“The Jews in America have helped this government … and now the time has come when the American people should reciprocate by contributing funds for the relief of the millions of Jews overseas,” said Earle C. Hodges, Western Director for the campaign and a non-Jew who took it upon himself to help a people he greatly respected. The drive by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (J.D.C.) was a nationwide effort to help the 11 million Jews devastated by the Great War. Two things are unique about this particular effort: one is the fact that the American Jewish community was so concerned about the war refugees in Eastern Europe that they reached out to the larger non-Jewish community—something that had never been done before. The second is that non-Jews responded with incredible generosity. One ad in an Alabama newspaper mentioned that “This is a charity that knows no creed. We are specially indebted to the non-Jews for their most liberal contributions.” Hodges went on to explain: “The Jews … have suffered severe persecutions for ages past. For the first time in history [they] are asking Gentiles for help. The Jewish people in the past have taken care of their own people. The task this time is too large for them to take care of themselves.” Here in Orange County, the reaction was impressive. Included among those who responded were banks, the OC Board of Supervisors, numerous clergy of various denominations, as well as local Jews long involved in fundraising projects. While they didn’t raise the entire amount they were assigned, they did make a significant dent. But even more important than the amount was the good will shown to a people who had rarely experienced it. THAT, surely, was the real achievement.
DALIA TAFT, DIRECTOR OF THE ORANGE COUNTY JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, HIGHLIGHTS IMAGES FROM THE ARCHIVES EVERY MONTH. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT HTTPS://WWW.JCCOC.ORG/PAGES/OC-JEWISH-HISTORICAL-SOCIETY. YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT DALIA AT DALIAT@JCCOC.ORG OR AT (949) 435-3400, EXT. 360. THE ORANGE COUNTY JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS A PROGRAM OF THE MERAGE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER AND IS FUNDED BY THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ORANGE COUNTY.