The Denver Jewish news., 1919-02-05
Glimpses OF The Work
Done By The J. D. c.
WAYS IN WHICH SUFFERING
JEWS IN PALESTINE, GREECE
AND SIBERIA WERE HELPED.

Prior to .Amciica's entrance into the
war. there had been II local Relief
Committee which hNl been regularly
receiving funds from the Joint Dis
tribution Committee for the relief of
the Jews of Palestine. With the high
prices of food and the oppressive Turk
ish regime, it was indeed hut little
that the committee could do. When
the United States became n belliger.
cnt. and diplomatic relations with Tmr-
ley were broken off, new arr;inge-
ments for the relief of thc Jews of
Palestine had to he made. The United
States Government WAS in entire
sympathy with the efforts Of the Joint
Distribution Committee. and arrange
ments We're made thru the State. DE.
partment whereby Mr.. $. HOOficn, II
subject of Holland. the resident man.
ager of the Anglo Parestinian Bank at
Jerusalem. was made the Distributing
! Agent of the .icint Distribution com
mittce.
Before him lay the gigantic task of
feeding the starving. clothing the max
ed. bringing succor to the sick. shelter.
ing the shelterlcss. and bringing to
suffering Palestine whatever of relief
and assistance American Jewry could
offer. From the first of August. 1917
to the end of the following May. HI
directed the work of relief in Je-
r,lsalcm, and the colonies. until. on
June LIST. 101S. the entire task was
given over into the hands of the Zion
list Commissions Relief Department.
which. thereafter. distributed all tho
funds sent to Jerusalem by the Joint
Distribution Committee.
One of the chief activities of the
former Jerusalem committee had been
the distribution of bread. and this I'M
pOrtunt work was continued by Mr..
HOOllen. Altogether. some 10 insti
tutions. schools. and organizations re-
quired bread to distribute to the people
coming to them. The blend distribu-
ton for children was done mostly thru
the schools where they could lre easily
and regularly reached. Therefore.
when the new school year began. after
the Fall Holidays. all the Jewish chi
dren of Jerusalem streamcd into the
school and few large girls Heder
were set up for the avowed purpose
of letting their children have share
in the bread distribution. The num-
her of school children fed rose to an
average of 800. In order to feed
the children. poor families and iiisti
tutions. AIR. Hoofien required several
hundred sacks OF flour every week.
With the advance of the Allied Armies'
and evacuation of parts of Palestine
this became almost impossible to Sc
cure. In the first days of November
the Turkish Sinai Front waS pierced
| ly General .Allcnby's troops. antl Je-
rlisalem was evacuated. In Il sudden
panic. by the German. Austrian ami
part of the Turkish troops. y Turk
ish COmmander-in-Chief was put in
charge of the city. Everything eat
able. if not carefully hidden. was re
Questioned and the mills were closed
Later dynamite cartridges were laid in
their machinery. in order to blow them
| up. There waS no longer any wheat
flour on the market Ms no one dared
to show the small stocks that might
lie on hand. In this emergency. Mr.
Hoofien took desperate measures. for
it was IL matter of life or death to the
thousands of children who depended
almost exclusively on the little piece
of bread at noon. for nourishment.
Miss lletty Goldman, has Been Sent to
Salonica AS commissioner Of the joint
Distribution Committee Shows the
Present Situation ut SalOnica.
Miss Goldman cabled:
No need food or direct money gifts
in Salonica but housing situation de
ploruble. Hundreds of families still
living in cellars of ruined houses. eN-
posed to wind and rain. situation
urgent Cannot be met ir shipments
from America. Am trying assist com
munity purchase French and Italian
| hospital barracks soon to be evacuated
and securing building materials from
armies. Will cable for funds when
definite arrangements made. Greek
government constructing loo one
room houses for fire refugees but none
completed"
Another reads:
IF portable houses obtainahle Italy.
advise at once up to What sum au-
thorZc purchase"
The following authorizes the cNpen-
diturc of S2J.0O0
Authorize you to cNpcnd twenty
g.. ,.nII,, hptS