becker. His letters, his cables, his impatience to secure immediate and effective results, would lash each community into new, more vigorous and even more successful effort. I advocate sending such a commission, but I do not advo- cate waiting for its return, nor do I even advocate waiting for its cables or its letters. These would be supplemental. I advocate a new and immediate drive as the first and the im- perative task that is before us. I know that the words "drive" and "campaign" have become odious — that they cause our flesh to shrivel when v/e think of them, but whether they are odious or not, there are 60,000 Jewish orphans who, without us, will die! Are you deluding yourself with the thought that the recently devised plan of financial adoption will solve the 55 orphan problem? The plan is good so far as it goes, but how far does it go? The richest among you, the richest in your respective communities — how many can you adopt? Ten or- phans — fifty orphans — a hundred orphans — at $60 a year each. Figure that up! And for how many years? Have you thought of that? Don't you realize that financial adoption is not the solution? That it is a temporary palliative, at best? Don't you see that we must deal with the orphan problem in its entirety and in a manner that will actually solve it? How? Who knows any other method than that of the drive? Who has a plan to substitute for the one that involves so much shoe leather, which calls for going from door to door, from ofBce to office, for clutching at coat-lapels, for setting again into operation all of that campaign machinery with which we are so familiar? But, I hear you say, the times are not propitious. Was there ever a time that was propitious? Haven't we heard this same pessimistic refrain always? Do you know of any time when people came forward spontaneously, of their own accord, and said: "We will give; we will get others to give?" Haven't we always had to motivate the communities and incite them to give, and hasn't it always, even during war-time prosperity period, been our major task to make people willing to give, willing to get others to give? To be sure, if it was so difficult to accomplish this in the good times, it is going to be more difficult now. But it must be done. More than that, you who are here are the men who have so successfully accomplished this task, and you are the very men who must do it now. And you can — if you only make up your mind to do it. Hard times? In the first place, conditions are improving. Men who ought to know say so. But even if they are not, are we not infinitely better off, all of us, the humblest in American Jewry, than our people in Middle Europe — than our people in Russia? Let those who are talking of hard times consider what the times are over there. I say it can be done, and done right now! All that it needs is the determination to do it. Let the right people de- termine it. Let the right people determine that there must be a campaign and there will be a campaign — and it will succeed. Perhaps the "going" will be hard, therefore we may have to drive harder. But we must drive. My experience at one time or another, with 1,500 Jewish communities in this country, has given me the profound conviction that if any four or five leaders in a given community — two or three in some, a few more in others — resolve to do anything and undertake this thing with enthusiasm, with the determination to succeed — the proposition can be put across. If Mr. Warburg could divide himself into a number of parts or be in a large number 56 of communities at the same time, his enthusiasm, his earnest- ness, based on what he himself has seen, would be sufficient to put across a campaign for any amount of money. But, of course, Mr. Warburg cannot do that. Therefore each one of you must do it, each in his own community. It takes only a few men, the right men, to determine that this thing shall be done, and it will be done. It doesn't matter where — in Kansas City, in Chicago, in Des Moines, in Detroit, in Philadelphia. Don't you know that this happened in 1917, 1918, 1919 and 1920? The initiative was taken by one, two, three of you, and with your stimulus the movement gained momentum in your communities and swung to success. Why, right in my own city of Philadelphia we raised $250,000 last May to cover a deficit in the Federation. Some of the men who were most active in this campaign are here at this conference, and they will bear me out when I tell you that we were up against the usual cry: "This is not the time." Everybody predicted fail- ure — everybody, that is, except those who determined that it should succeed. What happened? On the closing of the cam- paign Mr. Ellis Gimbel got up and said: "Had our quota been $500,000, instead of a quarter million, we would have raised that amount just as easily." At this very moment, while we are here, a campaign is being projected in Philadelphia to raise $750,000 for a Y. M.- Y. W. H. A. — for a community centre. What is responsible for this campaign? Not the spontaneous enthusiasm of the community, I can assure you, but the determination of Dr. Cyrus Adler, of Albert Greenfield, of Jules Mastbaum, who are here, and a few others, that the thing must be done now. During the past year half a million dollars was raised for a Y. M. H. A. in Pittsburgh, largely because one man, Irvin F. Lehman, aided by four or five others, said it can and must be done. In Newark that outstanding personality, Felix Fuld, said it can and must be done, and $500,000 was raised, under seemingly hopeless conditions, for a Y. M. H. A. In Balti- more, during the past eight months, the Federation doubled its contribution. In Texas, which was in a dreadful frame of mind because cotton had slumped, $250,000 was raised for war relief. All because they had adopted the slogan: "It can be done." I am convinced that it can be done, even in New York. I know the difficulties of that community. It is heterogeneous; it lacks organization. I know how hard it is to arouse senti- ment there, because of the vast distances involved — of the com- plex, disunited, and often antagonistic groups that constitute New York's Jewry; because so many of its resources are hid- den and seemingly inaccessible and therefore remain untapped. Nevertheless, though it is in a class by itself, though it is sui generis, it can be done in New York, too. I maintain that if ten men — and you know the men I have in mind — should meet day after tomorrow for lunch at the Bankers' Club, and deter- mine to have a campaign for I don't care how large an amount 57 of money, and I don't care for what purpose, there will be a campaign and it will succeed. Why, I recall that when the first great campaign for war relief was projected in New York in 1917, there was a wild outcry: "Times are not ripe. We have just entered the great conflict; the war demands come first." Nevertheless, Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, moved to the core of his great soul by the dire need of our people abroad, deter- mined otherwise, and because of his determination and the determination of the small cabinet of five or six men, headed by David Brown, with whom he surrounded himself, there was a campaign, and I need not tell you how well it succeeded. It all comes down to this : We may accept it as axiomatic that people do not and will not give just because the need exists. There never has been a time when, speaking of them as a whole, the people have given of their own volition. They must be driven into giving. And your experience is, as my experience is, that as a campaign progresses, as sentiment is created and organized, many — I might say most — of those who opposed it at the outset have climbed aboard the band wagon. It has been my experience, as it has been your experience, that people whom we did not count on at all at the beginning have come forward during the heat of the campaign, deeply resent- ful because they were "ignored," because they were not asked to serve and not asked to give. Let me summarize: I suggest the sending abroad of a commission of leading personalities from every section of the land; that this commission be fortified in this country with a host of correspondents, with whom they shall keep in constant communication; that this commission cable back reports of their observations; that they keep the wires hot and the mails heavy with recommendations, with appeals, and that we begin at once a new and a tremendous campaign for reconstruction and for the care of 60,000 orphans. Let us determine that it can be done. Let us go back to our communities with that determination and with some of that divine impatience that I have mentioned. Let us go back with the conviction that this thing must be done — that it can be done. And it WILL be done! That achievement needs, however, the leadership of a dyna- mic personality — a personality of such force and magnetism that it will put new enthusiasm, new fire and energy into our cam- paigns throughout the country. That personality exists and is here today. I need not tell you anything about David A. Brown, of Detroit. You all know what a tremendous impetus his lead- ership would be to our campaign. We must somehow secure his services at the head of this effort. With him in charge success is inevitable. His example and his irresistible enthusiasm will carry our undertaking through to a triumphant conclusion. (Applause.) The Chairman: Whether the members of the conference agree or disagree with the suggestions made by Mr. Billikopf, 58 DAVID A. BROWN "You have given your solemn pledge that your efforts will be tireless and your help without stint. With such enthusiasm, coupled with the full realiza- tion of the tremendous need in Europe, I am con- fident of the success of our $14,000,000 Appeal." the Chair takes the Hberty of commenting upon the fact that Mr. Billikopf generally and tonight deals with concrete pro- posals and concrete suggestions, and he particularly suggested the value of getting the human power, human mind and hu- man heart back of our determinations, and a human line of conduct. I want to call now upon Doctor Nathan Krass, who has always been ready to give his heart and his time and his energy to the work in which we are engaged. Won't you speak to us now, Dr. Krass? Dr. Nathan Krass: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — To speak at this late hour, after you have been surfeited with the rich variety of reports and have had pic- tures of European suffering in European , homes graphically portrayed to you, not only by word of mouth but by the moving picture, >;- might make my message seem more or less ^ superfluous; yet I came a long way to Chi- " .'- cago — all the way from Eastern Europe — so perhaps you will pardon me if I speak more than the ten minutes about which so much has been said. ^ In the first place, I want to offer my per- sonal felicitations to the City of Chicago's Jewry, because Chicago Jewry, with all due respect to my own city, for size, for enthusiasm and for results, has achieved a most marvelous influence in the past few years with reference to that very war relief which every one of us is so heartily interested in. I do not want to single out individuals. They have been many, so that if I were to utter them one might believe that I was reading out of the catalogue of Sears, Roebuck & Company. (Laughter.) But I do feel, even though I am a preacher, that it is much better to say a few truthful things while a man is still alive than a great many things after he is dead, and I believe that it is perfectly proper and absolutely fair, not only to say but to reiterate it, when a man has done great work, because that is his medium of appreciation and that is his reward, though he does not seek it. I know, because I have traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific in this country, what the value was of the dynamic personality and the re- markable stimulus of your great Jew in Chicago, Julius Rosen- wald. (Applause.) It is not only that he is a rich man; it is not only that he gave a large sum of money, but all over the land everybody knows how he gave it, that he gave it with his heart as well as with his hand. I traveled through Roumania with that charming young man of Chicago about whom so many pretty things have been said today. I saw him as he lifted those little, dirty children and kissed them and hugged them to his bosom; I saw him as he wandered from village to village, with great interest, his heart in the work; I saw him as he labored most 60 zealously in typhus-ridden districts, risking his life, risking the future that was promised him by his environment in Chicago, risking everything, because he felt that he owed it to his Jewish brethren abroad, as an American Jew, reared in America, trained in American energy, to give all his mind and his heart and his personality for those sufferers over there, and Jimmie Becker stands as a splendid example to Chicago, to the entire land, to all those who are Jews in America, to give themselves to relief work, to service on behalf of Judaism and on behalf of Israel. If I were more orthodox than I am I perhaps would persuade myself to indulge in a long series of Mi Shebarachs, and I might say many words of praise for our Chairman, for Judge Fisher and others in Chicago who have done most mar- velous work in this cause. Because of their service, Chicago is the proper place for this meeting, the first in seven years, in which we are to review the full-grown enthusiasm of American Israel on behalf of their forlorn brethren across the sea. I may speak of myself without any immodesty, geographi- cally, only geographically. I have crossed the ocean a number of times in the interest of the Joint Distribution Committee. I have traveled all through America, and therefore geograph- ically I have trained myself to see both sides of the problem. I see it from Europe; I see it from America. I see it through your eyes; I saw it through the eyes of our brethren over yonder. I am glad that I was in Europe this year, because so many of our rich Jews of America were tourists this year. I met them in Carlsbad, I met them in Marienbad; they were everywhere, and everywhere they grumbled because they saw in so many of those summer resorts the Jews of Europe living in the hotels and enjoying themselves and they came to the rapid conclusion that because these few Jews, the thousand they saw in Carlsbad, and the eight hundred they saw in Marienbad and the five hundred in Wiesbaden, who through the decline in exchange value could translate their lei and their lire into large quantities of money in Czecho-Slovakia and in Germany — these American Jewish tourists have come to the conclusion that all the Jews in Europe are rich and have grown prosper- ous and therefore we need no longer help them, but that we should let them help, let them take the burden from our shoul- ders. I am glad that I was over there this year, because I saw not only those Jews of means in the European hotels, but I saw what you saw tonight upon this screen. I saw orphan asylum after orphan asylum, I saw misery after misery in those lands that I visited, and yet I am happy to tell you that the misery I saw last year was less than the misery I saw^ two years ago. The misery I saw then was less than the misery that existed prior to that time, and the misery in Europe now is less than the misery in Europe a year ago, and that is my answer to you who ask me, "What have we done with our $47,000,000?" You say: "Give us an accurate account; give us statistics; give us the names of every child you helped; give us 61 every locale; give us sheets and sheets of paper filled with statistics and we will be convinced." You should have faith and you should have confidence in the men that you have sent over there, in the men, your men, who sacrificed not only checks but themselves, men like Dr. Peiser, who contracted incipient tuberculosis; Peiser, who slept in box cars, who froze in Poland, who shivered for hours and hours at stations, and who traveled into disease-ridden districts, who is now a con- valescent in Switzerland. Bogen, whom God has spared by Divine miracle. Where was he not, and where was not this one and the other one, men who gave their energies, their souls and their bodies? I say to you: "Have confidence in those men." We, the Joint Distribution Committee, did a good piece of work. We made mistakes over there. Our organ- ization was not perfect. You will hear complaints here and you will hear complaints yonder, but I challenge you or any- body else to show me a perfect organization. I challenge you or anybody else to show me the Red Cross or the American Relief or the United States Government itself to be flawless in its machinery, perfect in all its details. What I plead for to- night is a broad and tolerant spirit, and believe me when I tell you that the great bulk of our money, of those $47,000,000 that were collected, was spent most judiciously, most advisedly and in the best business manner, and that the work that the Joint Distribution Committee achieved in Europe is absolutely marvelous — it is colossal in its magnitude, it is deep in its intensity and it is unique in its width, stirring in its spirit and long in its compass. That is what we have accomplshed. Dur- ing the sessions you may ply us with questions. You may not say as you hear from Bjalistock to Brest Litovsk that this was not done right and that was not done right. You will hear com- plaints, but on the whole we have achieved much, and you can go back to every one of your communities and tell them that the work that the Joint Distribution Committee did in Europe was a work that was worthy and a work that they must con- tinue to support today as well as yesterday, today and also tomorrow. I am not going to harrow your hearts; I am not going to bruise your souls with pictures of horror, I am not going to tell you of all of those hospitals and asylums and orphanages that I saw, but I do want to tell you that we are on the road now toward doing a good bit of constructive work and I do want to tell you what perhaps you do not grasp sufficiently, that the European Jews who have earned some money, that the European Jews that are considered rich, are doing their share now, and they are going to do it tomorrow. Because of our soup kitchens and of our milk stations every bit of the palliative relief work in most countries where we used to do palliative relief work is being taken over by the local communities, so that the rich Jews of Austria, of Budapest, the Jews of Vienna, are going to take care of this emergency 62 work now and they are doing their share, and as the days roll on they are going to do more and more. What then can we do? I will tell you what we will do: Chicago has its own poor and Chicago has a federation that cares for its own poor. Let us imagine that suddenly there is an influx into Chicago of the Jews from San Francisco, from Pittsburgh, from New Orleans, and that they are all refugees, all homeless and naked and hungry. Chicago cannot say, "We must take care af these." These are not the brethren exclusively of Chicago; they are our brethren. Supplies from all quarters would be rushed to the relief of these extra people who came crying for succor in Chicago. That is just what is happening in Europe. When the city of Vienna or Bucharest becomes flooded with refugees from Galicia, who are driven out by anti-Semitism, by pogroms, by terrors, the Jews that are living in Vienna and Budapest cannot say: "We are going to take care of them." They are your brethren. It becomes not a local problem but a world problem. It becomes the problem of Europe and America. The refugee Jew in Vienna is not a local problem, but he belongs to all Jewry and the Jew who is in the be?t position to help today is, after all, American Israel. If I know the American Jew I know of his depression, I know of the barom- eter on Wall Street, I know the barometer on Broadway, but with all I know that the storm has not destroyed the commer- cial prosperity of the whole of American Israel, and I know that my rich friends of last year in San Francisco are not applying to the United Hebrew Charities this year, (laughter) and I know it is the same in St. Louis and in Chicago and everywhere else, though I also know that a few have suffered; a few who gave us $15,000 to $20,000 two years ago cannot give us $50 this year. I know those conditions, and with it all I know that on the whole American Israel is prepared to deal with those great problems over there, and that American Israel ought to come to the front and we dare not say today that we are tired of giving. I need not rehearse for you the various problems of the refugees, of the orphans, of the sick, of those that need sanita- tion. I was asked this afternoon: Is sanitation a Jewish problem? Are there Jewish disinfectants as distinguished from non-Jewish disinfectants? Let me give you one instance: When I was in Roumania the Rabbi in the community of Fociani said to us with tears in his eyes: "Send us baths, be- cause when the armies overran us we had two big public baths and one was destroyed, and they will not permit Jews to go to the other public bath, and unless we have facilities I am afraid that our people will be wiped away by epidemic." And if the others are not far-sighted enough to know that a Jewish epidemic is a general epidemic we must come to the rescue. And, fur- thermore, you must remember that there are whole districts, whole cities, whole villages, where the great bulk of the popula- tion is Jewish and where it becomes a bounden duty for us to go 63 witli our sanitation and help our brethren. These are all prob- lems. Another great problem, one of the greatest of all — you saw that picture — is to teach the boys to sew, to make shoes. Formerly a shoemaker took in two or three apprentices and boarded them. That shoemaker today hardly makes a living, and he cannot board any apprentices, and what becomes of them unless you give them soup in the soup kitchens and bread in the bread line? Will you let them loaf; will you let them run around idle, with no prospects for the future? They must be taught to be shoemakers, tailors, glaziers, and we must have them learn trades. We have got to teach them trades in the trade schools. We have got to have co-operatives and we must build them up, and that is our task today. Therefore, having saved them from starvation we must now do all of this. Are you going to let them wander around without the prospect of a bright future? That is a great question, and I want every one of you delegates to go back to your communi- ties enheartened and with spirit. I know why you came here and you have got to take back a radiant, a fervent, a vibrant and a holy spirit. We are fast approaching our holy days. In every synagogue, in every community in the United States, at least once a year the Jews are going to assemble; you are going to pray to God, you are going to listen to the sacred music, you are going to hear the Rabbis preach to you on righteousness, on prayer, on atonement, on your duty to your fellow-man and to your God, and if, perchance, your Rabbi is eloquent, you will say, "Isn't he wonderful? Was he not marvelous?" I would say to you, in all seriousness, that our holy day season is the day of the searching of the human heart, that all your prayers and all your preachment and all your service is not worthy in the eyes of God or in the eyes of man unless that service means for you a human service, unless it means that you are going to translate into human conduct the lofty ideals of our Jewish liturgy, the wonderful aspirations of our Jewish sages and the marvelous messages of our great Jewish prophets and teachers and moralists, all through the ages. A successful Yom Kippur then will result when every Jewish community says: "We are resolved to say no more 'we are tired of giving,' but we will resolve to go out into other communities and elicit from other Jews their response which is needed in order to save our brethren yonder. We must lead them towards that new life, which is a life of light and hope, a life where none shall make them afraid." In the words of the Talmud, "Fill yourselves first with an en- thusiasm for the cause, and you will then be able to fill others with enthusiasm." Go home to your community saying : "We are going to do this job. A paltry sum is asked of us. We are going to do it with all our heart. We cannot say to ourselves, 'We will fail.' We are convinced we must succeed." If you go out filled with that enthusiasm you will fill your communi- ties with enthusiasm, and God, whom you will invoke on these 64 sacred days, God, who has been our guardian through the ages, will bless you, and through you, our brethren who still need us across the mighty sea, and whose holy day you can crown with noble aspiration and the highest hope. (Prolonged applause.) The Chairman: Gentlemen of the Conference— Mr. Felix Warburg, the Chairman of the Committee on Plan and Scope, has a report to make. Mr. Warburg: As you know, the committee did not have time for a conference in which justice could be done to all the questions to which you will want to give consideration. We have made this preliminary report which gives you an idea of what was in our minds. It is by no means final, either m shape or in conclusions. I hope, according to the ruling of the Chair, that you will find time to give us your valuable sug- gestions. Mr. Warburg thereupon read the following: THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLAN AND SCOPE OF THE CONFERENCE Saturday, September 24, 1921. At a meeting of the Committee on Plan and Scope of the Confer- ence, the following were present: Messrs. Warburg, Brown, Wolf, Adler, Fleischhacker, Ullman, Frankel, Billikopf, Rosenthal, Ratchesky, Rubens, Schoenfeld, Lehman, Darman and Eiseman. Mr. Felix Warburg, Chairman, presided. 1. It was decided that the campaign was to be held. 2. The date of the said campaign is to be between now and March 1st, and each city is to get into communication with Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt without delay, so that the dates may not collide. 3. It was suggested at this meeting that fourteen million dollars should be set aside as the quota to be raised, and that the tentative division of the fourteen million dollars should be as follows: Five million for Russia. Two and one-half million for Economic Rehabilitation. Five hundred thousand for cultural work. Three and one-half million for child care outside of Russia. One and one-half miUion for Repatriation. One million for medical relief. 4. The question as to whether the drive should be Jewish or non- sectarian came up for discussion, and it was decided that this question should be left to each community to decide for itself. , , , , , 5. The question of a quota for each community should be agreed upon between the director and the different communities. 6. The question of a slogan is to be left to the Pubhcity Com- mittee, of which Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt is one, and suggestions are invited from the floor. . 7. In the communities where there are war chests an immediate effort is to be made to secure pledges from the Peoples' and Central Committees that no separate appeals should be made. 8. It was decided that the question of using some of the material furnished by the speeches in this conference be left to the Publicity Committee to use in such form as they deem wise. 9. It has been suggested that a statement be gotten up for cam- paign purposes showing the total amount raised since the inception of the work and the very small amount it has cost to raise this money, also showing in which countries the main amounts have been spent. There being no further discussions, the meeting adjourned. 65 Mr. Warburg: Those were matters which received con- sideration. If I may, I move the adoption of this report, simply to bring it up for discussion. The Chairman : The question before the house is the adoption of the report presented by the Chairman of the Committee on Plan and Scope. What is your pleasure? Motion of Mr, Warburg to accept the report seconded. Mr. Seelenf reund : If I listened correctly to the report of Mr. Warburg he is forgetting, in my humble opinion, a most important part, in view of the conditions that have prevailed in Europe, and that is the educational part. The Chairman: Will you permit the Chair to read that part of the report which calls for an appropriation of $500,000 for cultural work? Mr. Seelenfreund : I want to speak on something further. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that $500,000 is a very small sum for cultural work. The Chairman: Pardon me, my friend, if you will. The Chairman would suggest that in acting on the motion of the chairman of the committee to adopt the report we consider each one of the suggestions separately, taking them up in nu- merical order. Does that meet with the consent of the con- ference? Mr. Guinzburg: I want to amend that motion, because I don't believe that one-half of the people here can understand the report without reading it. My amendment would be that this report be received and a copy be given to every one of the delegates tomorrow morning, so that they can thoroughly study it and then know what they want to do. Amendment seconded. Mr. Guinzburg: I don't believe there are twenty men on this floor who know what is in that report. The propositions are submitted; they are of a great deal of importance. I think a copy should be made and given to each one the first thing in the morning and then the matter can come up for discus- sion, but it would be too late tonight. The Chairman: If the Chair may be allowed, the sugges- tion of Col. Guinzburg will be put into execution and each member of the conference will receive a mimeographed report. At the same time there is not any reason why we cannot dis- pose of some of the work, of at least one or two of the matters, if it is agreeable to tKe Conference, before adjourn- ment. The Chair will suggest that the conference take up the first recommendation of the report, and that is: "1. It was decided that the campaign is to be held." Is there any objection to that plan, that a campaign be launched for the purpose of raising the necessary funds to carry out the work of the J. D. C. for the coming year? Is there any discussion? On this question, Mr. Morgenthau, I would like to hear a word from you. (Applause.) 66 Mr. Morgenthau: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — Dr. Krass disobeyed your orders and spoke more than ten minutes. I do not intend to disobey them in _. that respect, but I should prefer to speak on another part of your report, if you will allow me, and I would like to say this, my friends: that I think it is very unwise for us to adopt a definite budget tonight, or at any time, until we know how things shape themselves in Europe. Furthermore, we don't want to adopt a definite budget until we know how much money we are going to raise, although I agree with Mr. Marshall and some of the other speakers that we will have to raise this money; wherefore, I think we ought to devote the rest of our time to positively forming plans as to how we shall go about raising the needed funds. We are all agreed, every one of us — those of us who have been in Europe know it a little better — but everybody is agreed that this work has to go on. I came out here to listen more than to speak, but I felt it imperative to come out here to represent in a way those poor Jews who gave me that message two years ago in Poland, that we should not forsake them in their dire need and distress. You have heard enough of this. I think it is not enough for us to know how we are going to spend this money — to raise it, that is the great thing. I want to say that one of the things to do is to get some dynamic force at the head of the entire matter. A number of us, and I include myself in that number, a number of us who are able to reach the public should volun- teer to assist the cities that need help, to come out there and speak for them. I believe that this thing can be driven home to the American Jews. I don't care what eloquence is used or what arguments are used. The Jews of this country are ready to respond to the appeal. We have felt it and we have heard it from those who have talked here to us today. We have got to go about it, and we poor New Yorkers, who have got to go through the city, have the hardest task. You men can reach your people much better than we can. I feel that we New Yorkers are going to do our duty. I shall not underwrite it, but I shall do my share to induce New York to outshine Chicago, if it is possible. (Applause.) I have listened with a great deal of attention to Mr. Billi- kopf's proposition of a commission. If it were not so late, and if I did not have in mind that ten minutes limitation, and if I were not aware that there are others who are to speak, I would enter into a discussion of that proposal, but I think that it can be left to some of us to try and arrange it. I simply want to say this, that I am willing to be one of ten, or five, or twenty, that will pay the expenses of such a commission, be- cause I think it is highly essential that it be sent out there. (Applause.) After I was in Poland in my report I made that 67 recommendation. You have no conception what an amount of information these different friends of ours who have been out there have brought back. Now, my friends, if such a commission were appointed and if they would appeal to American Jewry for men who would do the same things for other towns, you would see a tremen- dous change in Poland. But all I want to say is this: If you can carry home good men like those who have spoken here today to help you out in your various cities, we are going to raise the fourteen million dollars. (Applause.) Mrs. Israel Cowen: I want to take just a moment, Mr. Chairman, since there may not be an opportunity later. I think there should be a word interjected here — it is very evident that the organization has recognized the women by asking the National Council of Jewish Women to be rep- resented here. I have the honor to represent the National Council of Jewish Women here, and the only word I wish to say is that, if such a commission is appointed, will you not consider the appointment of at least one woman? I did not hear in Mr. Billikopf's speech any woman mentioned, but inas- much as you are recognizing the women, may I suggest that you do it in this way? We would like to be represented on that commission. (Applause.) The Chairman: I take it, Mrs. Cowen, that this confer- ence may take it for granted that the National Council of Jewish Women can be counted on, if we decided to launch a campaign. Mrs. Israel Cowen: You may be absolutely certain of the co-operation of the National Council of Jewish Women. (Ap- plause), There are 45,000 Jewish women in this country and in Canada in the National Council, and we hope that you will also recognize us a bit further, as it is evidently your inten- tion to do. The Chairman: Thank you. The recommendation before the house is the first made by the committee, that a campaign be launched throughout the United States. Are you ready for the question? (Cries of "Question.") The Chairman: A good, kind friend has sent up a memor- andum saying that the decision of this question should not be attempted until we hear a word from Judge Fisher on the question. (Applause.) 68 Judge Fisher: Mr. Chairman and Ladies and Gentlemen — This convention reminds me of the man who became so fatigued by his work that he fell asleep, and t^^^^^oK^^m t^^^ was suddenly awakened, finding himself ■HEH^^HH with much work still unfinished. It seemed Pl^^^ ^^3 *° "^^ ^^^ ^ while that the Jews of America f ^B did fall asleep, and I was wondering whether [ ^? they would awaken. I feel that not only I I Chicago Jews, but the Jews of America, have ||[^m^ |J much cause for congratulation that this con- Hh^L^ ^ ference was called, and I am quite certain ^^H^^ ^ that the things you have heard and will hear ^^^KBm^^.^. will so awaken you that you will go back to your community and without difficulty accom- plish that which you undertake. You have always done it in the past. You will do it now. There is only one thing that I was somewhat disappointed with as I listened to the reports. It seemed to me that these reports conveyed the impression that all that the Joint Dis- tribution Committee did was to give palliative relief in Europe during the last seven years, and that now that work is over and we must start on something new. That is a small con- ception of the work of the Joint Distribution Committee. It is a much bigger thing than a relief organization, and it has meant much more to the Jews of Europe than receiving the few dollars or a little bread. Those who came from America, those who entered the field, were symbols of hope. They brought not only relief but they brought strength to encour- age those who are engaged in this struggle, which, but for the presence of the American, they would unquestionably have had to give up. The money that you sent was insignificant compared with their needs, but the moral support that came from America, the presence of such men as Dr. Bogen, of Peiser and others who were there, who stayed right with them, made it possible for those communities there to continue. The Joint Distribution Committee in Europe became the center of all Jewish activities and all Jewish life. They were disap- pointed with the amount that you sent. They complained, each faction complained, but, nevertheless, they all hung on, and they all took their very life from the work of the Joint Distribution Committee. If you want to know how important your work was, ask those who have just returned from Europe what the cessation of your work in some fields means to Europe. We cannot get tired. Our difficulties in the raising of money — well, what is that compared to the difficulties that they have lived through during the last seven years? We cannot think of stopping. Somebody suggested that perhaps we can tell the people of America that this is going to be the last drive. I wish we could. Perhaps we shall not have to 69 have a drive such as this again, but the Jews of America are not the ones to determine that this or any other is going to be the last drive, so long as there are hundreds of thousands of orphans still stretching out their hands and depending on us for the very bread that gives life. (Applause.) What right have we to discuss when we should stop? What right have we to consider the difficulties we are confronted with, so long as they over there are starving and are being driven from place to place and are living in the trenches and do not know what the morrow will bring? If we knew, if we could be certain that the little progress that has been made in Europe through your efforts would continue, then we might think that the day will approach very soon when we will be relieved of this hardship, but we know nothing about it. The wall that has separated us from Russia and the Ukraine seems to be crumbling, not by any force of light sent by us, but by the force of the hopeless cries and the suffering of those on the other side. Perhaps before long we will be able to penetrate those parts of the Ukraine which up to the present have not been penetrated by any American message. Those 3,000,000 who have been absolutely cut off from communication with their brethren outside will probably soon find a means, or, rather, we will soon find an avenue of getting into communi- cation with them and of bringing them some relief. Will anyone say that because we worked for seven years, or because we are getting tired, or because there is business de- pression, that when that wall is broken down and we can get into the Ukraine that we are not going to do for them precisely what we have done for the orphans of Poland? It is inconceiv- able that we shall even give a thought to abandon them there. And if you do meet, in this campaign, those who might tell you that we are imposing upon them, that we are overdoing it, those whose hearts cannot be penetrated by the appeals and by the description of the misery and the suffering, then let me suggest to you that you tell them that what you are doing is much more for them than for those who suffer there. And do you know what sort of a generation is growing up; do you know that since the outbreak of the war there have been no schools; that there has been absolutely no moral or ethical foundation laid? Do you know that they are growing up em- bittered, hating everything and everybody, and if we leave them to themselves, even if they should succeed in growing up to manhood and womanhood, it will be a manhood and womanhood of Jewry such as will actually give cause and will furnish concrete proof of the things that are falsely being said against us all? When a portion of our bodies decays the whole body is going to suffer from it, and it is for ourselves that we are doing this work, which may result in at least checking the process of decay. We cannot abandon them. If we do they will grow up 70 with hatred toward men and contempt for God. We cannot become tired; we cannot and dare not fail. Fourteen million dollars is a small sum. It may require more work than a year or two ago, so we will work. If instead of seeing one man and getting five hundred dollars from him, we must see fifty and get ten dollars from them, we will see the fifty, but the four- teen million dollars will be raised if only you will do your part of the work. (Applause.) (The question called for.) The Chairman: The question before the house is the adoption of the report of the committee that the campaign be launched for the raising of the necessary funds. A vote was taken and the Chairman declared that the Ayes have it unanimously. The Chairman: The Chair realizes his limitations in try- ing to impress upon you the responsibility which you have assumed for yourselves and those whom you represent here, and with all the solemnity that the occasion requires the Chair congratulates this conference upon having taken the most de- cisive and the most important step in connection with our deliberation. (Applause.) Recommendation No. 2 : "2. The date of the said campaign is to be between now and March 1st, and that each city should get into communica- tion with Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt without delay, so that the dates may not collide." Is there any discussion on that recommendation? The Chair might suggest that this recommendation raises the ques- tion of whether a national campaign shall be had throughout the United States on the same date or whether each commu- nity shall determine for itself the date of the campaign, pro- vided it is done prior to March 1st, 1922. Mr. Warburg: So as to shorten the discussion on that point I would like to give you the benefit of the deliberation of the committee. It was urged at first that the effect of a simultaneous campaign throughout all the United States might have a driving power and might have a good effect. It was also pointed out that throughout the United States there will be requests for help and assistance, that speakers and secre- taries and organizers will be needed and that the number of organizers will be limited, and so it would be a physical im- possibility to satisfy the demands that would come from all over if the campaign were to take place on one certain date. It would, of course, be quite possible to have campaigns in certain neighboring districts simultaneously, so that the excite- ment of competition might be brought into play, but to have all the campaigns on one day would probably make it very difficult. I move that the recommendation be adopted. Mr. Rosenwald: While I have nothing definite in mind as to the date that ought to be set, it does seem to me that stretching it over as long a time as that, the tendency will be 7! to put it off, and the result will be that the interest in it is very likely to become lessened from day to day between now and March. I know what that tendency is. If this work is going to be done, it does seem to me that stretching it out over a period of six months will result in almost every city's saying, "We will hold ours in January, or February, or March." Mr. Daniel Alexander: I feel just exactly the way Mr. Rosenwald does on this particular point and, if you will permit me, while I am discussing this phase of it, I will go just a little further. I am one who came from 'way beyond the mountains to hear the Wise Men of the East, to learn from them, not so much that we are going to have a drive, because the minute we received Mr. Rosenwald's letter and Mr. Marshall's letter I knew there was nothing else to do but to have a drive, but the question in my mind and in the minds of those who are interested out there and who asked me to take my time and come here is: When is the drive going to be, and how are we going to carry it out? It might seem foolish, in a way, for me, from this small commu- nity, to take the time of this convention, but I believe we can save time if we will concentrate our minds as much as possible on the vital thing that comes next: Now that we have de- cided to have that drive, is having it quickly going to make it successful? Now, gentlemen, this is said without any sense of boast- ing, but in our whole State we have but three hundred Jewish families. That is all we have, but last year we raised sixty- three thousand dollars. (Applause.) And with but very little exception did we accept a nickel from our Gentile friends. I conceive that the quota from my State will be about thirty thousand dollars, and I want to tell you here that before Janu- ary 1st I will send a check, or the treasurer of my State will send a check, for thirty thousand dollars, if that is the quota. (Applause.) I know business is bad; I know times are hard. There is not a State in the Union, I dare say, that is hit so hard as our little State is, with three essential industries to depend upon. All three of them at one time are practically down and out. In our State forty per cent, of the counties have not paid their last year's taxes, and it looks this year as if about eighty per cent, of them are going to default in pay- ing the State their proportion of the revenue. If, with that in front of me, I can stand here and tell you that I can raise one hundred dollars from each one of those three hundred fam- ilies, then don't you fellows who have got immense wealth around you, not limited wealth such as we have across those mountains, don't yot think you should start right in now and shorten the campaign, and before January 1st put it over? Let me tell you one little incident that occurred when I went around the State, appealing to the Jewish families scat- 72 tered throughout the State, to help us on our last campaign. One day a Gentile woman walked into my office and she said: "Mr. Alexander, I heard you talking last night at a little farm- ing community a little ways outside of Salt Lake City, and I heard your pictures of those poor, little, starving, homeless orphans." And she said: "I would like to help. I haven't got any money; I haven't even got any produce that I can sell and raise money with, but my husband and I are living on a farm that we are homesteading, and we still owe the Government fifteen hundred dollars; we still owe the mercantile institution for produce; we still owe for the horses and the cows that we are buying, but," she said, "if you will send us two of those little orphans, we will adopt them and raise them in our fam- ily." (Applause.) That was one Gentile woman. Another, whom I knew personally, was having her farm foreclosed, a widow with five youngsters, and all the property that she had that was free from seizure by the sheriff and others was eighty shares of water stock, worth $40 a share — $3,200. What did she do? She sent me that water stock and asked me to sell it and send the money to Europe. Now, when I brought those two examples to the attention of the Jews in our community who were lagging, they acted just as though I had seized the entire community and taken them across the water and let them see the whole thing first hand. Within ten days there- after we had raised our quota. And now, gentlemen, the only reason I arose was to urge that we do not delay this thing too long. We know it is a mighty task, and the sooner we get at it the greater pleasure we will get out of it and the sooner we will accomplish it. Mr. Chairman, I move that you amend the suggestion of the com- mittee and that the time be fixed as of January 1st, 1922. Mr. Feiss: I second the amendment for January 1st, 1922. The reason I second that amendment is this: I don't believe there has ever been a body of men representing the Jewish people of the country as earnest as the body we have here, and I believe if they go back home now, after what they have heard, they will get to work at once; whereas, if they wait until after January 1st, their interest will lag, and therefore I second that amendment. Mr. Rosenberg: In relation to the form of that para- graph I had understood that it let every community fix its own time, whether that be in January or March, and the reason that was done was so that the speakers and the secretary, etc., could be supplied when they are needed. I rise to inquire whether this purpose is not defeated if the com- munities fix the time. If you say, "Let January 1st be the time" they may take the last two weeks in December, or if they do not, they may match up in such a way that you can- not accomplish the purpose intended. As a mere matter of administration, wouldn't it be feasible to allow the committee 73 that is going to run this thing determine the time for the various campaigns? Isn't there in Chicago a serious question as to whether you want to have it the last, or the first, or in the middle? The same question faces other cities. I rise to suggest that consideration be given to the question of whether «or not the committee which has central charge of this whole thing may not fix the time, corresponding, of course, with the various communities in order to discover their needs and desires. A Delegate: I think the last speaker has spoken wisely, because now we are enthusiastic and have been unquestionably enthused by the oratory we have heard. It seems to me that a certain committee should chart the entire country. If it is not practicable to hold one drive simultaneously throughout the country, then the work should be divided by State or section, whichever is the most practicable, and in rapid suc- cession, one section after the other be requested to hold their campaign, and in that way see the whole problem through. If that is done the allocation of speakers, the distribution of sup- plies can be provided for instantly and plans can be made and the enthusiasm maintained. If you do what has been pro- posed by the original report, leave it to each section and let it drag for six months, the enthusiasm will wane and I am very much afraid the campaign will fail. It seems to me what should be done is to leave the matter to the Organization Committee to determine as to the plan of campaign, the time when it should start in each section, and the time when it should end. Mr. G. H. Newburger: I have listened with a great deal of interest to the discussion on the authority which should be given to the committee to fix the time for the holding of this campaign, and I would like to state for just a moment that the experience that came to me in the conduct of several of these campaigns, I find to be in contradiction to what has been said here this evening. We found in our little rural part of the State that I am here to represent that we were compelled by force of circumstances to adopt a time not entirely within our own de- sire, but determined by the events that were transpiring in that locality. I might mention that in the time that was allocated by the general committee, several other drives of different character were scheduled to take place in our community, so in consulta- tion with my confreres in that matter we decided to place our campaign at the most advantageous time. The result was that our little burg of 25,000 people raised something like $16,900, and our collections were about one hundred per cent, of our subscriptions. We did that merely by stepping aside for some of the other drives of the same character that were taking place. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, without going into the matter much further, I think it would be wise on the part of the committee to allow the local committees to handle these campaigns as they see fit. No man who has been here today can go away from 74 here and lose enthusiasm, particularly after such speeches as we have heard from Mr. Marshall and Judge Fisher. I want to say this in passing: I have never been so stirred in my life as I have been by the few remarks made by Judge Fisher, and I am sure, so far as I am concerned, I can speak the same for those other gentlemen, that time will detract not one bit from the enthusiasm which we all have here, whether we have our drive in January, or February, or December; but leave it to us, knowing the local situation as to the time in which it can best be done. Col. Lehman: I don't think it does make any difference when we set the time, whether the first of January or Decem- ber or the first of March, but I think there is very much to what other people have said in regard to stating the general time limits and letting the local committees decide the exact time for their own campaign. Later on we will appoint a Central Committee. I think if we leave the determination of the time for the various campaigns to this committee, it is going to put too much responsibility on that committee. I think if the conference all go away and take no steps before they go, they may delay and confuse matters. I think the suggestion was made a little while ago that we of New York and Chicago, the two big cities of the country, go ahead with the campaign as we have begun to formulate it, with the understanding that the others have their campaign not later than the first of March. I am sure if this suggestion is adopted the other cities will follow very promptly. The Chairman: This committee report suggests that each committee be allowed to select its own date for a campaign, and that the selection be for a date prior to March 1st. Mr. Alexander offers an amendment to the recommendation of the committee substituting January first in place of March first. Are you ready for the question? All those in favor will please signify it by saying Aye. The Noes seem to have it; the Noes do have it and the amendment is lost. The question occurs in the original recommendation of the committee, that the date be allowed to remain March first. (Motion carried and the recommendation of the committee adopted.) The Chairman: The next recommendation is that the amount to be raised at the campaign be fixed at four- teen million dollars. That the tentative division of the same be: Five million for Russia; two and one-half million for economic rehabilitation; five hundred thousand for cultural work; three and one-half million for child care outside of Russia; one and one-half million for repatriation; one million for medical relief. 75 Judge Fisher: I move that the discussion o£ this subject be deferred until tomorrow morning. I think it is a very im- portant matter. The Chairman (to Mr. Seelenfreund) : Do you want to speak on the motion? Mr. Seelenfreund: I won't take up much time, ladies and gentlemen, but I want to warn you, to caution you that in these European communities there has arisen a condition that is most preposterous from the standpoint of principles and from the standpoint of morals. In different parts of Poland, certain parts of Upper Hungary, and some parts of Roumania, there are political reasons and economic conditions as a result of which the Jewish people are leaving those lands — they can- not secure any schooling or education; the Rabbis cannot teach and the Jewish spiritual and the Jewish educational work are suffering. The people wander from village to village, trying to find a place where they can gain a foothold, and it is im- possible to do so owing to the tragic situation. Fifty-two communities have been practically wiped out by the Polish authorities. University professors find it impossible to give lectures for lack of decent clothing to present themselves be- fore the school body. If you think it necessary to save the bodies of our people from hunger it is also necessary to save from annihilation the Jewish spiritual life, the Jewish faith. What of the coming generation if you devote three and half per cent, for Jewish spiritual work and educational work — allow ninety-six per cent, for the body and neglect the soul? Mr. Warburg: I want to call it to the attention of the last speaker that though this is a small sum to allot for cul- tural work, the three committees have the right to withdraw a larger percentage when the collections are made for cultural purposes, and I think they have received a larger amount this last year. I don't think it would be advisable, if for no other reason than publicity purposes, to set out a larger amount for cultural purposes in this agreement. The gentlemen of the committee are not to be bound by this resolution. It is simply an esti- mate to indicate what the fourteen millions, if raised, would be used for. If you were to say three millions were to go for teachers, you would find a good many people would say, "Feed the children and get them healthy and let the teaching come later." Mr. Rosenwald: May I speak just one moment on that subject? It seems to me it is a great mistake for us to say in the campaign anything concerning culture. I don't think the people are interested how much — whether we are going to use one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, more or less, for any particular phase of the work. If they have confidence 76 in the people who are going to distribute this money, I believe it will only complicate matters and create discord to put in the amount we are giving to any of these various purposes. I move, if it is in order to do so, that that part of the report be eliminated, and the motion limit itself to the total to be raised. (Motion seconded.) Mr. Lehman (Pittsburgh) : Mr. Chairman, I believe it would be a mistake to eliminate entirely the purposes for which the fourteen million is to be used. Mr. Rosenwald: That is not the intention. Mr. Lehman: If you eliminate only the amounts and in- clude the purposes for which the money is being raised, that will be satisfactory. Mr. Weitzenkorn: Is it the intention of Mr. Rosenwald's motion that we say nothing about the apportionment whatever, only to raise the fourteen million? The Chairman: Let the Chair state the question so the conference may understand it: The committee recommends the amount to be raised be fourteen million dollars, five million for Russia, two and one-half million for economic rehabilitation, and so forth. Mr. Rosenwald moves that this recommendation be amended so as to raise fourteen million dollars, the money to be applied for Russia, for economic rehabilitation, for cul- tural work, for child care outside of Russia, for repatriation and for medical relief, sanitation and general relief. Mr. Weitzenkorn: Mr. Chairman, is it necessary to have an apportionment of these amounts? I speak from an experi- ence of ten years of the petty jealousies connected with Ukrainian, Russian, Lithuanian and Roumanian work, injected into a campaign by the question raised here regarding the amounts allotted to the different countries. Why not leave that entirely out, and have it taken care of entirely by the committee? It has raised a question each time it has come up, and we have had to straighten it out. You are not going to raise that question if you cut it squarely to the fourteen million, and it is for European relief, and let the details be settled by the men of the committee. Mr. Rosenwald: I will withdraw my motion in favor of Mr. Weitzenkorn's. Judge Fisher: I move we gather into court the suggestion that the amounts be left out. I think it absolutely necessary to let people know we intend the relief of Russia to this amount. I think we should let the people know throughout the land. Moreover, it is equally necessary to let them know that we have reached a point where palliative relief comes to an end and specific functional work is undertaken. Otherwise we are going to them with precisely the same questions we 77 went to them with four years ago. It is true some controversy will arise, but you will have much more controversy if it should be thought that we intended to use this money for palliative relief in Poland and other countries, or if it should be thought that Russia will be left out. The Chairman: Do you want the question? The question is upon Mr. Rosenwald's motion, which deals with the fourteen million dollars to be raised. All in favor of the question say Aye. The Ayes have it. The question will occur on the original recommendation of the committee as amended, that fourteen million dollars be raised. All in favor of the question signify it by saying Aye. Contrary, No. The Ayes have it. Again the Chair emphasizes Judge Fisher: May I move an amendment, Mr. Chairman, that we include in this the statement that part of this money will be used for relief in Russia? Mr. Lehman (New York) : I agree with Judge Fisher. In the campaign we will have to keep before all of us three things: Russia, child care and economic rehabilitation. We will mention that, reiterate it, a hundred times in the cam- paign. The Chairman: Judge Fisher suggests, and the record will so show, and the managing committee will take into con- sideration the needs of Russia, and make certain recommenda- tions for the needs of Russia. The time having now arrived for the conference to ad- journ, it has been moved and seconded that the conference do now adjourn to meet tomorrow morning at nine-thirty o'clock. All in favor of the motion signify it by saying "Aye." The Ayes have it. 78 Session of Sunday September 25—9.30 A. M. The Chairman : The conference will please come to order. When the conference adjourned last night it was discussing the report presented by the Chairman of the Committee on Plan and Scope. The consent of the conference is requested at this time for presentation of views of the B'nai Brith, their attitude and desire to help in this drive. I am delighted to state to the conference that the National President of the B'nai Brith has been among those who have asked for this conference, has done his share for the success of the conference, has been with us from the very beginning, is with us this morning, and it is a great pleasure to have all of you gentlemen from all parts of the country see and hear our distinguished co-worker, Adolph Kraus. Mr. Kraus: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — I am glad to be here at the conference this morning. I desire to make a brief statement so as not to be criticized unfavorably hereafter. At the last meeting of the Executive Committee of the order, held in May last, it was decided to raise money among our members to take care of some of the war orphans. In other words, the plan that has been discussed here was there adopted, that each member who could should adopt one of these war orphans, by paying one hundred dollars a year towards its care and education, and if some of the members did not feel that they could afford to pay that four or five of them club together and adopt a war orphan. That was during May last. It was published in our official organ, and we have received quite a sum of money already to take care of these children. We notified the different Grand Lodges in Europe that we are going to do that work. We sent a secretary out to make ar- rangements there so that it could be properly attended to. We can't stop in this work; we have got to go on and finish it — at least to some extent. I don't suppose that we can take care of very many, but will probably raise money enough among our own members to take care of five hundred to a thousand orphans. Now, as I said, it will be confined simply to our members, but when you go out and do this work I foresee that some will say we are interfering with the work of this organi- zation. We don't intend to interfere; we intend to do all we can to help you to raise the money that you want, but we have been pledged to take care of a certain number of orphans 79 and we have got to do that. I think it is due, having taken a great part in organizing this committee here, that we should make that statement, so we should not be charged with at- tempting to duplicate the work or interfering. The Order will be perfectly willing and pleased to notify the Executive Com- mittee of this organization of the particular number of orphans they will take — they are taking care of and at what place, so that there should be no interference. That is the statement I desire to make in justice to our position. The Chairman: Are there any comments? It will be pleasing to the Conference to know that some gentlemen who were invited were unable to come but are with us in the work and agree with our position. Here is a telegram addressed to Mr. Rosenfelt from Minneapolis by Mr. Joseph S. Schanfeld, reading : "Greetings to the Conference. May your deliberations bring relief to suffering European Jews. Sorry could not attend and that those named to represent Minneapolis were prevented at last moment from going. Since nineteen four- teen in addition to sums we were instrumental in raising in smaller communities Minneapolis sent over a half million dol- lars, with $30,000 coming between now and January first. If Conference decides to continue campaign for funds we stand prepared heartily to do our duty in 1922. Best wishes to Con- ference." (Signed) "Joseph S. Shanfeld." Another from Esca- naba, Michigan, signed by Herman Gessner: "Impossible to attend Conference. You have our support for the success of the Convention and I will be glad to act as representative for our district in anything you decide to do which we assure you will meet with our approval. We will take an active part and work in co-operation with you." At this time we will continue the work which was left off where we stopped last night, and consider further the report of the Committee on Plan and Scope. Under our pro- cedure the next question for consideration is Number 4, the question whether the drive should be Jewish or non-sectarian. This question, in the opinion of the Committee, should be left to each community to decide for itself. What is your pleas- ure? Let the Chair state the question: It has been moved and seconded the Conference concur in the recommendation of the Committee that whether the drive should be Jewish or non-sectarian be left to each community. Mr. Feiss: I think probably that the decision should be left to the Committees, but I think the Conference should recommend that open drives be non-sectarian. In other words it should read that, while the decision shall be left with the local Committees, the Conference Committee recommends a non-sectarian drive. It seems to me that the time has arrived when we shall not on the part of the Jews emphasize the 80 separatist movement. There has been always a criticism that the Jew has been somewhat to blame for his isolation. It seems to me that when men, women and children are suffering the question of their religious beliefs or national character should be forgotten. If the Jews can make any contribution towards the elimination of these lines, particularly in relief matters, we should do our best to further that cause. It is, of course, desirous in certain communities not to emphasize or even attempt a non-sectarian drive, but I believe that in the vast majority of communities a great many Christians will be very glad indeed to make their contribution to Jewish Relief, as they have in the past, and in so doing, express their own appreciation for the generous response we have given fre- quently to other campaigns. The Chairman: Mr. Feiss of Cleveland moves that the recommendation of the Committee be amended that it is the sense of the Conference that if possible drives should be along non-sectarian lines. Mr. Rosenfelt: Two years ago Senator Salisbury of Dela- ware said, "This is not a Jewish movement, it is a human movement." That was the basis of our campaign in 1919, as a result of which we raised millions of dollars on a non-sectarian basis. I think most communities will have non-sectarian cam- paigns this year. Mr. Marshall: I ask consent to a modification, to say "where practicable" instead of "where possible." Everything is possible, but, after all, the practicable, fundamental part is that we should encourage non-sectarian campaigns. Our ex- perience has been that certain communities are very adaptable to that idea, and that the people in those communities regard it as a privilege to contribute. There have been other com- munities in which they have been very, very indifferent to our campaigns. There have been shining exceptions of individuals who have come forward and have insisted upon contributing. I don't think we have the right to refuse a contribution any- where by non-Jews. I think it may give offense and I think it would emphasize the separatist idea which Mr. Feiss takes very proper exception to. I know in my native state in the last campaign by far the largest amount that was contributed was contributed by non-Jews, at Syracuse, New York, and they paid much more promptly than those who occupied prominent positions on the social register in the Jewish com- munity. I had recent occasion to correspond with the Com- mittee of Joplin, Missouri, which is represented here by Mr. Newberger, and it v/as my great delight to note the spirit which was manifested by the people of the Y. M. C. A. and by various ministers who considered it a duty on their part to aid us in this situation. Bear in mind that we are not dis- tributing the money we have collected exclusively to Jews. 81 We are now co-operating with the A. R. A. We haven't ear- marked the money specifically for Jews, although we know the Jews will be well taken care of. There has not been a time since the beginning of our work that we have not aided non-Jews. I think perhaps the percentage of money collected going to non-Jews will about equal the amount received from non-Jews. But the principle for which Mr, Feiss speaks we think is a principle which every community must decide for itself, whether or not to feature the non-sectarian idea. Mr. Rosenwald: May I just add one word to that? To my mind my experience here in Chicago proved the effect is beneficial. If I am not mistaken out of a total of two million dollars — two million two hundred thousand — about five hundred thousand came from non-Jews. But to my mind that was the least of value that came from the non-Jews. I think the spirit of co-operation makes for a much better feeling in a community. I won't speak of all communities, but I believe it makes for a much better feeling if we say that we are very glad indeed to accept non-Jewish contributions and that we help non-Jews in those countries. That spirit helps very materially in the feeling between Jews and non-Jews throughout the world. Mr. Rosenfelt: I wish Mr. Rosenwald would say a word about Wilmington, Delaware. Mr. Marshall: At a subsequent campaign at which I was present, the leading non-Jews of Delaware attended. There also the larger amount of money collected came from non-Jews who insisted on contributing to that campaign. Mr. Rosenwald: We had non-Jews give as much as $10,000 personally. Mr. Marshall: At Syracuse, one of the largest amounts was given by one of the non-Jewish leaders. The total amount subscribed was $150,000. He said he would give 10 per cent, and he wrote his check for $15,000. Mr. Feiss: Mr. Chairman, I have been in many drives. First, particularly, about six years ago for our hospital. We solicited for this Jewish Hospital and we decided we would have only Jews subscribe and would not make a thorough canvass of the whole population. I happened to be made Chairman of the Board at the time and from many non- Jewish sources voluntary contributions came in, by mail, over the telephone, and often I would be stopped on the street by non-Jewish friends who would say, "Why, aren't we in- cluded in this?" The Jews had contributed in their drives of that character and they thought it not fair that they were not included. My amendment is not intended to control every local community but to put the emphasis on the non-sectarian appeal. Mr. Benjamin: We have heard the expressions from this Conference, from gentlemen from the larger cities, but you have overlooked the fact that in towns of forty to fifty thousand we 82 are handicapped with lack of wealth among our own people. In our last campaign in Sangamon County we raised approximate- ly $40,000 and $20,000 of that came from non-Jewish sources. I believe all towns from 20,000 to 50,000 will be almost com- pelled, if they want to come to any quota whatsoever, to go to non-Jews for contributions. Mr. Block: I regret to have to differ with you gentlemen who have spoken on this question, but I believe that the strength of the Jew in America has been made so from the fact that he takes care of his own. I am interested in the quotation you have printed in the "Relief News," which I believe says: "The Jew takes care of himself when able to work, and when he is incapacitated his own people take care of him." I am opposed to the non-sectarian soliciting cam- paign, but I am not opposed to voluntary subscriptions on the part of the non-Jews. I would therefore move an amendment to Mr. Feiss' amendment, that voluntary subscriptions be ac- cepted from non-Jews, but no solicitation be indulged in. The Chairman: Mr. Block moves an amendment to the amendment presented by Mr. Feiss, to the effect that the words "accept contributions" be substituted in place of the words "request contributions." A Delegate: Mr. Chairman, has that been seconded? The Chairman: Nobody seconded that amendment, so the question is on the original amendment. Mr. Joseph: In our experience the non-sectarian drive is very successful, and especially now after we had the European Council drive. In Minnesota we had two — one other besides myself — on that Committee. I am glad to say we were very active and we recognize it would assist us now if we do make a non-sectarian drive in our state. I would therefore state I am in favor of the original recommendation. The Chairman: The question is on the amendment offered by Mr. Block. All those in favor (Cries of "State it.") The Chairman: The amendment which Mr. Block offered is that in place of recommending to the members of the Con- ference that the drive be along non-sectarian lines, in the sense that we ask non-Jews to contribute money, that it be along lines permitting non-Jews to contribute, not asking for it. All in favor of the amendment offered by Mr. Block signify it by saying Aye. The Noes have it and the amendment is lost. The question reverts now to the amendment offered by Mr. Feiss of Cleveland, who reduced it to writing (Reading) : "It is moved that the decision that the local drives be 83 non-sectarian shall be left to the local committees, but that a non-sectarian drive be recommended." Are you ready for the question? All those in favor of the amendment signify it by saying Aye, contrary No. The Ayes have it and the recom- mendation of the committee as amended is before you. Those in favor of adopting the recommendation of the committee as amended signify it by saying Aye, contrary No. The Ayes have it and the recommendation of the committee as amended is adopted. The next question is Number 5. The question of a quota for each community should be agreed upon between the di- rector and the different communities. Any discussion on that? (Motion made and seconded.) It is moved and seconded that the Conference agree on the fifth recommendation of the Committee on Plan and Scope. Are you ready for the ques- tion? (Vote taken.) The Ayes have it and the fifth recom- mendation is concurred in. Number 6. The question of a slogan is to be left to the Publicity Committee, of which Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt is one and suggestions are invited from the floor. Mr. Block: Mr. Chairman, in order to expedite matters, and to prevent any discussion of the numerous suggestions from the floor, I move those in attendance on this Conference who have any slogans to suggest send them direct to Mr. Rosenfelt at the New York office. (Motion seconded.) Motion put and carried. Mr. Rosenthal: I was going to make this suggestion, and it does seem to me it might go on record, tabooing the word "drive." The time for drives is past, and the time for appeals is on us. Let us not ever in our literature use the word "drive." Mr. Benjamin: I would also like to suggest if there is any other word in our vocabulary where the publicity man can eliminate the word "campaign." Mr, Rosenfelt: Mr. Chairman, we have done both. We use the word "appeal" in all our drives. The Chairman: The Chair at this time would like to experience the pleasure of sitting on the other side of the table and ask Mr. Gans to take the chair. (Mr. Gans takes the chair.) Mr. Rubens: I am surrounded here by several very wealthy men and each one of these is loath to make sug- gestions regarding a slogan. Each of these gentlemen — I might name them, Morgenthau, Rosenwald, Billikopf, Davis — are loath to discuss this. Mr. BilHkopf suggested one 84 last night, I think it would be well for the consideration of this Conference. It is simple, snappy, suggestive and may help in this appeal for funds. Mr. Billikopf said : "It can be done" and we suggest to add to that: "It will be done." Mr. Marshall: Why not "Thy will be done"? Mr. Marshall: Mr. Chairman, it is a little out of order, and I am not sure how far we will progress in the regular program before I shall be obliged to leave. Therefore I pray the indulgence of the Chair and also of the Conference to present a matter for the consideration of the Conference which I regard to be of the utmost importance. It is vital to the success of our coming appeal. Before I formulate the proposition that I desire to present, as President of the American Jewish ReHef Committee, I wish to have the pleasure of giving testimony to the admirable work that has been performed as our Director by Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt. He came to us in our early history, that is, the early history of our efforts, and he has remained with us at great sacrifice to him- self, and to his career as a member of the legal profession. He changed his abode from Kansas City to New York and changed his entire occupation and habits of mind. Over all those years he has been faithful and loyal, intelligent, industrious, persevering. He has become acquainted with the various parts of our Jewish population; he has been tactful and diplomatic. I have heard no complaint as to the manner in which he has dealt with problems under his care, or the many people who have come into communication with him. He has conducted corre- spondence with leading Jews throughout America. He has succeeded in performing miracles with a very small organiza- tion; he has kept down our expenses to the minimum, so that our record of expenditures of the campaign is on the lowest basis, I am informed, of any of the various activities in that direction that have been conducted in this country during the war period. (Applause.) I say this as a mere matter of justice and know that it is the sentiment of every man who is here and who has come into contact with Mr. Rosenfelt. Now, we have decided upon a campaign — excuse the term — to raise the sum of fourteen million dollars. We have limited the duration of that campaign to the first of March. We are to have active work done in practically every state of the Union. That means a tremendous problem for any man or for any body of men to take care of. And Mr. Rosenfelt recognizes the fact that in order to accomplish what we have set before him as a task it is necessary that he shall always have with him advisers, directors, representing this body, representing the American Jewish Relief Committee; who will be at hand so that he may counsel with them, and who may give to him their views as to what should be done, who should 85 be engaged, how the campaign should be conducted, what literature shall be sent out, and all the thousand and one elements that go to make up an effort of this character. I have taken this matter up with Mr. Rosenfelt, we have been discussing ways and means, and it is his suggestion that he desires such counsellors, men who shall be with him and upon whom he shall have the right to call — as he has the right to call upon anybody now — but whose business it shall be to be prepared to volunteer their ideas and views and services in connection with this campaign; and who shall have a mandate from this body to act in that capacity. I have been very much impressed by the ideas expressed by Mr. Billikopf in the paper he read yesterday. What I suggest is: To my thought, there shall be a driving force behind this appeal, and there shall be men who are able by experience and knowledge as to the situation in each country and as to the problems, to be on hand to do this directing work. I therefore move that a committee of five be appointed to act in the capacity of directors, a committee of special managing directors, if you please, the term is unimportant; it would only show that the committee has authority to act, and that it represents directly the body of this conference — who shall co-operate with our general director, Mr. Rosenfelt, dur- ing the pendency of this effort that we are making to get $14,000,000. Now, I shall be asked, "Who shall the chairman of that committee be?" Mr. Billikopf 's paper has given the answer. There is only one man who by experience, by train- ing, is equal to performing that duty and that is David A. Brown. (Applause.) While the conscription act of Con- gress has been repealed, nevertheless, we have the right in this war which we are waging against misery and poverty to conscript men who shall perform this work. My idea is that Mr. Brown shall be chosen chairman here and now; that he shall be permitted to choose his associates. I make sugges- tions as to who those associates shall be. I see one before me, Mr. Becker. (Applause.) There is another one right near me, Mr. Billikopf. (Applause.) Without having to turn far, I think, owing to his great interest in the subject, Mr. Mast- baum, of Philadelphia, is another. (Applause.) So that we may get together a cabinet which will surround Mr. Brown and Mr. Rosenfelt, who will, I am sure, if it is humanly possible to do it, make an absolute guaranty of the success of this venture. I therefore move that this Conference, desiring to appoint a committee of five members, of which we now name Mr. David A. Brown as chairman, with the power given to Mr. Brown, in conference with Mr. Rosenfelt, to designate such number of associates on that committee as they may deem proper. 86 Mr. Henry H. Rosenfelt: Mr. Chairman, I have not the power or abiHty of Mr. Marshall, but if I had even then I hardly think I could be able to express my kind feelings; if I had the ability of Dr. Krass or Judge Fisher I doubt if I could ex- press my sentiments at this moment to Mr. Marshall. Whatever sacrifices I have made in the past, I say in all frankness and all sincerity are repaid in full by what Mr. Mar- shall has said a few moments ago. (Ap- plause.) While I am on my feet I want to say that we want to assure the success of this campaign and my experience of five years in this work means something, and I heartily and fully approve Mr. Marshall's views. I believe that under the leadership of Mr. David A. Brown this campaign is absolutely certain to be a success, to be the success it ought to be. (Applause.) Mr. Marshall: I should have said that the number of the committee shall not be less than five, and while I was rapidly going over the list of names I did not intend to be exclusive. I simply named men who at the moment came into my mind. I do wish to say that no man is more entitled to be considered a member of the committee than Mr. Charles Rubens, of Chicago. (Applause.) Mr. Rosenthal: I feel that Mr. Brown will be sure of success. I think the work of this Conference should go fur- ther than the mere selection of this Supreme Council. They should be armed with the mandatory authority that could pick a man from anywhere in America saying that he should go and give his services the same as they are giving their services. Mr. Marshall: Making it a draft board. Mr. Rosenthal: I want it to be a Supreme Council. I want it to be a pledge to men in America that at any time and any place during the period of this campagin, assuming, of course, that there are conditions over which they will have no control, which will prevent them from going, that we will have the benefit of their services. In common parlance we know that Babe Ruth has been knocking out more home runs since he changed from Boston to New York, and the same with us, maybe we could knock a few home runs if we could go to some other place. I believe that New York needs Mr. Chair- man Brown. (Applause.) I believe that if this campaign is going to be a success New York has got to go to it first, has got to make a success of it. It is easy for the rest of the country if New York succeeds — it is, for a fact. Now, Mr. Chairman, if we pass this resolution, I am going to ask that this Conference stand in a rising vote and pledge the service of each individual to this Council. If we are going to dele- gate a great big job to some fellows, let us not go off and then stop. 87 Mr. Feiss: Rising to second the name of Mr. Brown, I wish to call attention to the fact that we are facing the most serious problem we have ever had confronting us. The sum asked for is smaller, but the obstacles are greater, and we need the impelling force of a tremendous impact that can be sent through the entire land and be heard, and that can only be accomplished if there is the right man back of that force, the man to project it. It is not a question of New York, no, Mr. Brown, it is not a question of the rest of America; it is a question of the rest of Europe, and that is why we need Mr. Brown now. (Applause.) If the motion needs any further second, I am presenting it to you and to the Conference. There can be no other man than Brown. (Applause.) Mr. Rosenwald: May I say that regardless of any of the names that have been mentioned in connection with war relief, I honestly believe that our war relief campaigns for the last three or four years would never have been nearly as suc- cessful if it had not been for the energy and for the en- thusiasm that was put into these campaigns, directly and indi- rectly, by Mr. Brown. I had no idea who Mr. Brown was until I met him in New York three or four years ago, and I tell you I was enthused and everybody was enthused who came under his influence, to work harder, and to my mind he is more responsible for the success of the campaigns in this country than any other one man or probably any other dozen men. I most heartily endorse and second the name of Mr. Brown as the head of this movement. Mr. Morgenstern: We have committed this body today to the unqualified support of Mr. Brown. May I transgress the rules for a moment and propose a slogan: "Let's do it up Brown." (Laughter.) Judge Asher: Mr. Chairman, speaking for New England, it is very hard, of course, for Massachusetts to acknowledge the superior leadership of anybody coming from any other part of the country, but, nevertheless, we who have been interested in the war relief work in the last number of years in New England, have heard of the mysterious Mr. Brown. We have heard also of the mysterious Mr. Smith, through whose activities the Massachusetts Institute of Technology received a tremendous endowment fund. The words worked like magic, "the mysterious Mr. Smith." Now we have the mysterious Mr. Brown. He is no longer a mystery to us, but one who represents the dynamic force that will put this cam- paign over. I speak for Massachusetts; I speak for New England, when I say it is essential to have Mr. Brown at the head of this campaign, not because he is Mr. Brown alone, but because he represents that spirit, that power, that inspira- tion, that force, that is going to put us across the line this year. We are now entering upon the days of football. Now let us all with Brown as our captain, work together, push 88 together, push the ball over the line, so that we can get as many touch-downs as possible, to the end that those on the other side may have a chance to live, a chance to breathe, a chance to enjoy the Happy New Year that we all hope to enjoy. (Applause.) (Cries of "Brown, Brown, Brown.") Mr. Brown: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: At some time during this gathering I proposed to get right down to hard tacks and give some of you fellows the inside of money-getting and then I was going to talk about state scenery and all of the other methods of putting on our so- called — whatever we are going to call it — but I find there are other scene painters and scene setters. Perhaps you don't know that my wife and I sail on the Olympic for Europe on November the 5th. Mr. Marshall: Cancel passage. The Chairman: Mr. Brown will be in order, please; just a moment, the Chair wants to insist on an orderly procedure. Mr. Brown is out of order. The motion before the house is the one made by Mr. Marshall and it is (laughter) — the Con- ference will be in order — and it is — Mr. Brown will resume his seat for a minute. (Laughter.) The motion before the house is that made by Mr. Marshall and that is, that this Conference appoint a committee headed by Mr. Brown, to take charge of the campaign. All those in favor of the motion will signify it by saying "Aye." Contrary, "No." The Ayes have it, the motion is carried unanimously. Now, gentlemen of the Con- ference, I heard yesterday about the passage which Mr. Brown has engaged for Europe. I know of his plans. I know that he is not going to go to Europe, he is going to stay in America and take charge of this campaign. (Laughter, and cries of "Hooray." Applause.) Now then, the Chair in recognizing Mr. Brown, is going to ask him to back up the Chair in the way every other member has backed him up and Mr. Brown's remarks are limited to words of acceptance and words of direction to us (laughter), direction to us of how to start the campaign, and Mr. Brown may expect the gavel to drop if his words are in any other vein. Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown: Let us be serious. Don't misunderstand me. I certainly feel flattered by even the suggestion of my name, as the Chairman of the coming campaign, but I have worked very hard for a few months and I felt that I was entitled to a rest. My wife has been building a new home for the past year. Now, all you folks who have built a new home know that after you have lived with your wife during the process of a year of building — you know that you need a rest. (Laugh- ter.) Evidently some of you folks have built a home. (Laugh- ter.) We are all set to go. My passage is engaged. It will come as a complete surprise to my wife. Personally, I would be willing, I feel sure I would be willing to sacrifice that trip 89 in the interest of this cause if I thought I could do it even the slightest good, but I am a fearsome man and I have a wife. Mr. Marshall: We will appoint General Davis to see her. (Laughter.) The Chairman: If Mr. Brown will pardon the interrup- tion, I shall be perfectly delighted to go to Detroit tonight. (Laughter.) On the question of rest we might as well let him know that he isn't going to spend much time in Detroit. Mrs. Brown will have a splendid time while he is in New York. Mr. Brown: She has had one experience of that kind. I don't know what to say to you folks. The Chairman: Mr. Brown accepts the honor placed upon him. (Laughter and applause.) Mr. S. J. Rosenblatt: Delegates, I move that we close the debate. (The Chairman and Mr. Brown confer.) Mr. Brown: I don't think I have the right, under the circumstances, to accept a responsibility of this kind, I know how I go into things, if I accept this responsibility it would mean that everything else is dropped. The Chairman: The Chair has arranged for a long-dis- tance conference with Mrs. Brown, at the conclusion of which Mr. Brown will talk to Mrs. Brown. (Applause. ) While we are getting Mrs. Brown on the long-distance telephone, Mr. Rosenwald, on behalf of the Committee on Memorial to Mr. Schiff, reports that the Committee is ready. Mr. Rosenwald: Dr. Hirsch will present the resolution. The Chairman: Dr. Hirsch of that Committee will present the resolution and the Conference will be in order. Dr. Emil G. Hirsch (reading) : "The memory of the righteous is a source of blessing. "In this assurance the Conference, reminded of the va- cancy in the ranks of the workers, caused by the departure from earth of Jacob H. Schiff, by the circumstance that the day of its convening coincides with the first anniversary of this great and loyal Jew's transition from earth to glory, takes courage in the thought that the spirit of the beloved associate is still with us. His heart and mind were in the cause in behalf of which the Conference has assembled. He gave without stint to it of his rich experience and his broad, liberal generosity. His hand was open to every appeal made in behalf of the victims of wasting war. His counsel is indeed missed by all who were associated with him in the stewarding of this work. But his soul is marching on. In the spirit we are united with him. His great faith, never shaken in the destiny of his people, in the strength, moral and spiritual, of his fellow Jews, will inspire us, his example will incite us to untiring efforts. 90 We feel that every thought given to this cause is a spray deposited on the last resting place of our unforgotten fellow yokemate, a stone contributed to his memorial. But he needs no tablet of bronze or shaft of marble to be recalled of men. The righteous need no monumental symbol for their life. Their deeds are their imperishable memorial. This Rabbinical observation is amply and tellingly emphasized for us in the record of Jacob Schiff's days and doings. The Conference in its first session took occasion to devote solemn minutes to the name of him risen to Olam Haba, Dr. Hirsch reciting the Kaddish. "Mr. Julius Rosenwald, Chairman. "Mr. Louis Marshall. "Dr. Emil G. Hirsch. "Mr. Henry Morgenthau. "Mr. Mortimer Fleischhacker. "Mr. Irvin F. Lehman. "Mr. Jacob Billikopf." The following reply was later received: New York, September 26, 1921. My dear Mr. Rosenwald: I am in receipt of the touching telegram sent me by you as Chairman of the Resolution Committee and Mr. Abel Davis as Chairman of the Conference Committee of the Chicago rneeting yesterday and thank you and Mr. Davis for your cor- dial and sympathetic expressions. I appreciate your kind thoughtfulness in sending me this message which means much to me as it is but another evidence of the regard and respect which you felt for my father and is now given to his memory. It is a real consolation to us to know how his great qualities were understood and appreciated. Sincerely yours, MORTIMER L. SCHIFF. Dr. Hirsch: In presenting this resolution, expressing the feelings that actuated us yesterday and are still moving us today, I hope that they will be unanimously adopted by the Conference. This is really a new pledge that you and I are making that we will do our utmost to carry on the work that we have undertaken to a successful issue. You, friends here, need not be afraid; you are aware of the responsibilities that have come to us. We Jews have always felt that every Jew is his fellow Jew's brother, and here is now again a sad occa- sion for us to manifest this ordeal. The whole world has always looked upon the suffering Jew as the saviour of man- kind. That is our historic past; this has been our historic function. The Jews are suffering for sins that they have not committed. I shall not go into the details of the pic- ture drawn for us yesterday by more competent men, detailed to us yesterday by men who have come in contact with this suffering and misery day after day. We must all put our shoulders to the wheel. I am sure that every colleague 91 of mine, and for the moment let me assume that the other Rabbis may recognize me as their colleague — that every col- league of mine will take the opportunity during the solemn days that are coming on, to recall to their congregations the duty that lies before them. The spoken word will have more effect than the printed word in a campaign of this kind. You need men such as we listened to yesterday to depict to our peo- ple the actual conditions, and the Jewish heart has never failed and in this instance it will not fail. Upon the American Jew has come this new duty, and it is a duty we shall not shirk. We shall raise the sum that is needed and I shall do what little I can do, an old, a weak, and a garrulous man, I shall be glad to put myself at the disposal of our chief marshal, Mr. Brown. (Ap- plause.) If at any time Mr. Brown should think that my vocal cords might have some effect in bringing about a touch-down, of which I have heard today, he may command and I shall obey. Now, let us take a leaf from the book of our dear friends, the Christian Scientists; they never speak of diffi- culties; they ignore them; they are always working on the thought that if you believe that a thing is, it is, and if you believe that a thing will come, it will come; and so let us go out in the firm belief that we will succeed and then we shall succeed. Let us not think of the hard times. They are hard times, we know, but let us not let that thought come in our range of vision. In recognition of what Mr. Schiff did, let us go out in his spirit, following his example, and let us go to work all over the country and labor to organize. That is our memorial to Mr. Schiff ; that is our duty; it is our obligation to the name that we hold as Jews. The Jew must feel that here is an opportunity and the American Jew must know that he has the most sacred obligation and he must know that we shall fulfil our obligation. (Applause, and all rise.) Col. Guinzburg: It is impossible to say anything more about Mr. Schiff than what we all know. I move that the resolutions as presented by Dr. Hirsch be adopted by the whole Conference without any further discussion. Motion seconded. The Chairman : All those in favor of the motion will please rise. (All rise.) The motion is adopted unanimously by a rising vote. Mr. Marshall: Excuse me, may I be a disturbing element again? The Chairman: Mr. Marshall, with a report from the front. Mr. Marshall: I have the honor to report, gentlemen, that we have had a conference with Mrs. Brown. We find that she is a good soldier. She said if Mr. Brown is ready to accept, he will have her blessing. (Applause.) I want to propose three cheers for Mrs. Brown. 92 JACOB H. SCHIFF "His great faith, never shaken in the destiny of his people, in the strength, moral and spiritual of his fellow-Jews, will inspire us; his example will incite us to untiring efforts." (Cries of "Hip, hip, hooray, hooray, hooray.") Mr. Rosenwald: Mr. Chairman, may I say that in speak- ing to Mrs. Brown it almost brought tears to my eyes, she responded so beautifully. I want to congratulate Mr. Brown; I think it accounts for the kind of a fellow he is. (Applause.) The Chairman: Gentlemen of the Conference, the man of the occasion, and the man of the hour, our leader, Mr. Brown ! (Applause.) Mr. Brown: Ladies and Gentlemen — I think it means a whole lot for a woman who has had in her mind a most de- lightful trip to Europe, with practically all of the winter in southern Italy, at a few moments' notice to say that she is willing to give up her trip and I agree with what Mr. Rosen- wald has said, that if I have had any success in life at all, a large measure of it due to Mrs. Brown. (Applause.) She is a good, game sport. The Chairman: I say so. (Laughter.) Mr. Brown: I know that in going into this effort, she will be right at my right. Now, I want to say one thing to you fellows and you ladies here, that in campaigns I am somewhat of a slave driver, and I am not the diplomat that Mr. Rosenfelt here is. When I talk to you I am on the same side of the fence that you are. As I understand it, in taking this job and being surrounded by Billikopf here and Rubens and the rest of you fellows, everybody who has come to the Conference is to play the game, not fifty per cent., or ninety per cent., but one hundred per cent., and woe unto the man who starts to tell me how busy he is, because Nature has endowed me with a ver Mr. Marshall: profuse vocabulary. (Laughter.) Mr. Brown: One other thing here moves me; I might give you a first class example of it: I know what this cam- paign means. I am going into a campaign in Detroit for two million and a half. We have been working on it four or five months. We have raised as high as ten million dollars in Detroit with ease and now we are trying to raise a quarter of it, and we know exactly what we are up against. It is the toughest job we ever had. I know this is going to be a tough job. It will be made easy by the fellows who will put their shoulders to the wheel, not only you men here, but the men who are going to help you. I want to know how many of you men here are going to be with this campaign one hundred per cent. Mr. Marshall: All of them. Mr. Brown: Stand up. (All stand.) This is your word of honor, and we are going to hold you to it. Everybody 94 stood up, and with this gang of enthusiasts, this crowd of men who know how to get the money, who are willing to play the game, I don't think there is any question but what with hard work we will get $14,000,000 and some. (Applause.) Mr. Benjamin: Springfield, Illinois, is a small community. We had the honor of giving to this country that immortal Abraham Lincoln and also claim the honor of giving to Chicago the famous Julius Rosenwald. (Applause.) I say that in Springfield and Sangamon County, while we are a small com- munity, we will back up Mr, Brown and will do our share. Judge Asher: While we are in the spirit of Mr. Brown, might I make one suggestion? I propose in the form of a motion that we who are here, filled with enthusiasm and the spirit — Brown's spirit — let us see that this spirit of enthusiasm is not wasted, that we do not go home and forget in our own busy business the trials and tribulations of those in whose relief we are here assembled. A suggestion that I have put into operation in my own city, Worcester, Massachusetts, which is known as the heart of the commonwealth, and is going to try to be the heart of this relief movement — may I suggest to the members who are present that immediately upon adjournment they send a telegram to the committee of their community telling them that they must organize for the campaign. I feel that if we want to carry that spirit back with us, if we want to capitalize it — not for our own benefit, but for those on the other side — I say, get busy now, send a telegram of that nature, get your committee to work, organize it, filled with the Brown spirit, with the Jewish spirit, and there will be more happiness in the world for the next year. The Chairman: Is it the desire of the members of this conference that the substance of the telegram as prepared by the Judge be distributed among the members here for their use? Mr. Marshall: That will be a very useful thing. The Chairman: All right; it will be so done. Mr. Rosenblatt: In this campaign I am not going to tell what I am going to do, but I am Chairman of the Middle West Relief Bureau, taking in seven States, about 152 towns, and we are going to support Mr. Brown in this campaign with every dollar that we can raise. Every man who belongs to our com- munity will be with you. You can command us day and night, any time you like. Dr. Adler: May I have just a few minutes to make a report? The Chairman: We would not have concluded the con- ference until we had heard from you. Doctor. 95 Dr. Adler: No, but it was part of the resolution to ap- prove the reports of the sub-committee, and there is one, a very humble one, but which some of us think most important, that I want to speak of. Yesterday, first Rabbi Hirsch, and afterwards Mr. Seelenfreund, very properly said that we are taking care of the bodies of these peoples, what of their souls, their education, and so forth, and since the sum of money men- tioned for spiritual work seemed to be very small, I would like to say that since the very beginning of the war relief work we have been doing educational work, we have been doing it as a necessary part of the relief work. When we sent money to Poland for relief, for child relief, etc., naturally there were already schools, and the schools had to be kept open; it was a place where the children could be kept warm, and it was just as easy to keep the schools open and pay the teachers' salaries as it was to have them in the bread line, so for the first four or five years money was expended for relief work — that word "cultural" I hate — but for religious work in the various communities. Sometimes the people in the communities were so anxious for religious work that they preferred it to bread. In Lithuania as high as eighty per cent, was spent for spiritual work. In other towns it might be only twenty per cent. You gentlemen know that there are some differences of opinion about religious and educational work. We might have three schools or four schools, but in Eastern Europe they have twelve schools, or thirteen schools — I means parties — and it was very difficult to set down any policy by which education could be controlled from the cen- tral office in New York or even in Paris. Therefore, about a year and a half ago it was agreed that each one of the con- stitutent communities might set aside not to exceed 33^ per cent. Mr. Marshall: Subsequent to a certain date. Dr. Adler: Subsequent to the first of January, 1921, I think. Mr. Marshall: Since the first of November, 1920. Dr. Adler: Mr. Marshall corrects me — to the first of No- vember. I am chairman of the committee, but he has the better memory. But, anyhow, from a certain day 33 J^ per cent, may be set aside for religious and educational — or, if you please, cultural work. That means that American Jewry, col- lectively, with the help of the officers of the Joint Distribution Committee, can expend one-third of the money collected for such purposes, if it should be found necessary and the other conditions warrant it. The other two committees, the Central Committee and the People's Committee, have been carrying on work which I may fairly describe as belonging to their particular set of ideas. The Central Committee in the main has furnished funds for Rabbis and Yeshibas, which are carried 96 along on strictly orthodox lines. The People's Committee has furnished money for schools, carried on by the working men, and practically that means carried on in Yiddish — that is, from the socialistic point of view. The American Relief Com- mittee has supported all schools which were not supported by the other two committees. This has been our attitude in Poland, our attitude in Palestine and wherever we have been able to reach. We have to our credit still a very considerable sum of money for this purpose, and I want to assure every Rabbi and every other gentleman here that there is no one in the Joint Distribution Committee who has more at heart the seeing to the segregation of sufficient funds than I have. The Chairman: We have got to point No. 7 of the Com- mittee of Plan and Scope: "7. In the communities where there are war chests an immediate effort is to be made to secure pledges from the People's and Central Committees that no separate appeal should be made." Moved and seconded that recommendation No. 7 be adopted. The Chairman: Are you ready for the question? Mr. Joseph: I would not make this a fast rule, for in some communities the chest will not appropriate suffi- cient funds which the chairman would require of this commu- nity. I therefore would leave it to the several communities to decide for themselves. Sometimes it is necessary to make so- licitation among the Jews to complete the quota. The Chairman: The committee has practically represented your views. "An immediate effort is to be made," I presume wherever possible. Mr. Morgenstern: Cincinnati for three years conducted its campaign through the operation of a community chest, and for two years our experience was very happy and very fortunate. For two years the city of Cincinnati contrib- uted to the war chest $325,000, which represented its contribu- tion. This year, however, our community followed a different plan; it decided that before it would contribute any funds to foreign charities, as they called it, they would first fill the budgets of their local organization. The result was that whereas two years ago we contributed $325,000, this year we were able to get through the war chest only $48,000. In other words, it does not always follow that the war chest method, even if practiced in a city, is advisable for co-operation by this organization. I therefore, Mr. Chairman, offer as an amendment to insert the words after war chest : "and the local Jewish Committee deems it advisable to merge its campaign in that for the war chest," and to have the paragraph read thus. I would also move to insert the words, "In co-operation 97 , . with the local committee." I do not believe that the Central Committee ought to undertake this without consultation with the local committee. I offer that as an amendment. The Chairman: You have heard the amendment offered by Mr. Morgenstern. Is there any discussion? Mr. Feiss: In the first place, I think the reference should be to community chest and not war chest. All of those that I know about that are still in existence have changed their name. The Chairman: Will Mr. Morgenstern please follow Mr. Feiss' suggestion? Mr. Feiss: I would like to offer this as a substitute amendment: "In the communities where there are community chests an immediate effort is to be made to secure pledges from these funds and where such pledges are received the People's and Central Committees shall be requested not to make separate appeals." Is that agreeable to you? Mr. Morgenstern: I think so, Mr, Chairman. I think that will cover it. The Chairman: The Doctor accepts Mr. Feiss' substitute motion for his own. Substitute motion seconded, put and carried, and recom- mendation 7 is adopted as amended. The Chairman (reading) : "8. It was decided that the question of using some of the material furnished by the speech- es in this conference be left to the Publicity Committee, to use in such form as they deem wise." Moved and seconded that recommendation 8 be adopted. 'Motion put and carried. The Chairman (reading) : "9. It has been suggested that a statement be gotten up for campaign purposes, showing the total amount raised since the inception of the work, and the very small amount it has cost to raise this money, also show- ing in which countries the main amount had been spent." Moved and seconded that recommendation No. 9 be adopt- ed. Motion put and carried. The Chairman: It will now be in order that the report of the Committee on Plan and Scope be adopted as amended. Moved and seconded that the report of the Committee on Plan and Scope of the conference be adopted as amended. Motion put and carried. The Chairman: The motion is adopted. The Chair wants to call attention to the fact that the National Council of Jewish Women is to be kept in direct communication with the central headquarters and is desirous of co-operating in every 98 way possible. The Chair also wants to call attention to the fact that Mr. Brown requests that every one here who feels that he may be called upon as a volunteer speaker or volun- teer helper, etc., outside of his own community, hand his name and address over to Mr. Rosenfelt. Please do so before you leave. The Secretary again calls attention to the fact that if any one has failed to register that he do so before he leaves the conference. Your attention is also called to the fact that the Chicago Committee for raising funds has agreed on No- vember 6th as the opening day for its campaign. (Great Ap- plause.) Headquarters have been established in the Westmin- ster Building, corner of Monroe and Dearborn streets, and all of the out-of-town delegates are requested to spend as much of their time as they may desire this afternoon in the offices, on the Bank floor of the Westminster Building, where the Secre- tary has prepared samples of all the literature which the Chi- cago campaign is going to use. There are enough there so that every delegate who may report there may secure samples, see the exact machinery and see the plans which Chicago has already made for the pending campaign. The Chair has before him a complete list of all the dele- gates present, and he has requested Mr. Rosenfelt to make a memorandum after every name here as to the extent of the participation of every delegate in past campaigns, in order that they may be called upon or presented to the conference. The task is impossible because, as Mr. Rosenfelt said, everj''- one here has earned his seat in the conference by the service which he has given to the cause in the past. So the Chair is going to refrain from what he intended to do, namely, calling upon the best workers. You all seem to be in the same cate- gory. If there is anyone here who has anything to suggest at this time, the Chair will be delighted to hear from him. The Chair insists that at this time we hear not the final word, but one more word from Mr. Warburg. Mr. Warburg: I feel it would be very ungracious on our part did we not take the opportunity to thank the people of Chicago, and especially the Chairman, for the extraordinary services of this Council. I also want to thank him and thank the conference for the beautiful action that was taken in memory of Mr. Schiff. I know nothing could be more wel- come to the family than to know that the conference has selected Mr. Brown. This I know is more in the spirit of Mr. Schiff than anything else. Mr. Schiff never missed an oppor- tunity to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. Brown in the services of that campaign in which he took the lead, and in which Mr. Brown did the major part of the work. I think that the two dates joined together will mean something. I thank the Chairman and everyone for making this possible. It is also an act which should not be forgotten, and when we rise to adjourn I would like us to rise in a most heartfelt, 99 NATHAN STRAUS "Shall we - dare we - permit the labors of the past to be for naught? #^ Before God and man, let us meet our duty and declare to the world that we will not shirk it." warm thanks to Mrs. Brown for that soldier service she has given today and for whatever Mr. Brown may do in the future. I would ask permission to put that as a motion. The Chairman: Mr. Warburg moves that this conference rise in its appreciation of their love and affection of every member to Mrs. Brown for her kindness in permitting Mr. Brown to accept the trust. (All rise and applaud.) Mr. Marshall: I desire to second that part of Mr. War- burg's motion which has not yet been put, and that is the voicing of our appreciation to those of the community of Chi- cago for their hospitality, for the spirit they have manifested toward us who have come here, who have made it so pleasant for us to do this work, and I desire to emphasize the extraor- dinary manner in which you, Mr. Chairman, have presided over our deliberations, the fairness which has actuated every ruling on your part and every statement made by you. It will be a very precious memory to all of us. (All rise.) Three cheers for Davis. (Cheers given by all.) This is a case of deciding and then debating afterwards. Now I put the motion. Those in favor will say "Aye." (All say "Aye.") It is unanimously carried. Mr. Rosenwald: Mr. Becker has suggested that a tele- gram be sent to Mrs. Brown, expressing the sentiments of the conference and signed by the Chairman and such members as he desires to have sign it, and I hope that Mr. Warburg will permit that that may be added to his motion, to put this in the form of a telegram. Mr. May: And I do not think it is out of order to send greetings to Mr. Nathan Straus before we adjourn and report that we are very sorry that he was not with us as he was with us in thought. I make that as a motion. The Chairman: Moved and seconded that the greetings of the conference be sent to Mr. Nathan Straus, who sent his regrets over his inability to be present. Motion put and carried unanimously. Mr. Alexander: One suggestion that I wish to make, and I do not want to be misunderstood in making it, and that is if it is practicable I would like to see the names of the dele- gates to this conference given to the press. The Chairman: We have prepared a number of mimeo- graph copies which will be handed to every delegate, and a copy has also been handed to the Chairman of the Publicity Committee. Mr. Alexander : That is a big part. If practicable I should Hke to see it given to the press. A great many of us come from small communities, and in our communities it is very 101 much more difficult to maintain a good, strong Jewish organ- ization than it is in Chicago or New York, and we have no Jewish organizations outside of the B'nai Brith. The Chairman: Do you suggest that through the Associ- ated Press it may be distributed to the different communities? Mr. Alexander: That is it, so that in our communities we may know that Louis Marshall, Dr. Krass, Julius Rosenwald and those other men who are outstanding figures of American Jewry who are present at this conference have their heart and soul behind it. Away on the other side of the mountains those men are known by reputation just as well and are loved and revered just as much and have just as beautiful a monument in the minds of the people as they have here, but the only way our people find that out is by what the press tells them. They cannot hear what we say; they cannot see what we do. Mr. Baron: With reference to the suggestion proposed yesterday and ruled out of order, what is the attitude that we are to take towards campaigns that have been launched in some places by the People's Committee? We have an organization in Sioux City and we want to know what is the attitude of this committee towards the People's Committee. That question was also suggested by several other delegates. The Chairman: May I request Mr. Marshall to answer that question? Mr. Marshall: I am glad Mr. Baron has brought this up, because it was a question I desired to discuss yesterday. The American Jewish Relief Committee has from the very begin- ning sought to unite all action on the part of the People's Committee. We feel that there should never be more than one single campaign in any community, and we have made many concessions for the purpose of accomplishing that result, agreeing for that purpose to a division of credit upon the books of the Joint Distribution Committee of the various funds that are collected in various campaigns, so that there may be no possible ill feeling. We have made every possible con- cession, and I am very sure that there will be no difficulty as far as we are concerned, and I believe also that there will be very little difficulty on the part of the Central Relief Com- mittee or of the People's Relief Committee to come to an un- derstanding on that subject. We want but one campaign. We cannot afford to have more than one. If the People's Relief Committee goes out on an independent campaign or the Cen- tral Relief Committee does the same the chances are that it will cost the cause millions of dollars. They are giving very small sums; we are going out for large sums and small sums, but if you have a campaign which is conducted on the basis of taking anything that is offered, the chances are that in the 102 long run people will be attracted by a sort of Gresham's law to that baser coinage, and we therefore assure you that we will in the future, as before, make every possible endeavor to bring about one concerted campaign in all the work. Mr. Baron: What attitude shall we take in the year to come if the People's Relief insists on conducting their own campaign? Mr. Marshall: Well, I think it is the duty of the com- mittee to let the community know that anybody that is un- willing to act with our committee or another committee does not have the approval or sanction of the local committee. That is the only way to treat the organization. Mr. Brown is the leader of the campaign, which is conducted by all the associa- tions, and any association that pulls away, for one purpose or another, or for one reason or another, and is not willing to act in this co-operative movement, that organization is not entitled to the confidence of the community. (Applause.) The Chairman: The Chair recognizes Mr. Sol Kiser, of Indianapolis. I want to state for all concerned that here in Chicago we have solved the problem by a policy of give and take. We understand each other. When we want meetings we get together to talk it over and we have had no trouble. The People's Relief are willing to say that we have helped them and they have helped us. There is no difficulty about it. Mr. Sol Kiser: I only rise to ask Mr. Marshall a question. In Indianapolis last week a representative of the Hias at- tempted to launch a campaign for the benefit of that occasion. Is it the idea of the Joint Distribution Committee to join with them? Mr. Marshall: We have no relations with the Hias. They deal with the subject of immigration, which is entirely outside of this. That should be understood as distinctly as possible. We cannot be considered as in any way connected with immi- gration. I want to put it as distinctly as possible, as we in no way have any function to perform with respect to the subject of immigration. Mr. Hassenbusch: I want to speak on this same subject. What are we to do when this campaign of Hias conflicts with the campaign we have? Mr. Marshall: Can't your committee control the action in that regard? That is a local matter. You have your com- mittee. You may indicate what your duty is. You have voted a certain amount which you are prepared to give. If under the circumstances they apparently threaten to go into a cam- paign which will interfere with your campaign, hasn't your local committee the power or the ability to deal with that situation? 103 Mr. Hassenbusch: I think we have. Mr. Brown: I just want to say a word about the Central and the People's Relief in connection with the American Relief. It is no new experience with me to deal with those organiza- tions, I think the first activity of mine will be to call those groups together in New York City, and to sit down with them and make them thoroughly understand that unless we work together in behalf of this large fund the drive cannot be a success and as we are all vitally interested in the same thing, I am sure that those men will see the light and I believe they will work in complete harmony with our working organization. The Chairman: There ought not to be any doubt in any- one's mind what will be done at national headquarters when Mr. Brown expresses his attitude on that. Col. Lehman: This Conference has taken note of and doubly appreciates the broad, humanitarian way in which Mr. Hoover, through the American Relief Administration, is con- ducting the great work of relief in Russia and elsewhere in Eastern and Central Europe and desires to assure him of its continued support and co-operation. The Chairman: You make that as a motion? Col. Lehman : Yes. Motion seconded, put and carried unanimously. The Chairman: I want to ask Mr. Moe Levy of Norfolk, Virginia, to stand up. Mr. Levy, I want everybody to know you. I know what you have done in the past drives and what you are going to do in the next one. I want everybody to look at you and take inspiration from you. I want Mr. Dave Davidson to stand likewise. Mr. Davidson is from Sioux City. Sioux City and the whole state of Iowa have done splendidly. I wanted to give you about 20 or 30 minutes to tell the Con- ference all about it, but we have not had the time. Mr. Rosenfelt wants me to remember that you raised $70,000 in the last campaign. That is one of the reasons why I wanted all of them to know you. We want everybody here to know that America is just as friendly and has the best of good will for Canada in the same way that we individuals have for the Canadians, and I call upon Mr. Frankel, who is here from Toronto. Mr. Frankel, I want you to tell Mr. Brown what Canada is going to do in co-operation with the United States for this common cause of ours. Mr. Leo Frankel: May I have a drink, if you don't mind? The Chairman: Oh, yes, indeed. Best I have. Mr. Frankel: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — 104 Canada thanks the Chicago Committee for inviting Canada and I can assure you it has been a pleasure for me to be present, and so far as representing Canada is concerned, I only do this accidentally. My co-operators, that is, the representatives from Montreal and Quebec, have been asked to join this assembly, but to my sorrow I learned when I arrived here that they were not coming. However, as a representative of Toronto and Ontario, may I inform you of what we have done. We did not join you until last year. Possibly the reason was that we were not solicited, but, nevertheless, large sums of money found their channels to the countries where they were wanted, through England and France and probably direct. It was a year ago, more than a year ago, that I was interviewed by a representative of the J. D. C, and at that particular time the conditions were very bad. We were at that time holding in Canada every year a drive for the support of the dependents of soldiers in Canada, irrespective of what the Government was doing, and at that particular time I had the honor to be a member of that committee, and I also had the honor to have a captaincy, and we collected three or four millions every year in Canada. So you can imagine, as we started the war in 1914, and our sur-property tax went back to 1914, it was an arduous task. Afterwards I was interviewed by Mr. Miles Goldberg, and I telephoned my wife, and it was not a trip to Europe, it was only a trip to Florida, but we gave up that trip and we conducted a drive for $200,000 and we received subscriptions for $240,000. Our drive was a non-sectarian drive, and Sir William Mulock was the Honorary Chairman of the Toronto campaign, and Sir Edmund Walker was our Honorary Treas- urer. We raised $240,000, of which about $100,000 was given by non-Jews. The Jews of Toronto are not very prosperous. At this particular moment I will not keep you any longer; it was very kind of you to invite me here, and I must compli- ment you on your chairman, he is about the snappiest chair- man that I have ever sat under. In territory I represent as much as all of you together represent, but individually I do not, and I do not want to make it a case of the tail wagging the dog, therefore I shall not say anything, but I must say that my feelings have been entirely in accord with yours. I may say this: The signature of Mr. Rosenwald was also a special incentive to bring me here, largely for the amount of good he has done, not alone for Chicago, but for Jewry throughout the world. I was also particularly moved to accept the position of chairman of that drive by reason of telegrams from Nathan Straus, Mr. Warburg and Mr, Marshall, and I thought: 'T didn't know those signatures were so easy to get," because I have heard since that Mr. Marshall and Mr. Warburg since that time have been asked several times to put their signatures to several documents and have refused, so I must have been a preferred creditor under the circumstances. (Laughter.) I will not keep you any longer. I will bring 105 home greetings from Chicago and I assure you that when my colleagues think the time is ripe we will all do our duty and the St. Lawrence and the Niagara will not be a barrier be- tween your sentiments and ours. (Applause.) The Chairman: Will you give the Chair the pleasure of dividing the next five minutes as the Chair sees fit? I want to ask Mr. Rauh of Indianapolis please to stand. (Applause.) It is a pleasure to have examples like you. I present Mr. Jules E. Mastbaum, of Philadelphia. He is a splendid fellow and we are proud of him. I want every one of you to see him and know him. Has Mr. Eisenman left? No, he has not left. Mr. Eisenman. (Applause.) Now, my good friends, the Chair does not want to take honor unto himself to express the gratification and the pleasure of Chicago in having had this opportunity to have a conference here. One of our splendid workers, a fine man and an effective man, is going to say a word on behalf of Chicago, and that will conclude our delibera- tions. Let me present Mr. Charles Rubens, our honored Chair- man. Mr. Rubens. (Applause.) I just asked Mr. Rubens to get up for a second, in order that you may see him. Will Mr. Voorsanger stand up? (Applause.) I want you to see the man who has done such splendid work in Europe. Mr. Rubens, will you speak to the Conference? Mr. Charles Rubens (of Chicago) : Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen — Up to a moment ago our Chairman, General Davis, conducted these proceedings exactly as I outlined him to do, but when he called upon me to speak he made the first diver- gence from the program I handed him. I think it was a mean trick to call on me when you are all ready to leave the room and ad- journ the Conference, but I am grateful for the opportunity of expressing the deep appre- ciation that we in Chicago have been at all instrumental in bringing about the inspiring, enthusing and marvelous deliberation of this most wonderful Conference. Chicago geo- graphically is probably as centrally located as any other city that could have been selected, and that so wonderful a result could have come from this meeting fills me, as a Chicagoan, with great pride, and I am sure each one is likewise proud. I don't think I am saying anything out of school when I say that there were some who came here who were not in perfect harmony with the decisions of the New York Committee and who felt that they had never been called in for any consultation and advice. Notwithstanding all of this, it did not take very long for this antagonism and discord to become amalgamated into the most harmonious and perfect whole. The lukewarm stand- patters became the most intense enthusiasts and I feel con- 106 vinced that the same method that was pursued at this con- ference will be repeated in the various communities throughout the country and that the same results will be forthcoming through getting your people together and talking things over. The warm Jewish heart is always looking for an oppor- tunity to respond to any call of distress and need that ema- nates from their co-religionists anywhere. The selection of David A. Brown of Detroit, in my judgment, spells absolute success for this appeal and when he says that the fourteen million dollars shall be forthcoming from American Jewry, it is almost equivalent to having the money ready for dis- tribution. ' Before parting, my friends, let me entreat that the enthusiasm that has been radiated through this conference abide with you and that you take it to your respective com- munities and radiate it there among all your fellow Jews and by so doing, I feel convinced that this call that comes from them over there will again be answered with liberality and promptness as the American Jew has in the past answered every other such call. (Applause.) The Chairman: When the motion to adjourn is made, you are all requested to walk downstairs to the entrance of the building for the moving picture and when that is over luncheon will be served on the second floor. Jimmie Becker says that we ought to thank the members of the J. D. C. for their great efforts and say we are behind them to the finish. (Applause.) Now, Jimmie Becker says we ought to put that in the form of a motion. Mr. Becker moves that we thank most sincerely and profusely the members of the Joint Dis- tribution Committee for their great efforts and say in unquali- fied terms that we are behind them. Motion seconded, put and carried unanimously. The Chairman: Mr. Kriegshaber, will you stand up before we adjourn. (Applause.) Moved and seconded to adjourn. The Chairman: The motion has been made and seconded that we do now adjourn, subject to the call of Mr. Brown. Motion carried. 107 LIBRARY OF COh GRESS 020 930 169 6