Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-31
JEWISH

The fact that renewed persecution of
the Jews in Russia and other countries
Of eastern Europe is pretty certain to
be followed by an exodus of Jewish
emigrants to the United States, bringing
the refugees to this country in large
numbers, has already prompted express
sions of fear lest such an influx of pow
erty-stricken people overtax the ma
chinery we have at hand to tide them
over the transition period until they be-
come self-supporting. 1t is a striking
yet well established truth that the
Jewish immigrants to this country have
furnished by far the smallest percent.
age of dependency of any of the foreign
.ers who came here under similar con-
ditlons Of helplessness. AS bearing on
the present situation with reference to
prospective Jewish immigration, some
of the facts brought together in an In
teresting review of Jewish charity work
contributed by the secretary Of the
United Hebrew Charities to the current
number Of the Annals OF the American
Academy Of Political and Social Science
are suggestive as we'll as instructive.
The number OF Jewish people in the
United States is placed in round figures
at 100000, of which 100000 are to be
found in New York City, and Of course
the greater part of these are of COM
paratively recent coming. Since the
year 1881 fully 100000 Jewish immi-
grants have arrived at the port Of New
York alone. OF these the bulk comprise
refugees from Russian and Roumanian
persecution, Austrians and Galicians-
countries in which many of them lived
in appalling poverty. The records of
the immigration bureau, we are further
told, show that from the standpoint of
material wealth these immigrants are
below the average Of immigrants from
other European countries.
The herculean task Of caring for these
prosecuted people, however, has been
met almost entirely by people Of their
own raoe-the Jews everywhere having
voluntarily assumed to themselves the
duty of relieving the distress of uneor.
tunate Jews without calling upon out.
side assistance, In the year from Octo-
Der, 1891, TO September, 1892, in which
52,134 Jewish immigrants arrived at the
Barge office, the treasurer Of the United
Hebrew Charities paid out the sum OF
1921, 311.05-"fgures telling a tale OF
devotion of altruistic effort, OF sacrifice
OF noble charitable impulse unparalleled
i'm the history of American Judaism
What noteworthy results are achieved
by the philanthropic work undertaken
by these organizations is emphasized
by the writer's report Of a study made
in 1900 of 1000 families who had ap
piled for assistance in 1894. OF thesl
1000 applicants II was found that go:
had not applied for assistance after De
cember, 1894, while of the balance only
sixty-seven were still dependent on tn,
society TO a greater OF lesser degree II
January. 1900. More detailed invest
cation showed that nearly all of thes,
sixty-seven applicants were made up o
families where the wage Garner had
died, leaving a widow with small chill
dren, or of respectable aged and inhrn
couples unable to be self-supporting. O
OF families in which the wage eaTne
had become incapacitated through III
ness. "In other words" to quote tn,
conclusion, "after FIVE years over 93 pc
cent of the cases studied were indie
pendent Of charitable Interference
This information annot fail 10 be re
assuring TO our people, who have al
ways been quite willing TO welcome tn
oppressed Of other nations provide,
they give promise OF becoming Law