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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
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A
F
acing The Situation
Statement Of Social Work Experience During 1930
By EDWARD M. KAHN
economic situation on local conditions,
with particular reference to the Jew
ish group?
How has this affected our local so
cial work program ?
Unemployment, an increase in
homeless and transient cases, taxed
to capacity the funds and personnel
of the case working agencies. Intake
had to be selected, restricted, or a
new technique found to deal with the
emergency, short time care cases.
Fortunately the people of Atlanta
responded more generously to the ap
peal of the Community Chest on be
half of the social agencies, and with
additional special funds raised, At
lanta was able to ward off a serious
disorganization of its social work ma
chinery, and to ameliorate somewhat
the distressing conditions confronting
the unemployed.
Although the effects of economic
depression on the Jewish group have
not been as apparent, they have been,
nevei theless. rather serious. There
are few Jewish industrial workers in
Atlanta. Most of our group are en
gaged in some form of business,
small or big, mostly small. The
younger people belong to the white
collar class engaged in clerical, office
and sales jobs, with a number in the
professions.
Among these unemployment has be
come a serious menace.
The effects of economic pressure on
the small merchant, the grocer, in ad
dition to chain store competition, have
been well nigh disastrous. Turning
over stores to creditors to dispose of
the merchandise as they see fit, an
increasing number of bankruptcies.
To protect themselves against this
double encroachment of depression
and competition a number of Jewish
grocers formed an association of gro
cery stores designed to obtain better
prices, easier credit through coopera
tive buying. This association estab
lished a warehouse. It sells to its
members on a cash basis, but allows
them to buy in small quantities and
gives them the benefit of very low
prices. This method of cooperation has
saved many a Jewish grocer from
bankruptcy and from ruination.
However, the immediate effects are
not as significant as those likely to
develop in a year, two or five from
now. There has occurred a general
and widespread undermining of the
economic status of the Jewish group.
JULIAN V. BOEHM
Chairman Nominating Committee
.1. B. WOLFE, Treasurer
Atlanta Federation of Jewish
Charities
s and figures, human interest
"ties of family life broken down by
pressure of economic necessity
unemployment; of human suffer-
and distress; of illness of body
spirit; of young people graduat-
:r °m schools and colleges and un
to be placed—these have become
mmonplace experiences and we
1Ve become indifferent to the facts
d figures.
the
an<:
i n g
am
abl
ualize the conditions throughout
country and you see before your
a vast army on the march—
! Ping in search of work. Work is
wage-earner's hope. But, in the
time, the landlord presses him
lent and threatens to assert his
lights, the butcher refuses fur-
icdit, the grocer demands cash.
' unknown soldier of the army
nt \ unemployed borrows money
friends and from loan com-
Soon he is engulfed in a sea
ts and he is overwhelmed. He
s to a family agency which can
relieve his immediate desperate
present depression, unlike pre-
- periods of the business cycle,
atfected in a serious way the
collar folk, a class hitherto un-
■ n to application bureaus of so-
agencies.
know these facts is one thing,
terpret them understanding^ is
f another matter,
at have been the effects of this
Rose Esserman, Gertrude IMatzblatt,
Joe Levy, Joshua Smukler, and B. B.
Miller.
Special awards were presented by
Miss Bella Shapard, teacher of the
Confirmation Class, to Miss Mendel-
son and Miss Esserman, as Honor
Students. Each confirmant was also
given a beautiful white Bible by Mr.
Isaac May, in memory of his wife,
the late Mrs. Hannie Kuttner May.
Among the participants on this pro
gram were Mr. Oscar Borochoff, Su
perintendent of the Religious School,
who presented Rabbi Parker a gift
from the school; Harry Edelstein, tal
ented nine-year-old tenor, the son of
Mr. Sam Edelstein, of Chattanooga;
and Mrs. Ruth Meyerhardt Poss, ac
complished violinist, who was accom
panied by Mrs. Sam Edelstein at the
piano.
Many out-of-town visitors attended
the services.
tan, and a native of Washington, Ga.,
died at his home on Diamond Street,
Philadelphia.
Dr. Franklin was surgeon for the
Penn Sugar Refining Company, and
was a member of the staff of the St.
Mary's Hospital of Philadelphia. He
is survived by five brothers, D. L.,
Joseph, Ruben, Sam and Simeon
Franklin, and three sisters, Mrs.
Irene Philips, Mrs. Julius Berman
and Mrs. Clarence Berman, all of At
lanta, and his wife, Anna. Dr. Frank
lin was 53 years old. His funeral ser
vices will be held at Philadelphia.
Honor Students
Among those who were conferred
high honors 'by Yale University were
Arthur Liebman Harris, Atlanta, Ga.,
and Stephen Hofmayer, Albany, Ga.
It is gratifying to note that Mr. Hof
mayer had high oration standing while
Mr. Harris took honors in French.