Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-04-15


n gray, huddled twentieth century In
fcrno Of misery, want and helplessness
was recounted "Wednesday by Miss
Irma May, ot New York City, who re-
turned on the s. $, Paris direct FROM q
tour OF the hunger region" Of Poland.
Galicla and Bessarabln where hun
drcds Of thousands of Jewish families.
after ten years struggle against the
lmpoverishment OF the war. are now
crushed in final tragedy OF Industrial
ruin. destitution and starvation ms a
result OF the latest economic collapse in
Eastern Europe.
Miss May, who was abroad on u visit
when the first reports OF the new Jew
ish disaster in Europe reached this
country. was commissioned by cable by
David \. Brown, national chairman Of
the United Jewish Campaign for $15,-
OWop overseas chest TO complete the
reconstruction tasks undertaken by the
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee in Russia and the Eastern
European countries. to obtain first-fand
Information of actual condition, and
the extent of the breakdown o. trade
and industry affecting the jew Of these
countries.
She started ON her mission early in
January and in the last three months
has journeyed from city to city. from
village to village in all the large Jewish
sections of Poland. Galicia and Bess-
arabia, in the face OF the physical
hardships Of uncertain transportation.
and the difficulties OF local censorship
sources of Information, Her reports
by radio Hnd letter TO Mr.. Brown.
based on authenticated statistical in.
formation, make up an overwhelming
day-byJ day chronicle of human ruin
and Despair, crowded with factual in
timGtc detail OF the suffering Of work
ers broken by months and years OF un-
cmployment, of merchants stripped Of
their last resources, of proud and poor
alike levelled to bread lines and soup
kitchens, of women and children starv-
ing and freezing and waiting in piteous
resignation for death. Over a million
Jews of Poland-onc-third of the entire
Jewish population of the country-are
at present absolutely without any
means of support. and their only hope
Of being saved from extinction, Miss
May declares, rests on the early arrival
of relief funds from America.
The Jewish cities of Bessarabia, Miss
May found, presented n repetition Of
the Polish picture of impoyerishment
stagnation and helpless misery. Due
TO a two years crop failure, the his
toric Jewish agricultural communities
Of this region are shattered by want
famine and disease. Child mortality in
Bessarabia has reached 100 per cent.
us n result of severe malnutriton and
lack Of medical aid, and fayus and
hhh-'i 'Sphuo hi' SpicduhlS ouih-
ously. The food allowance of Jewish
families in this section of Bcssarabia-
all available food supplies are rationed
out hy local hunger committees'-is a
few ounces of corn meal and fraction
Of pound of potatoes per day.
Miss May turned over additional data
on the last stages of her trip, in which
She visited the Polish cities of Pinsk
and Brest-Litovsk, immediately on her
arrival to Mr. Brown and the campaign
committee which is organizing the
drive for a SG.000,oOO New York City
campaign in this city, of which William
Fox is chairman. will he conducted in
the two weeks from April 81 to May ..
Miss Mays final experiences in Po-
| land represent peak of the appalling
panorama of physical and moral break
down in which n plteous frcnzied strug-
Gle for bread. hopeless submission ia
| SgualOr and disease, and panic OF
Self-drstruction as an escape from un'
hcurable suffering and degradation, be
speak the utter collapse of the ancient
communal structure OF Jewish life IL
| Poland, and threaten the extinction OF
millions of lives OF men, women anG
children. In Brcst, Miss May fount
the poorest of the poor, mostly wal
widOws and orphans, still living in tn,
ruins OF the synagogs in which they
took shelter when they returned as ref
ugces and cXiles Of siege and cvacua
| tiOn after the razing of the city in the
! last withdrawal of the Russian armie.
I from the fortress. Utterly depleted h!
/ the destruction Of the military occupa
tions and countcr-occupations, scarcit, /,
Of work and food and the struggle
| against hrOken-down, rudimentHry liv
| ing conditions. the local community /,
| incapable of relieving the plight oI
I "a "A