The Denver Jewish news., 1924-11-27

| SehSlDiIitleS OF the doubtless then gull
ty Polish political leaders, Mr.. Nor
genthau has nursed resentment
against the Jewish press and absented
himself from Jewish activities.
The writer had occasion to observe
the work Of Henry Morgenthau in
Poland and to hear his opinion, sew
eral years later. He is still resentful.
Even the Greek press is reported to
have made some critical illusions.
Does Mr. Morgenthau resent ii so
strongly? Are Jewish refugees in
ferior in any way to Greek refugees? ?
Is their situation less appealing than
that of the Greeks? Aren't they vic
tins of one conception?
An appeal for Sl,OOO,OO has been
issued to American Jewry by the Ma
tional Conference of the Ort, held last
Sunday at the home of Mr.. Adolph
Lewisohn.
Ort is name, in spite Of the many
attempts to familiarize it in American
Jewish life, which may not be known
to all. However, the Ort campaign
carries n particular appeal to Ameri-
can Jews.
When translated, these three letters
mean Society for the Promotion of
Technical Trades and Agriculture. 1t
is not new name, nor is the concep-
tion recent. 1t was forty years ago
that leaders of Russian Jewry, in seek
ing to relieve the situation in the
crowded Russian Pale, or perhaps,
foreseeing the approaching calamity
that they set out to revitalize the stag
nant economic position of the Jewish
population in Eastern Europe by sub
jecting it to gradual transformation
from rootless occupations to produc-
tive ones to technical trades and to
agriculture. This situation, which
was responsible for the emigration of
Jews from Russia to the United States,
continued until the outbreak of the
World War. Under normal conditions
and, provided political disabilities were
removed, it would safely have been
left to take its natural course. The
war and the social revolution, how
ever, have not only aggravated the
situation and made the problem acute,
but have created the alternative of
extinction of survival. The survival
depending upon the sudden necessity
of diverting large classes of people
into productive fields of labor.
One wing of Russian Jewry, which
had the foresight, energy and good
fortune of emigrating to technically
highly developed countries like Amer
lea has gone through this difficult pro-
cess under favorable conditions. The
other now faces the same problem un-
der compulsory conditions, threaten
ing them with disaster. The bulk of
the American Jewish masses today
represent class of hardworking, hon
est and energetic, self-made men.
1t is to these self-made American
Jews that the appeal of the Ort is of
particular interest, for no one better
understands the situation of man or
group of men who have to establish
themselves on an economic footing un-
der great handicaps than those who
have gone through the mill themselves.
Providing technical training, neces-
sary information and equipment for
the creation Of self-supporting and
reliant class is task which must find
a hearty response. Considering the
magnitude of the problem and the
area of territory and numbers which
this fund wishes to serve-it includes
Russia, Poland, Latvia, Roumania,
Lithuania-one may marvel at the
modesty of the request.