Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-05-20
JEWISH REFUGEES
F|NDCUbAN HAVEN
Hundreds From Russia and
Southeast Europe Get New
Start in Life.
BY ANTHONY CZARNECkI.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and Oh
cago Daily News

| special Correspondence Of The Star and Chi
cago Daily News.
F; HAVANA, Cuba, May 10.-Twenty-
five hundred Jewish refugees from
Russia, the Ukraine, Rumania and
other countries of southeastern
| Europe have landed in Cuba and are
being sheltered and given new
start in life. Arrangements have
been made to receive several hundred
| more within short time.
| Many Of the refugees will make
permanent homes in Cuba. establish
! ing centers of Jewish life in Havana.
! Santiago, Matanzas and other cities,
! but for "A large percentage the stay
| on the island will be only temporary.
Very many of them hope to go to the
| United States as soon AS the immi-
| grafton laws will permit
Upon their arrival in Cuba the ref
| ugees Were met by groups of prom
inent Jewish citizens. headed by
Joseph Steinberg. Moses Bensignor
and others. They were taken to the
temporary shelter and clearing house
| for Jewish immigrants which the
Centre Maccabeo had arranged at Ii
st. Ignatius street There such as
sistance as could BE- provided for
them was arranged. One of the first
requests of nearly all of them was
to be taken to a synagogue, and they
were greatly surprised to find that
| there was no such thing in Havana
This want has now been supplied.
Drones ConspicuousIy Absent.
Visits to the shelter places and hGsnes
Of some of the refugees who have been
longest in the island show th2[ they
are not Of the drone variety. They
have settled down 10 labsr. with the
determination to wnrl' suC bright fu-
ture. At the fv-. centers of relief es-
tablished in havana with the help Of
funds furnished by the Jewish joint dis
tribution committee are found organ
lied classes i'm English and Spanish, in
which both the young and the old are
/; learning the languages Of the western
world. There are dormitories, soup
kitchens, employment bureaus, medical
dispensaries, a legal aid bureau, a syn
agogue and classrooms on the neatly
kept premises.
Miss Tema Schechter. with a group
of the wives and daughters Of old Jew
ish residents here, is busy looking after
the women and children in the refugee
groups, and all the officers Of the Asso-
citation OF Jewish Immigrant Relief and
Aid-the Centre Maccabeo-give freely
of their time and money to carry on
various activities. A loan fund has
been established to enable the new
corners to equip themselves with tools,
or, if they wish to become merchants, to
provide them with merchandise. Al
ready underwear and sandal factories
have been established, as have several
tailoring and furniture manufacturing
shops.
May Purchase Farms.
Among the refugees are carpenters.
painters, bricklayers and followers Of
ether trades, and for these the old jew
ish residents have been able to find
plenty of work. Some of the refugees
have been looking over the island with
the idea of engaging in agriculture and
for those who do the association will
give aid in the purchase OF farms large
enough to support their families.
1t is plainly the desire of most of
the refugees, however, TO go on to
the United States. although some OF
them appear TO be interested in the
possibilities of Canada and Mexico.
while to many of the refugees
Cuba will be only temporary stop
ping place" Mr.. Steinberg Informed
me, sit will be the permanent home
of quite a few of them. AT present
we have no branch of the B'nal
Birth, which has its center in Chi
cago, but we hope il and other or
ganizations will found branches here
in the near future. In all there were
500 children in the Jewish refugee
parties and forty babies were born
to mothers within a month after
their arrival here.
Aid From United States.
Not only do the members of the
Centre Maccabeo devote without pay
all the time necessary to the relei
work, but out of the small group of
Jewish residents here we have con-
tributed $4,000 to the budget of
s42. 600, of which $4,000 is provided
by the Jewish people of the United
States through the joint distribution
committee.
Before this immigration move
ment started there We're about 100
western Jewish people on the island
and a group of perhaps few more
eastern Jews. The Immigration
problem has been growing, but ii has
been met through unselfish, harmoni-
ous team work of our people. No
one gets any financial profit for the
work and no one seeks any glory.
All are pulling for results and We
are getting them.
I'VE are thankful for the great
helm the work is getting from the
United States and realize that with
out it we should have found it well
nigh impossible problem to handle
adequately. The Cuban government,
too. has been splendid in its CO