The Denver Jewish news., 1922-07-12
COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN
why Distinct Jewish PhilanthrOpics"
Pittsburgh's Director of Charities and
Former Council President Discusses
Question.

Question.
New York City-n view of her cx-
tended experience in the field Of Social
Service. as we'll rs Jewish philan-
thropic work. Mrs. Enoch Rauh of
Pittsburgh. who holds the position of
Director of Charities I'M the Mayors
cabinet in that city. was recently in
tcrvicwcd on the subject. Why Dis
tinct Jewish PhlantnropicSF Mrs.
Rauh served as president of the Pitts
burgh Section of the Council of Jew
'ish Women for Is years before ASSUME
ing her municipal responsibility. The
interview. contributed to THE Jewish
Woman" contains the following per-
tincnt and thoughtful observations:
"The Jewish people maintain their
philanthropieS ms something unique
and different from the non-Jcwish
philanthropics because of several
reasons.
THE first factor is difference in
the Jewish community chcrishes with
regard to lis dependent children. \
modern Jewish orphan asylum is much
more of an educational institution
than the overwhelming majority of
our non-Jcwish orphanagcS. The
Jews stress for their orphan children
higher education. frequently resulting
in from 20To to ~ per cent Of all
the children receiving n high school
education. vocational training; social 4
life within the institution; self gov
crnment activities: after-care: and
above all. n, relationship between the
orphan children and the men and
women in charge of them which spells
greater freedom. more humanity. great
er affection than is customary in the
majority of our non-Jewish institu
tiOnS. Moreover. the relationship he
tween the orphan children and the
parents of the dependent children is
much more cordial
"a second factor that argues for dis
iinct philanthropy is our problem Of
poverty The Jewish problem Of pov-
crty is less persistent in character
than the non-.IewiSlI. In this conncc-
iion it may be safely said that the
general experience of Jewish relief
and family welfare societies points
definitely TO the fact that Jewish pow
crty is more transitory. more tcmpor
AIRY in character than poverty among
nOn-Icws. This may he due to many
reasons. chief of them being the fact
~ to, ;,,l
tion among the Jewish poor 10 rise
above the level of poverty and also
the deliberate attempt made 10y the
Jewish relief organizations to spend
lilies on their feet. Jewish philan-
thropies have developed for this pur-
pose the Free Loan Association idea.
special funds for self-hclp and re-
habilitatiun. 1t is not by any means
an infrcquent thing among Jewish or
canizations of this kind to advance
large sums of money in order to en-
able the dependent family 10 establish
itself in some kind of business that
would lift them out of the domain of
poverty.
"A third consideration. II fundnmen-
tal one. is that of Charity In no
other religion is charity linked up
with the idea of social justica as in
ours. The Jewish philosophy which 1
is expressed in the adage The whole
world rests upon the Torah. the prac-
tice of religion. and the practice of So
cial JUSTICE is so inextricably inter
woven with the idea that il is our
religious duty to give to the poor with
u view of helping them to rehahiltatc
themselves. that ii completely domi-
mates our Jewish conception of philan-
thropy. The abandonment of this
controlling idea might indeed he tan
tamount to weakening our Jewish So
cial structure.
"Our traditions, our religion. our
psychology. created for MS problems
that can only be met adequately by
distinct Jewish organizations and an
especial social service.