South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-20
JE WIS READY FOR
COMING TAG DAY.
Description of Conditions in
lithuania Explains Reason
For Thursdays Effort.

Everything is set by the Jewish
Peoples Relief society for the in
auguration of tag day in this city
early Thursday morning. when over
100 girls will go about the streets
appealing TO men, women and chill
dren to buy tags 10 help the Jewish
war sufferers. At a meeting held
last night in the y w. c. A. build
ing over so girls were present, eager
for the day 10 dawn when they can
90 their part toward helping their
suffering kinfolk across the sea
More girls are wanted and all those
who will lend a hand at the sale
Thursday are asked 10 be at the Y.
w c. A. building on Lafayette St,
Thursday morning at O'Clock.
The South Bend Peoples Relief
society for Jewish war sufferers. un-
der whose auspices the tag day IS 70
be held, offers the following descrip-
ton Of conditions in Pinsk, Lithu-
ania, by 3. Zuckerman. general man
ager OF the relief committee, in
justification for the appeal for funds:
There is-Or rather, there was
q Jewish folk kitchen in Pinsk The
city administration had distributed
a thousand portions OF food for the
purpose of this kitchen. Each por
ton consisted of a dish Of soup. a
soup that is a concoction Of water
and mixture Of -four and mud 10
Formerly a quarter of an averaged
size potato was thrown into the bar
gain, but when 1 strayed by no pota-
toes, were in sight. l tasted the soup,
and / must tell you that l could not
possibly swallow this soup, and
its taste I could not forget for many.
many weeks
Tells OF Method.
Il will try TO describe the working
Of this kitchen: The food is dis
tributed from noon TO three in the
afternoon. When l arrived at
o'clock in the morning, L beheld a
long row OF people. People indeed
Hardly people. but rather living
corpses from whom the image Of
God had long departed The long
line grew vaster/ every moment and
the vaster it grew. the more impa-
tient il became. Trouble soon was
brewing the women. once upon a
time honest and pious housewives
and i'm many cases from families of
means. now tear and clutch at the
remnants of the cOlorless and life
less hair that they have left They
drag one another about 10 get a bet
ter position in the line in order that
hey may at least be sure OF getting
their share of mud 10 moisten the
lips Of their parched and hungry
children, 10 taste a bit themselves.
Thus it is that they push one an
other and hurl one another TO the
ground each and every day. hour aft
or hour in the morning until noon
and the afternoon; until the climax
of excitement is reached between
? and O'Clock when many see that
their position in the line viii net
them nothing Then il is that the
ugliest and most beastly moment ar
rives. when the little gate through
which the cursed dish is handed out
is barred and locked again for the
day what lamentations and curses
are poured forth on the officials OF
the folks kitchen. officials starved
themselves, officials that in the very
truth are saints and martyrs-what
Jnhuman voices from thousands Of
unhuman threats are poured forth,
j tell YOU the devil himself could
not have invented such misery.
Visited Homes.
II wanted 10 see the homes. and
Lord. what a sight Imagine
room not bigger than our bedroom
without a floor. all dirty and disgust
ing. and which lodges from four 20
nine people. lying in beds all around
the ground absolutely naked heaped
together. men. women and children.
There YOU enter and YOU see bone
protruding faces with eyes that
blaze and sparkle with hunger. You
observe a hand or another part OF
the body and see IL swollen in its
entire length and full Of soft sores
These people cannot speak nor can
then answer your question, but
stare idiotically at you. They often
clutch the object YOU bring 10 them
with such vehemence that Il has
often happened that they bit the
fingers CT their benefactOrs When
YOU ask even the strongest Of them
What Is your name? - they answer
Piece OF bread.