68 LEE K. FRANKEL 



United Hebrew charities. Not only have they organized 

 centers for the distribution of material rehef, but along the 

 lines of a more progressive philanthropy, the sisterhoods have 

 developed day nurseries, kindergartens, clubs and classes of 

 various kinds, employment bureaus, mothers' meetings, and 

 in fact have become a social center for the poor of their neigh- 

 borhoods. Since a large percentage of the distress which is 

 met with is occasioned by illness, medical relief of all kinds 

 has been organized. Each district as a rule has its physician 

 and its nurse, and where these are not at hand, cooperation 

 has been effected with other organizations specially equipped 

 for such work. 



In very recent years, the spread of tuberculosis among 

 Jews has merited the earnest attention of the society, and 

 among its other activities it has been a pioneer in developing 

 a systematic plan for caring for such tuberculous applicants 

 in their own homes, for whom no provision could be made in 

 existing sanatoria. The campaign thus begun has been not 

 only a charitable, but a social one. Not only have these un- 

 fortmiates been given food, nourishment and medical care to 

 aid them towards recovery, but in addition thereto, instruction 

 has been given them in the rudiments of sanitation, and in 

 the prevention of infection. It is significant that the work 

 of the United Hebrew charities in this field has been followed 

 to some extent by the recently organized committee on tuber- 

 culosis of the Charity Organization society. So successful 

 have the United Hebrew charities been in this undertaking, 

 that it points with pride to the beneficiaries who have recover- 

 ed their health and who have been made self supporting in 

 outdoor pursuits in such a manner that the likelihood of a re- 

 currence of the disease has been materially lessened. 



As stated before, the work of the United Hebrew charities 

 of New York has been cited in detail, since it illustrates the 

 methods adopted by practically all relief agencies in the United 

 States. The name United Hebrew charities, as applied to 

 the New York organization, is somewhat of a misnomer, since 

 it does not include all Jewish charitable agencies in the city of 

 New York. It would be more proper to speak of it as the con- 

 solidation of all the purely relief societies which existed in New 



