New-York tribune., 1917-12-03
Banquet at Hotel Astor In
spires 800 Workers for
War Relief
Wilson Sends Letter
Urges All Citizens to Aid the
Campaign, Regardless of
Religious Beliefs

Spurred by a letter from President
Wilson and by addresses by Jacob
Schif, Louis Marshall, Rabbi Nathan
Krass and others, 500 men and women
received last night at a dinner in the
Hotel Astor the final stimulus for the
campaign to raise s5,OoO,oO0. New
York's quota Of the fund for Jewish
War Relief and Welfare Work.
Subscriptions to the amount OF l.o39,-
600 were pledged to the fund at the
close of the dinner. Among the larger
gifts were: Jacob II. Schiff, 100000;
William Fox, $4,000; Felix NJ. War
burg. $4,000; Mortimer L. Schif, s25,-
900; Nathan Straus, 100000; Charles
Wimpfheimer, $4,000; julius Kayser,
$40 900; H. B. Rosen. $4,000; Adolf
Fucker, $4,000; Walter L. Sachs, s20,-
600, and Jacob Wertheim, $4,000.
The campaign opens to-day and will
close December Is. Nearly 1900 cities
and towns in the United tSates already
have raised more than s6,000,000 for
the fund, and Mr.. Schiff, who rendered
the dinner to the $40 campaign work
ers last night. declared that New York
Jews are going to s5,0OO,OOO and over
President wilson's letter, which Mr..
Schif said came unsolicited, was re-
ceived with enthusiasm. At Mr.. Sch'ts
suggestion all the diners arose and
toasted the President, and then it was
announced that the letter, copies Of
which were distributed among the
tables in the Aag-decorated ballroom
of the Astor, would be used to aid
the collectors when the fifty-four teams
begin their work to-day.
Fourteen Women Teams Formed
Fourteen of these teams are made
up of women organized by Mrs. Alex
ander Kohut and Mrs. Leopold Stern.
This is the first time, it was said, that
Jewish women have been organized for
such work, and at the instance also OF
Mr.. Schiff, Mrs. Kohut and Mrs. Stern
shared with the President the honor
of toast.
The s5,oOOOOO mark has been set as
the contribution of the Jews Of the
whole city. BIZ. the Jews OF Brooklyn
have undertaken to raise s5OO,COO OF
this. and Nathan Jonas. who has charge
Of the work in that borough, sent
greetings from his workers, dining at
the Unity Club, to their fellow workers
at the Astor. .
Among the guests AT the speakers
table with Mr.. Schif were Jacob Bill
kopf and David A. Brown, the latter OF
Detroit. who will have charge OF the
greater New York campaign, and
Charles S. Ward, general secretary OF
the Y. ". c. A. Mr.. Schiff declared
that for all these men he had the high
est admiration, for Mr. Billikopf for
his extraordinary work in the Jewish
welfare fund raising throughout the
United States, for Mr.. Brown, who has
practically abandoned his business to
assist, and for Mr.. Ward for the drive"
Iutd III ldlSiHb thS
Use Million in L. ).
OF the New York fund. $4,0O0.OOO,
with n similar proportion of the funds
raised elsewhere in the country, will be
devoted TO the relief of the 100000
Jewish victims of war in Russia, Po-
land. Galicia and Palestine. One mill
ion will be disbursed in welfare work
among the $4,000 young Jews in the
army and navy of the United States.
For both objects the President and
Newton d. Baker, Secretary of War,
who also sent letter, bespoke the
support of all Americans irrespective
of religion, and Mr.. Schif told the as
sembled campaign workers that they
must not fail.
. "This is the first time Jews have
come out in the endeavor to show that
they can do as well as their Gentle
fellow citizens, proportionately, he
said, "and every man must do his duty
not only every man, but every wom-
an"
In his letter President Wilson said in
part:
From statements which I have pre-