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mi'
but
m
tiln
szing the place of Palestine to regard it as
limited part of the Jewish landscape.
THE UNITED STATES
the Jews of America the past twelve
is represent a definite period of retrogression
t ry sphere of communal life. The economic
lement which was precipitated three years
is caught thousands more in the maelstrom,
ry part of the country Jews have been iden-
to a large extent with real estate interests,
jages have been foreclosed; properties have
swept away because of the inability to pro-
siipporting capital. The small storekeepers,
include so many Jews, have been withered
.e buying drought and crushed by the chain
I bis virtual collapse of the Jewish economic
cture, which has hit the Warburgs and the
R, > nw aids quite as much as the Cohens and the
Steins, has had its ramifications into every part of
the [ewish community. The most noticeable ef-
fect has been the enormous decline in receipts for
: itable purposes. With the possible exception
of San Francisco, there is not a single Jewish Fed-
ition in America which has not failed to meet
its quota. Even New York City, where Jewish
wealth is most concentrated, ended its year’s cam
paign—even after a deficit drive—some $400,000
behind. The same story, in greater or lesser pro
portion, can be told about Boston, Chicago, Cin-
innati, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Pittburgh
and Philadelphia. In the latter city the drop was
minimal because this year’s fund-raising effort was
combined with the unemployment relief appeal.
livery Jewish institution affected by the Federa
tions has had to curtail its activities. The chief
sufferer in practically every instance has been Jew
ish education and
Jewish religious ac
tivities. At the con
ference of Jewish
Social Service a t
Philadelphia it was
estimated that $6,-
000,000 is expended
annu ally on Jewish
education. This
'■mils an over-state
ment. In the ma-
iority of communi
n' e s , first thought
has been for the hos
pitals, homes and re
lief agencies. Schools
have had to be sat
isfied with a dras
tically reduced bud
get or, in some in-
snnces, w r ith closure.
I his situation has
provoked a new dis
union of the possi
bility of taxing ko-
DR. CYRUS ADLER
to dissuade more Jews from
entering medical schools
ler meat in order
provide revenues to maintain Talmud I or-
and similar institutions. Larger and
^nailer cities, with the Union of Orthodox
thbis setting the keynote, have serious con-
bred the proposal, but to date no definite,
iding action has been undertaken. Another
hi or aspect of the changed Jewish economic
uation is the plight of the American rabbi.
>e orthodox cleric has been most keenly af-
‘ed, although the conservative rabbi has
been much better treated. Despite statis-
al tables offered by a member of the staff
oe L nion of American Hebrew' Congre-
*ons, it is generally admitted that there is
oyerstaffing of reform as well as of other
—that is, considering the economic situa-
• Drastic reductions in salaries have been
cted. In some instances, rabbis obtaining
"I have been reduced to $1,500. Scores
E SOUTHERN ISRAELITE *
of rabbis are without
positions, many of them
virtually dependent on
charity or on the pa
tience of friends.
Another significant
revelation of American
Jewry’s economic posi
tion is its response to
Jewish causes abroad.
The Joint Distribution
Committee, once the re
cipient of generous mil
lions, obtained less this
year than ever before.
The American Pales
tine Campaign ob
tained between $100,-
000 and $125,000 less
than the previous year,
which w as not particu
larly a fortunate one.
In view of the fact that
Palestine has excited
more genuine interest
than ever before, this
drop is particularly
noteworthy. Every
other international and
national enterprise suf
fered similarly.
PHILANTHROPY
The amount of phil
anthropic gifts has al
ways been regarded as
an index of the finan
cial status and the
idealistic motivation of American Jewry.
In years gone by, the sum of contribu
tions to hospitals, universities, homes,
science, art, and other causes swelled
into the tens of millions. Nothing ap
proaching that figure can be recorded
for the year 5692. I he following fig
ures do not include the subventions that
were made during the year by the lead
ing Jewish foundations which include
the Altman Foundation ($30,000,000
capital); the M. and L. Guggenheim
Foundation ($14,140,000 capital); the
Julius Rosenwald Fund ($13,711,295
capital); Maurice and Laura Falk
Foundation ($10,000,000 capital); or
by the Lucius Littauer Foundation, or
such variegated groups as the John
Simon Guggenheim Memorial Founda
tion, Murry and Leonie Guggenheim
Foundation, Baron de Hirsch Fund,
Nathan Hof-
heimer Founda
tion, Poliak
Foundation for
Economic Re
search, A. C.
Foundation or the
Centurv F'und,
KENJAMIN N.
CARDOZO
. judging the place
of the Jew
es-
Ratshesky
Twentieth
tablished by Edward A. F'ilene.
The largest gift of the year—
if it may be considered a gift—
was somew'hat more than $7,-
000,000 acknowledged by the
Rosenw'ald estate as an obliga
tion to the late Julius Rosen-
w'ald, who had promised to pay
to Sears, Roebuck employes any
amount that they' might lose
through the drop in Sears stock
values. The aforementioned
sum was the amount of the loss
involved to employes. The in
cident is a fitting climax to the
philanthropic career of Rosen-
wald, who illustrated to an ex-
STEPHEN S. WISE
created the most disturbing
incident
ceptional degree his
profound understand
ing of the responsibili
ties of a modem capi
talist.
The gifts of more
than $5(),(X)0 made by
American Jews to any
cause during the year
are extremely limited.
I’his includes bequests
in will as well as con
tributions during the
lifetime of the donor.
Among those worthy of
mention are: Solomon
Shapiro’s $52,000 be
quest to New York
charities; Louis Men
delsohn’s donation of
$100,(XX) to the De
troit Flmergency Relief
Fund; Julius Rosen-
w aid’s $100,000 to the
Chicago Relief Com
mittee; the gift of
$400,000 made to the
Philadelphia Jewish
Hospital in the will of
Samuel Mone Friden-
l>erg; Mrs. Mortimer
Schiff’s bequest of
$95,000 to philan
thropy; the $150,000
left in the will of Da
vid W. Simons for the
building of a Jewish
hospital in Detroit; the
$250,000 given to the Boy Scouts by Mrs. Jacob
II. Schiflf in memory of her son, Mortimer; be
quests of $62,000 by Mrs. Lillian Garland. New
York; Jacob B. Klein’s legacy of $500,000 for
the building of a municipal auditorium in Bridge
port, Conn, (the largest bequest ever made in the
city), and an additional $30,000 to charities; Mr.
and Mrs. Felix Warburg’s donation of $75,(KM)
to the New York Jewish Federation; Zelig Mor
ris’ bequest of $100,000 to Chicago charities;
$55,000 left to New Y'ork charities by Charles
II. Ixniis; $50,000 given to the Galveston School
Board by Mrs. Isidore Ivovenberg in recognition
of the naming of a new' high school after her late
husband; $90,000 left to Protestant, Catholic and
Jewish institutions by Seymour Mandelbaum;
$100,000 bequeathed to charity by Sigmund M.
Lehman, of New' York, and $240,000 by lx>ui»
H. Weinberger, of Philadelphia.
During the year there has been renewed asser
tion of discrimination against Jew's in American
professional schools. There has
l>een a noticeable shifting of at
tendance of Jews from medical
and legal institutions in the
East to the Middle West and
West. Dr. Cyrus Adler, Presi
dent of the American Jewdsh
Committee, recommended at a
meeting that steps be taken to
dissuade more Jews from enter
ing medical schools. The field
is overcrowded, he declared.
The same is held to he true of
the law'. However, thousands
of Jews continue to become law
yers, doctors and dentists.
The discrimination is held to
obtain with even greater force
in the field of employment. Va
rious conferences held by na
tional Jew'ish bodies have pro
tested against the discrimina
tion, which is said to be prac
ticed by Jew'ish employers as
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