entitled them, unfortunately, only to some sweets, marmalade, and bread
twice over three months.
The Council’s efforts to launch schools for Jewish children have also
recently been successful. Due to enormous difficulties in finding premises and
providing them with the necessary school equipment, only two branches have
opened by now, but efforts are being made to launch more classes. Schools
were usually opened in buildings where children’s kitchens were located. This
is very important for children, because apart from learning, they also receive
meals. However, for the time being, due to lack of space, the number of children
attending schools is negligible.
Conclusion
It is now necessary to consider what future awaits a Jewish child in relation
to its present situation, and to examine seriously the question whether
Warsaw Jews can look into the children’s face with a clear conscience and
calmly, with a sense of fulfilled duty, awaiting their development and character
formation.
The children’s situation is now deteriorating day by day. The high mortality
rate, which is decimating the Jewish population, continues to increase
the number of orphans and abandoned children, and the growing impoverishment
forces more and more children out into the street, where they join
the ever-expanding group of little beggars. On the other hand, childcare provided
by social institutions is clearly [15] disproportionate to the critical situation
of children. Provisional estimates indicate that out of 100,000 children
in the Jewish district, almost 80 percent should receive social assistance and
care. Although more than 40,000 children are cared for, this is only half
of the actual number, and even those children are not sufficiently helped.
Numerous examples from our everyday life demonstrate how tragic the lack
of care is for children and how disastrous the consequences are, if no one will
lend a helping hand.
Under the current circumstances, Jewish children are at risk of complete
physical and spiritual decline. To our horror, it is to be expected that
our young generation will grow up to be a host of frail, sick, underdeveloped
individuals, thieves, fraudsters, and people with criminal instincts and inclinations,
morally compromised.
