Letter about the plight of Romanian Jews in Turkey, 1942

Henrietta K. Buchman, secretary of JDC’s Poland and Eastern Europe Committee, informs Charles Sonnenreich, President of the United Romanian Jews of America, of the great plight of 144 Romanian Jewesses:Jews shipwrecked and sheltered in Turkey and the appeal for help by the Grand Rabbi of Turkey.

October 26, 1942

Hr. Charles Sonnenreich,
President United Roumanian Jews of America
110 West 40th Street
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Sonnenreich:

Knowing of your interest in problems affecting Roumanian Jews, we wish to inform you of a cable we received from the Grand Rabbi of Turkey concerning the situation of two groups of 144 Roumanian Jews now in Turkey. One group of 120 fled from Roumania on a smaal vessel which was shipwrecked near Istanbul on October 4th. The passengers were saved by the Turkish authorities, but
have lost all of their possessions and are in desperate straits. The remaining 24 refugees were likewise shipwrecked on the Turkish coast two months ago, and are in the same situation. The Grand Rabbi appealed for assistancein their behalf, and I am sure you will be glad to know that the Joint Distribution Committee appropriated an emergency grant of $5,000 to meet the immediate requirements of these unfortunate people. What further aid we may be able to extend in this situation, naturally depends upon our income from the United Jewish Appeal and other appeals for aid which confront us from all
parts of the world.

Sincerely yours,
Henrietta K. Buchman
Secretary
Committee on Poland & Eastern Europe

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Archives, Turkey: General, 1934 – 1943.

Letter from Henrietta K. Buchman to Mr. Charles Somnnenreich (jdc.org: http://search.archives.jdc.org/multimedia/Documents/NY_AR3344/33-44_Count_2/AR33-44_1047_2of2-1052_1of2/NY_AR3344_1047_2of2-1052_1of2_00864.pdf