American Jews, who up to now have carried the major share of the burden of aiding Jewish War victims, have now accepted a new and gigantic task, i. e. to rear the great army of Jewish orphans. The Joint Distribution Committee in charge of all relief contributions in America for Jewish War victims has already decided [to accept this tremendous responsibility.] The provisions of this project are now being formulated. Details will be made known shortly.

The entire plan originated with Mr. Albert Lucas, secretary of the Joint Distribution Committee. Mr. Lucas, from his experience in the work of the committee, has reached the conclusion that this task of caring for War orphans must also be taken into consideration. The ranks of the Jewish people, already thin, become even thinner as a result of the War disasters wherein thousands and thousands of Jewish children have been orphaned - left without means of care and support.

Mr. Lucas believes it the duty of Jews in all countries not so basically affected

by the War to assume the responsibility of caring for Jewish War orphans and of preparing them for the world. Even more, he explains, is it the duty of Jews in America who during the five years of fighting have made every effort to support their unfortunates across the sea. Besides, Jews in America are more or less closely connected with these War orphans, coming as they do from those regions where the specter of Mars robbed tens of thousands of young Jewish children of their parents and homes.

The number of Jewish War orphans to be found in the various War-devastated countries is not definitely known, except in one place, Palestine. There are about three thousand needy Jewish children in that population of forty thousand Jews. This amounts to about ten percent. If the same percentage holds in Eastern Europe which before the War had about ten million Jews, the number of orphaned and helpless children would be about one million. Even if we should assume that the percentage of these children in Eastern Europe is less than that in Palestine, the figures are still too large for the Jews of those

unfortunate countries to care for. All Jews from all over the world must shoulder the responsibility and carry the new load, especially the Jews of America. The Joint Distribution Committee is making [the necessary] preparations. They expect the three million Jews in America to respond immediately to the call of the committee.

Mr. Lucas' plan is to establish a special orphans' bureau to be under the supervision of the Joint Distribution Committee. This bureau shall have branches in every country. Each will supervise the orphanages to be built within its territory.

It is planned to give the children a thorough Jewish and secular education - also to prepare them for a profession or trade which will later enable them to be self-supporting. The Jewish education will be supervised directly and according to the wishes of the Jews in each respective country. In Palestine for example, the orphans will receive the kind of Jewish education recognized

there as the best. Those in Chasidish (sect) Galicia will receive the education acceptable to Galician Jews. In Lithuania there will be a similar arrangement.

Dr. Lucas recommended that the work begin immediately in Palestine, since this is the most [accessible territory where there will be] no interference.

It was estimated that the complete yearly expense for one orphan will amount to about eight hundred dollars. This means that the three thousand orphans of Palestine alone will cost about a quarter of a million dollars a year. According to these figures, a half million orphans will cost about forty million dollars a year - an enormously huge sum.

As suggested by Mr. Lucas, the Joint Distribution Committee plans to obtain the money by two methods; one, from contributions to the General Fund and two, by the system of adoption. Every well-to-do Jew should adopt a child by contributing eighty dollars per year for his maintenance.

The plan for adopting an orphan in this manner, that is of paying its living and educational expenses, is not a new one. Many Americans practice this method now with the orphans in Belgium and France. It is the understanding of the Joint Distribution Committee that this plan can easily be applied to Jewish orphans. Leaders of the committee are convinced that in America some tens of thousands of Jews are eager to accept the expense of paying annually eighty dollars to feed a War orphaned boy or girl.

Jews in America will thereby not only take the initiative in rescuing a Jewish orphan, but will also carry a large part of this gigantic task of saving the growing Jewish generation for the Jewish people.