Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-10-09
JEWS IN SERBIA
IN BAD PLIGHT
Economic Ruin and Epidemics
Have Fallen to Thei.' Lot.
in Balkans.
ev: caRIAN OUTLOOK BETTER
Investigator Urges Shipments OF Food
and Clothing to Rouman'a-Fund
Of $s5,ooo,oo0 Being Sought
In United States.


tion of Jews in the Balkan countries,
rs made to the American Jewish Re'
iipf committee by its Investigators
alrnnd show that economic ruin, enl-
denies of typhus, tuberculosis ami
/, hher diseases have fallen to the lot OF
rnItan Jews to an extent fq'lnt 10 1i'''
s,frr.r.t h. their c0-rc1iglhnis's IN
,thpr war-torn countries, but that po-
'iticM and religious repressive meas
ureS have been lncitng.
Tie first detailed account Of the SIT
uation in Serbia In many months IL
from DR.. Isaac Alcalay, chief rabbi or
snrl,;a. with headquarters In Bel
g.ade. He. snd Belgrade was stll'
without regular communication with
the provinces, because the railroads
,tr1 bridges destroyed by the Austrians
have not been restored:
"Durinc the war" he wrote, "Jews
In Helprnde suffered nroportionately
more than the rest Of the population.
Most of their hahitationS were exposed
tc rnnire throughout the IL months
that the city was under h0mhardment.
n
Jewish population of the city, formerly
S,GGn. now numbers no more than ANU
The number Is being Increased daily
by returning refugees, Many men are
still with the co'ors.
Have Suffered Terribly.
ECONOMICALLY. the Serbian jews
have suffered terribly. Because or
tho uncertain political situation. all
regular commerce Is impossible, and IT
il difficult for Jewish citizens to i'm
prove their condition. This has de-
prived institutions OF financial aid
from the native population. Jewish
schools are totally destroyed and the
children cnnnOt be educated.
"Such situation is unfortunate. for
the war has brought us new duties.
The Jews of old Serbia took q very
active part in the Balkan wars and
IN the world war. TIE years of fight
ing have deprived more than 400 fam
lilies of their bread winners. These
people have to be helped
In Bulgaria. according to n report
from Miss ITctty Goldman of this city.
Ile tbil'IlfIl WI WV b'"N " '''''''
what better than in Serbia Poverty
is not so widespread, nor are health
conditions so bad.
The families of Jewish residents re-
cciye ullotmentS ranging from ~ to ~
levns n month according to II" size
of tho fari'v. Recently the hi; Eimum
v ,.t:-ed 10 % i.s., To meet tnr
'',A ,SjI =
vii ho ooItiruad for WIDOWS nnA or
"Erlgarian Jews are able to meet
the needs of their own poor, but they
have recently been confronted with
a new responsibility. Roumanian Jews
are seeking refuge in Bulgaria, and
their Bulgarian co-reiigioniStS are at
loss to know what to do with them.
There Is no work even for skilled ar
tiSt. -.
"a SOUP kitchen Is being run for
these people of sophia but many are
desperate An allotment from our
American Jewish relief fund must be
made to care for them"
In Roumnnia there is need of cloth
ing and staple foods. 1t was Miss
Goldman who made the investigation
IN this country also.
Clothing Greatest Need.
"The people needed clothing above
everything else" her report reads.
almost everybody is shabby, and
large percentage of the poor are prac-
tically without clothing. I went into
many homes where the inmates had on
mere rags or were huddled In torn
blankets of Sacking.
"The second greatest need Is for
staple foods. such as dry beans, peas,
rice, vegetables, fats and the like.
Such supplies as are 10 be had are sold
Mt exor' .tant prices American Jew
ish relief committees should send
clothing and food for about 35OoO per-
sons. Only If this is done will they
have protection against the hardships
of next winter.
81 was painfully impressed by the
number of sick in Roumania. In Blu
charpst. out of Jewish population of
$4,000 there was an average of eight
funerals a day last winter. large
percentage of typhuS cases in Buchh-
rest and Jnssy have been among Jews.
The lack of clothing, especially of
clean underwear, has been contrib
uting cause. The inability to obtain
fuel made families huddle In their
rooms. Some did not go outside their
homes practically all winter"
Machinery for the effective distribu-
ton of relief in the Balkan countries
is in operation. More than $4,000
worth of supplies, including several
tons Of kosher meat. was sent from
New York late in July to Constanza,
Roumania The American Jewish re-
lief committee. under the chairman
ship of Louis Marshall plans to con-
tinue regular shipments OF this kind
to the Balkans and to Poland, Galicia,
Czecho- Slovakia, and the other cOun-
tries.
For this purpose fund of $35,OOO,-
600 is heing sought In the United
States this year.