Given at the annual gathering of the Chicago Hias, January 31, 1923, to the officers and directors of the Chicago branch of the national organization Hias and the officers and directors of the Jewish charities of Chicago.

Concluding another year's work, as president of the Chicago branch of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, it is my official obligation to give you a report of what we, together with our affiliated groups, have accomplished in our field or work throughout the past year, and attract your attention to important matters that concern our work for next year.

I can not sum up our last year's work in a better manner, than to say, that we have accomplished a great deal in many respects and in others, very important matters, nothing.

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It is with much regret that we are generally considered, in society, as a sheltering agency only. For this specific work, the Federated Orthodox Charities, which has now united with the Jewish Charities of Chicago, contributed a certain sum of money annually. The fact is that our sheltering work is the most diminutive fraction of our work. Our principal work is that, which we do for immigrants. We are an important link in a chain of a world wide organization that has in a period of fifteen years, in the most faithful and substantial manner, served the suffering masses of our race on matters of life and death. We are, therefore, more than a local organization in the Jewish community, that is associated with Jewish charities and deal only with local needs. We are a direct part of the national Hias organization, with which we stand as a beacon light in guarding the necessities of our brethren, wherever they may be. As such, the national Hias organization has a right to demand our help in order that it should continue with its blessed and urgent work throughout the entire world, and when it calls us to aid, we must not ignore its message. The truth of the matter is that we have not contributed our portion to the national Hias organization in the 3past year.

Allow me to present you with the facts that justify my assertion. Bearing in mind that just as we have inevitable obligations to our national organization, we are also obligated to contribute the necessities of our local sheltering home. I have pointed out in my annual report of last year that the support we obtained from the Federated - $10,000 a year - is only a small part of what we require. This was not entirely my personal opinion. We all have agreed that we ought to receive more than the sum given us by the Federated, and one of the very first things that we have decided to do, at the beginning of this year, was to negotiate about this with the Federated, with the view of procuring a greater sum.

Throughout last year our organization faced a bitter crisis, its whole existence was imperiled and is still in danger. We, in Chicago, did nothing, in time when our mother organization suspended between life and death. The national organization asked us to organize a $50,000 campaign in Chicago for Hias work, but we could not undertake this work immediately because we had to 4get the sanction from the Federated. It did not grant us this. At that time, Mr. Israel Hirshfield visited Chicago and had personally undertaken negotiations with the directors of the local organized charities, concerning the vital support for the Hias in Chicago.

Mr. Hirschfield stood for better unity between our national organization and the local Federation of Charities. In a formal letter, addressed to the directors of our local organized charities, Mr. Hirschfield requested that the local charity budget should allot $40,000 for the Hias and $50,000 for the emergency fund drive. The directors of the Chicago branch, Hias undertook to raise the greater part of the fixed amount, when the general charity drive will take place.

Much to my surprise, nothing has been done, as yet, for this matter. Two months have already passed and we do not even know whether Mr. Hirshfield's letter was acknowledged or not. We are suspended in the air. We are privileged to demand from the directors, of the local charities, that they should 5inform us what they think about our proposal. If they are pro, we do not want to delay our plans and share of work in the coming united charity drive. If they oppose Mr. Hirschfield's proposal, they should at least, without delay, endorse a campaign for the Hias which we will carry on alone, in order to immediately raise the fund which the national organization is expecting from Chicago. This matter can no longer be deferred. We must do something as soon as possible. I trust that we will find a way to solve this problem in a harmonious manner to satisfy everybody. Although we were unable to carry through the campaign for the national organization last year, we have managed our immigrant work in a highly satisfactory fashion. Our office was daily engaged in fulfilling the various needs of those who turned to us for assistance. Our office employees were overburdened with work and they completed that work - in interviewing, filling affidavits, sending money, locating relatives, sending telegrams, submitting notices in the newspapers for information on relatives in America. We have, also, sent the sum of $200,000 to Europe.

We have interviewed 18,500 clients concerning the transportation of immigrants from Soviet Russia, Latvia, Poland and Rumania, and everything pertaining to transportation, as passports, hotels, etc. Our office filled out 11,590 6affidavits for the use of European immigration officials, not including 1,588 affidavits for American immigration officials - 1,167 were for Ellis Island and 421 were for Washington. We have personally met 503 people at various railway stations, transferred them to other stations, sending them to their destination.

A few reports, each much longer than this could be filled with dramatic incidents which we encountered in our daily work. The Jewish as well as the English press is full of pathetic stories of misfortune and poverty which are being alleviated by our mother organization, Hias. Thousands of homes have blessed the Hias for what it has done for them.

Throughout the past year, we have sheltered 1,015 people, to whom we have served 14,000 meals. A great deal of credit is due our superintendent, Mr. Max Hurvitz, and his wife, who worked faithfully and tirelessly. Credit for the success of our sheltering home is also due to our devoted and able house-chairman, Mr. Morris Tover.

Fortunately we start the New Year with a board of directors that promise to 7do the work in a splendid manner. We have obtained in our board new elements, that will strengthen our energy in every respect. We give our new directors a hearty welcome in our midst, not making any discriminations between the new and old members of the board. We will not overlook anyone. Everyone will receive the opportunity to do work. In viewing the great problems which stand before us throughout this year, it is urgent that we have an especially able and active board of directors and I am sure that we have, now, such a board. We are also in need of an active women's auxiliary and junior auxiliary. Such bodies can help a lot.

Let us all throw ourselves into the work, this year, with more impetus than ever before. Let us conceive that we must do this work and let it be done to the fullest degree, as far as we possibly can. Let us remember that we are not a small institution in the community because we conduct the work of a sheltering home - but that we represent the Hias in Chicago. The Hias that renders aid to the afflicted and refugees of our race. Let us renew our great mission and do everything possible to see that all of us cooperate in the work. Respectfully,

Adolph Copeland - President.