The Jewish War Victims' Fund

The Jewish War Victims' Fund

(We are indebted to Mr. A. Couzin, of Johannesburg, for much of the information contained in this article).

THE Relief Fund for Jewish War Victims of British and Allied Nations and Palestinian Jews, popularly known as the Jewish War Victims Fund, was established at Johannesburg on 27th January, 1915, as a result of a meeting of representatives of Jewish organisations. Forty-three Jewish institutions were represented at the meeting by seventy-six delegates. The resolution creating the organisation established the principle that the Fund should be administered and supervised by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, and that the President, Treasurer and Secretary of the Board should fill these respective offices of the Fund. Mr. Bernard Alexander, President of the Board, was the first Chairman, and held the position for the following ten years.

The inaugural meeting was successful only after several ineffectual attempts had been made, and to the United Hebrew Polish Society of Johannesburg belongs the credit for its persistence in inducing the S.A Jewish Board of Deputies to take the lead in this very necessary relief movement. Mr. A. Couzin, of Johannesburg, was originally responsible in large measure for the activities of the United Hebrew Polish Society in respect of this scheme.

Almost simultaneously with the establishment of the Fund in Johannesburg, organisations with similar objects sprang into existence in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, East London, Durban and Bulawayo.

Although there was no actual affiliation, there was close co-operation between the various organisations, and there was no overlapping of territory or activities.

At the outset the funds collected were allocated as follows: 65 per cent. to Russia, Poland and Lithuania, 20 per cent. to Palestine, 10 per cent. to Alexandria for the relief of refugees there, and 5 per cent. to Belgium.

Later, when the needs for Alexandria and Belgium became less urgent, this extra 15 per cent. was added to the Russian, Polish and Lithuanian allocation. Branches of the parent organisation were established in every village and town, committees were formed, regular monthly collections instituted and functions and entertainments on a colossal scale were organised in augmentation of the Fund.

By 31st March, 1916, twenty-four thousand pounds had been collected and forwarded to responsible committees in the stricken areas.

On 30th May, 1917, the Fund issued its first printed audited Revenue and Expenditure Accounts for the period 25th February, 1915, to 31st March, 1917.

The accounts make very interesting reading.

From the inception of the Fund to 31st March, 1916, the sum of £24,072 15s. 1d. was collected, and for the next succeeding twelve months the sum of £27,386 6s. 6d. was collected, making a grand total of £51,459 1s. 7d. Of this amount £44,193 14s. was sent to Russia and Poland, £5,313 to Palestine, £380 to Belgium and £90 to Alexandria.

Small Administration Costs.

The entire cost of collecting, administering and despatching this large amount was £423 11s. 9d., of which the major portion was spent in postages, printing and bank charges. Salaries amounted to the very modest sum of £355. This must surely be a record for economical and efficient management. The audited accounts are signed by B. Alexander, President; I. M. Goodman, Hon. Treasurer; P. Cowen, General Secretary; and M. Abrahams, Registered Public Accountant, Auditor.

In November, 1920, it was announced that the Transvaal Fund had reached £129,843.

Owing to slackening off in the activities of many of the branches, on the initiation of the Doornfontein Branch a Conference of War Victims Fund Branches was held in Johannesburg, and the connection of the Board of Deputies with the Fund ceased.

But the Conference resulted in a wonderful revival of activities. At the time of the Conference it was reported that 28,000 garments had been collected and shipped overseas for distribution in the war-ravaged areas, and in the two years following the Conference an additional £76,604 was collected.

Cape Town.

It is of interest, at this point, to record the progress of the sister fund in the City of Cape Town. The Cape Relief Fund for Jewish War and Pogrom Victims was established in December, 1914. The territory over which the Fund had jurisdiction was the Cape Province, excluding Kimberley and district, Port Elizabeth and district, East London and district, and, after the first two years, Paarl and district. These centres each had their own organisation and despatched their collections direct to the London Committee.

From December, 1914, to December 31st, 1920, the sum of £77,835 18s. 5d. was collected at a total cost of £1,220 3s. 10d., truly a remarkable achievement, and a striking proof of self-sacrificing labours on the part of a comparatively small band of workers.

During these six years of the existence of the Fund, the following gentlemen held office: Chairman, Mr. Morris Alexander; vice-chairman, Rabbi M. Ch. Mirvish; hon. treasurers, Rev. B. Strod, Dr. S. E. Kark, Mr. A. Brodie and Mr. J. Gitlin; hon. secretaries, J. Mirvish, I. M. Goodman, J. Gesundheit and B. Chideckel. 

In 1919 and 1920, 22,500 garments were collected and sent to Warsaw for distribution to the various stricken areas.

The Fund underwent several changes of name before it became finally merged into the United South African Jewish Relief, Reconstruction and Orphans Fund. Its first designation was The Cape Russo-Jewish War Relief Fund, then The Relief Fund for Jewish War Victims of British and Allied Nations and Palestinian Jews, and in 1920 to The Cape Relief Fund for Jewish War and Pogrom Victims.

Kfar Yeladim.

To the Cape Fund belongs the credit for having formulated the scheme for the establishment of an Orphan Colony in Palestine, which eventually became what is now known as Kfar Yeladim.

In addition to the organisations established in Johannesburg and Cape Town, active committees existed at Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Rhodesia.

Various attempts were made on the initiative of the Johannesburg Fund to bring the various organisations together, pool their resources, co-ordinate their activities, and generally unite for the good of the common objective. Following much correspondence with the various organisations occupied in similar work throughout South Africa, a Conference of all interested organisations was held in Bloemfontein in August, 1922.

At this Conference, The United South African Jewish Relief, Reconstruction and Orphans Fund came into existence, with headquarters at Johannesburg. All branches of the Transvaal movement and all centres in South Africa affiliated, with the exception of Port Elizabeth and Roodepoort.

Fate of War Orphans.

For some time prior to the Bloemfontein Conference the question of the war orphans had agitated the minds of many of the workers, and several of the branches had forwarded resolutions and recommendations on the subject. While most of the workers felt that something should be done specifically for the war and pogrom orphans, there existed three distinct schools of thought on the subject:-

(a) That the orphans should be maintained and cared for at their present towns of residence.

(b) That a number should be transported to Palestine and maintained there.

(c) That a number should be brought to South Africa and maintained here.

Eventually all three schemes were in part adopted.

With regard to (a), South African Jewry maintained 2,250 orphans through the agency of the Central Relief Committee in Paris, at the following centres:- 

The children received food, clothing, and medical attendance. In addition to this, the United Fund equipped and maintained three hospitals under the control of O.Z.E. for a considerable period.

Chaluzim Assisted.

The United Fund also remitted relief for the Chaluzim, to the Harbin Bureau for Jewish War Sufferers in the Far East, to the Russian Jewish Students' Society in Switzerland, to Jewish sufferers in Japan from earthquake, to Jewish refugees in Roumania, to the O.Z.E., to the O.R.T., to refugees in Germany, and wherever else an appeal from suffering Jewry emanated.

In November, 1922, an appeal was issued by the United Fund for clothing, and within a short while 60,000 garments were collected and were carried rail free by the South African Railways, and freight free by the Union Castle Steamship Co. The United Fund appointed Mr. I. Ochberg, of Cape Town, as its delegate in the Ukraine, and right worthily did he carry out his mission in the field of relief work.

With regard to (b), after protracted negotiations with the Palestine Orphans' Committee of the American Joint Distribution Committee, and the Waad Leumi, of Palestine, it was ascertained that Russia would not permit the transportation of any more orphans beyond its borders.

The Children's Colony.

It, however, transpired that a Mr. Belkind had brought to Palestine about 120 children from the Ukraine, and through various causes had found himself stranded with the children. Mr. S. Hillman, who was at this time on a visit to Palestine, investigated the position on behalf of the United Fund. Eventually the United South African Fund took over 86 of the Belkind children, and 44 children maintained by Durban, making a total of 130, obtained land from the Jewish National Fund in Balfouria, erected buildings at an approximate cost of £12,000, and formed a children's colony at Givat-Hamoreh.

The United Fund guaranteed the maintenance of the children for five years. Mr. Richard Feldman, of Johannesburg, while on a visit to Palestine, did yeoman service at the children's colony. The colony is now known as Kfar Yeladim, and on the closing down of the Relief Fund was handed over to the South African Zionist Federation to be maintained as a children's colony in the name of South African Jewry.

The Local Orphans.

The third activity (c) remains to be dealt with.

In Cape Town and in Johannesburg there was a strong body of public opinion in favour of bringing out to South Africa war pogrom orphans, principally with a view to their being adopted. The Cape Relief Fund fathered the movement at the Cape, but the scheme was eventually taken over by the Cape Jewish Orphanage. In the Transvaal the idea was taken up with much enthusiasm.

Mr. I. Ochberg, President of the Cape Jewish Orphanage, proceeded to Europe and, at the request of the Committee of the Cape Jewish Orphanage and the Johannesburg Committee, brought with him from the Ukraine about 180 children. About half the number remained at the Cape Jewish Orphanage, and the other half were handed over to Johannesburg.

An arrangement was come to between the Relief Fund and the South African Jewish Orphanage in Johannesburg whereby the Relief Fund allotted £12,500 to the Orphanage to assist them in the purchase of their present building. The Johannesburg children therefore became the charges of the Jewish Community of the Transvaal. just as the children at the Cape came under the care and protection of the Cape Jewish Community.

At the Cape an additional building was erected and the advent of the children for a time revived the activities of the United Fund in Johannesburg and brought largely increased funds to the Cape Jewish Orphanage.

Total Amount Collected.

At the outbreak of the World War, the Jewish population of South Africa was about 55,000. In 1921 the official figures give 62,000. The Transvaal Fund up to the time of the amalgamation in 1922 collected £206,347 and the Cape about £100,000, making a total of £306,347. In the two years following amalgamation the United Fund collected £55,580, and the nett results of three fetes held in Johannesburg were £24,600. This brings the total up to £386,527. The total amounts collected by the Committees at Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, East London, Bulawayo and Salisbury in all probability exceed £100,000.

It can with all safety be stated that South Africa raised upwards of £500,000 for Jewish relief in the war and pogrom-stricken areas. Thus the relief funds. subscribed by South African Jewry averaged over £9 per head of its Jewish population, a record which it is hard to believe has been equalled by any other Jewish population in the world.