Letter from Edward M. M. Warburg to Joe M. Rice, November 3, 1950

May I take this opportunity to tell you of a critical and frightening situation now facing Jews in Iron Curtain countries and certain other lands where Jews are suffering under oppressive governments.

A last chance now exists for tens of thousands of Jews in Rumania, Poland, Hungary and Iraq to go to Israel. These Jews are anxious and desperate to go, and — at long last— have the permission of their governments to leave.

But they cannot leave because — tragically — the Joint Distribution Committee does not have the money required to pay their passage. To make matters worse, they and the JDC are only too congnizant of the fact that their opportunity to emigrate will not continue for long, and that in fact some of the governments just listed have already set deadlines when Jewish emigration must end.

Faced with this situation the JDC has taken an extraordinary step. With the full authorization of the United Jewish Appeal, and of the individual agencies participating in the UJA, it is seeking to raise an additional $3,000,000 between now and the end of the year. At the same time the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds has advised its communities that they should give sympathetic consideration to this request. With the funds received, JDC proposes to rescue at least another 30,000 to 35,000 people from Rumania, Poland, Hungary and Iraq.

This special campaign is the first of its kind which the JDC has ever taken in the entire eleven years since the establishment of the United Jewish Appeal. We believe that you and your colleagues — with whom we are sure you will want to discuss the matter — will be interested in the following background information:

At the beginning of 1950, JDC budgeted $12,500,000 for immigration to all countries. This sum was based on the best estimates that we could make at that time as to the number of people we would be called upon to move, and who could be moved, in 1950.

Since that time, several developments have upset our initial calculations. In June, 1950, the Rumanian Government, which for several years has not permitted the departure of Jews, suddenly decided upon a policy of permitting from 7,000 to 8,000 Jews to leave for Israel   Mr. Joe M. Rice November 3, 1950 - 2 - each month. Iraq also opened its doors in April — but announced that all Jews who wish to leave must do so in a year’s time. About the same time Poland began to permit the departure of all Jews who registered for emigration, while Hungary for the first time after many months renewed some Jewish emigration. In Iran, meanwhile, oppression in neighboring Iraq brought thousands of Jews into Teheran seeking immediate escape to Israel. Here they were joined by additional thousands of Kurdish Jews escaping pogroms in northwestern Iran.

Jews in all of these countries became, in the full sense of the words, “now or never” emigrants, JDC, which had visualized transporting 10,000 to 11,000 Jews monthly to Israel in 1950, saw its monthly quotas climb until they reached 20,000 for September. To meet the situation it saw developing, the JDC early in the year drastically cut all its other programs in order to squeeze out additional funds for emigration.

As of today, JDC in 1950 has brought 137,000 Jews to Israel and helped an additional 7,000 persons to come to the United States and other lands. But its emigration funds, as we have said, are at this moment completely exhausted.

Yet the JDC is only too conscious that it cannot stop its emigration activities now. To do so would cut off thousands of Jews behind the Iron Curtain and in other ”now or never” areas from any hope of escape. Therefore, the JDC now respectfully seeks the help of your community organization in raising enough funds to cover its November-December emigration costs, or $3,000,000.

It should be clearly understood that the JDC does not seek funds which are allocated or owing to the United Jewish Appeal, and urges that all UJA commitments be given full attention. But it is seeking for help out of funds which may be available over and above UJA commitments, We feel that the method by which your community organization can furnish these additional funds can be best decided by you and your associates, but we should like to point out that a number of communities plan to utilize unallocated funds for this purpose, while others will seek the help of individuals who it is believed will look favorably upon the idea of contributing funds specifically for this purpose. Some communities will use a combination of both approaches.

The funds contributed will accrue to the JDC and to the JDC alone. There will be no offsets of any kind, and no part of any funds thus contributed will reach directly or indirectly any other agency within or outside of the framework of the UJA.

If you feel that the appearance of myself, or Mr. Leavitt, or Dr. Schwartz before your welfare board or governing group to present our problem will be of assistance, we shall be only too happy to try to work out arrangements to this end.

Finally, let me say the JDC situation is being brought to the attention of only a limited number of persons and Welfare Funds. We know and are deeply appreciative of your interest in this matter, and we are extremely hopeful that you and your colleagues will be able to advise us within a very short time that you will be able to aid us in continuing the present rescue of Jews from countries where emigration deadlines hang over their heads.