Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-03-11
SEVEN CENTS A DAY
TO SAVE STARVING.
Appeal to Americans for
Further Aid in Behalf of
Destitute Jews.
CONDITIONS DESPERATE

messages received here in the last
several weeks by the joint distribution
committee for the relief of Jewish
war sufferers by the treasurer, Her.
bert H. Lehman, indicate that the
plight of the Jews in Europe is worse
than any previous statement has
shown.
There are today in the belligerent
countries upwards of 100000 Jews,
of whom not less than IS per cent, or
2,450,Q00, are entirely destitute and
depend upon daily relief in the form
of food to maintain life. Mr.. Lehman
has estimated that taking the prevail
ing average cost of foods in all the
countries engaged i'll the war, or d.
rectly affected by it, in which the Jews
are in need, the minimum per capita
cost for food alone is cents a day,
or 49 cents per week, without any al
lowance whatsoever for meeting the
cost of fuel, clothing or shelter.
Millions of Money Needed.
The cable messages lately received
make the number of 2,450,000 requir-
ing relief, most conservative esti-
mate, so that in order merely to sus-
tain the lives of these people would
take $62 100000 a year for the one
item of food. 1t is estimated that at
least one-half of this great sum must
come from sources outside of Europe
itself, and as America is virtually the
only nation in a position to extend
aid, it should be figured that $5l ,000,-
900 annually, under present condi-
tions, must come from this side of
the Atlantic.
The cable messages show that the
conditions are particularly serious in
Poland, Palestine and Turkey. The
last cable received during the week
from Poland reads as follows:
"ln name of hundred Of thou
sands destitute Jews entreat you
most urgently send immediate
remittances. Any stopping of
contributions will cause saddest
catastrophe"
Conditions in Poland.
Detailed information from Poland
shows that forty-two towns i'll the
province of kalisch, including LODI
and vicinity, have Jewish population
of 100000, of whom 100000 are desti-
tute; sixty-four towns in the district
of Warsaw have Jewish population
of 100000, of whom half are i'll want;
in the district of Plock, including
forty-six towns, 10000 Jews are in
want; in the government of Siedlec,
including the southern part of Grod-
no from LikoW to Pinsk, forty-four
towns have 10000 Jews, of whom
two-thirds are destitute; In the vicin-
ity Of Sosnowitz, Dombrowa, Czen-
stochau and Bondzim there are $4,000
destitute in twenty towns; and SO on
in every district of Poland word
comes of thousands upon thousands
Of Jews depending upon relief funds
for their daily bread.
Conditions in Lithuania are similar,
although thosuands Of Jews have left
the country.
From Russia, it Is learned, relief is
being extended by the central com
mittee to 238000 families, or, roughly
speaking, more than 100000 persons.
Thirty eight per cent Of these families
are deprived of fathers or family
heads; 81 per cent of the individuals
are children under IA years of age,
and IS per cent are the aged and sick.
Conditions are not different in Aus
tria, Galicia, Bulgaria, Roumania and
the other countries directly involved
in the war.
Short of Funds in Turkey.
Ambassador Elkus has wired that
in Constantinople and the surrounding
country $4,000 people are daily being
fed, but that owing to the insuffi-
cheney of funds 10000 are destitute
and cannot be helped in any way. At
a recent meeting held in honor of
Ambassador Elkus at the Grand Rab-
binat of Grand Rabbi Nahoun the
Jews able to give contributed 5000
Turkish pounds for local relief, the
largest collection ever taken there.
The greatest obstacle in the way of
relief is the steadily mounting cost of
food, which makes it unlikely that the
present allowance of one piastre a
day will long suffice to keep alive a
destitute person.
American Contributions Inadequate.
The joint distribution committee
since January ! has sent abroad for
relief purposes about 81, 100000, sum
SO totally inadequate to the need that
suffering and loss of life, particularly
among the children and older persons,
beggars description. Since the out
break of the war a total of 81 100000
has been sent m all, raised by Ameri-
can Jews and distributed in the vari-
Gus countries, but were this sum or
sum many times larger to be sent
again, it would not suffice to meet the
full requirements of the situation.
Many Must Die.
The joint distribution committee
realizes that to raise all that is needed
is an impossible undertaking, and that
it will be impossible to save all the
lives of those now facing starvation.
1t is simply question of how many
lives are to be saved by Americas aid
in dollars and cents. Every 7 cents
sent from here will sustain the life of
one individual for day and SIS will
prolong the life of human being for
a year. Mr.. Lehman points out there
can therefore be no question i'll the
mind of anyone but that even the
most trihing contribution will help.
Every dollar and ever cent contrib
uted means Just that much less suffer-