Russian Government Widens Scope of Jewish Land Settlement Work

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

A concentrated action to recruit from the former Pale of Settlement candidates for settlement in the new Jewish colonies in Soviet Russia is the sense of a new resolution adopted by the praesidium of the Zik, the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party.

The praesidium adopted this resolution following a report submitted to it concerning the progress of Jewish settlement work. The resolution expresses approval of the plan of the Comzet, the governmental department for settling Jews on the land, to settle 100,000 Jewish families on the land in the next few years, declaring that “this plan is in accordance with the interests of the state and the needs of the Jewish population.” The resolution further proposes that the Comzet concentrate primarily in taking the Jews out of the former Pale of Settlement, according to the economic needs and to devote itself more to the building of houses in the new colonies.

The resolution also urges the Ziks, the Central Executive Committees, of all the Soviet Republics, to cooperate with the Jewish settlement plan by allocating large areas for this purpose.

The Ukrainian Ozet, the Jewish society for settling Jews on the land, allocated the amount of 80,000 roubles in order to enable the settlers to buy houses, machinery and seed. The Ozet also granted a loan of 178,000 roubles, 30,000 roubles of which were given for agronomical assistance.