The Denver Jewish news., 1920-01-14
(Copyright by 1. ]. 2. B. }

.back number"
In fact, representatives of the
Bukowinian Jews have now held a
conference and founded federation.
whose chief object will be TO help in
the rehabilitation of the Jews in
Bukowina.
New York alone has as many as 500
Bukowinian organizations. and much
can be done in the line of relief work
in Bukowina. One of the plans Of
the Bukowinian Federation is the es-
tablishment of bank in CernOwitZ.
which shall supply credit to the lesser
Jewish merchants and traders of
CernOwitz and the surrounding coun-
Try.
At the head of the Federation
stands Herman Berg, u prominent jew
ish social worker among the Bukowin-
ian "Landsmanschaften
On the 18th of January tie BuliOw-
inian Federation will mold its first
great mass meeting. which will be at
the same time the Organization-meet-
ing for the association. Permanent Of
f.cers and permanent executive COM
mittee will be elected then.
1t can now be said with certainty
Congress will be called shortly. At
the most, as it is hoped, n month or
so will pass. the peace treaty will he
ratified, and our anti-COnsress leaders
will have no further excuse for put
ting off the Congress.
But the summoning OF Congress
now takes on new turn. 1t is no
longer n question whether the Con-
gress shall be convened or not, but for
what purpose shall 1t be convened: To
hear u report of the Congress dele
gates who were sent to the Peace Con-
ference in Paris, and with that to close
the session and the life of the Jewish
Congress. or to make the Congress a
living factor in all the public work of
American Jewry?
At the conference held last Sunday
by the New York Congress delegates.
that question was earnestly debated.
and 1t was the consensus OF opinion
that the Congress ought to be called
soon, not only to hear report on the
Peace Conference.-The Is not now so
important-sincet the delegates can add
nothing more to their work; at the
most we can only give them praise or
blame-but actually to make the Con-
gress an effective institution in the
life of American Jewry, and to see
that all organized Jewish activities
shall not get beyond the Jewish Con-
gress. but that they shall secure their
power and inspiration from it.
American Jewry has devoted too
much energy to the creation Of rep
resentative Jewish Congress, to supine-
ly agree now that few Individuals.
who are keen on having democratic
rule everywhere except in Jewish pub
lie life, shall crumblc the Congress
between their fingers and Ike its
second session merely an accha for
giving a report and hearing Rabbits
blessing.
On Saturday, January 10th. on the
ship amsterdam" of the Holland
American Line. the first unit of the
Joint Distribution Committee will have
for Poland.
The unit consists of 23 persons. many
fol -xynrI.prS pf
New York. Philadelphia, Chicago and
other cities.
DIR. Bogen made a special effort 10
secure fos this unit persons who nad
an American point of view toward
social service. and who would be in
accord with the administration of re-
lief work in Poland, which the Joint
Distribution Committee is preparing tt
carry forward now on much broader
scale than heretofore.
One of the obstacles which the Joint
Distribution Committee has encounter
ed up to now in its activity ON the
other side of the Atlantic is that IL
has had to work., thru local commit
tees of men who had poor conception
Ofs organization and who sought to iii-
troduce the system or the small-town
benevolent association into the great
work of relief This. however. during
the first period was unavoidable. Now
that the situation in Poland has become
somewhat less tense and since DIR.
Bogen has the advantage of the ex-
perience gained during his several
months stay in Poland, it has be-