Di Yidishe eḳonomiḳ · 1937-05-01 · 1 (מיי) · p. [Seite]

central region and in the north-east this occurred at the expense! of the volume of turnover in Jewish shops, in the south-east! there was a decrease in the very number of Jewish shops. The! process of supplanting Jews from the trade is going on contm-j uously in all the 91 small towns under consideration, but it] made remarkably big strides in those presented in the table IV 5] the “non-organic” character of those changes is betrayed by the fact that they occurred during the half-a-year covering the] end of 1936 and the beginning of 1937 (table IVa). The Tanning Industry in Bolechdw by M. L i n d e r Among many small towns situated in the east-southern j region of Poland, whose Jewish inhabitants, as a rule, earn their] living by handicrafts or by commercial occupations, Bolechow is distinguished by its numerous industrial establishments, of which 20 tanneries employing 296 workers range first. The 19 Jewish tanneries employ 96 Jewish workers, Jews thus forming about ] one-third of all the Bolechow tanners. During the last 15 years the number of Jewish workers has been increasing at a slower rate than the general employment. This is partly accounted for by the fact of almost half all the Jewish workers being curriers, i. e. skilled workers paid by the piece, with respect to whom an increase in output means a longer working day rather than an increase in numbers employed. Another important factor was, however, the Jewish manufacturers’ reluctance to employ Jewish workers. But this attitude of the manufacturers, at any rate of the big ones, appears to have changed of late, as suggested by the fact that in some larger tanneries, recently expanded, the proportion of Jewish workers is higher than the average. This creat-l es a new outlook for the proletarization of the pauperized ] Jewish middle-class. The Cultural Life of Jews in Latvia by J. L. The rather small Jewish community in Latvia is a very good object for an investigation into the possibilities of a national development for the Jews. Our tables show quantitative achievements in this field. Almost 86 per cent of Jewish pupils in primary schools take instruction in Yiddish or Hebrew; in secondary schools this proportion is lower—about 70 per cent—while as much as 30 per cent of Jews are going to the Latvian schools. The German and the Russian assimilations appear to have lost their importance altogether, the Latvian one is at an initial stage. At present, it is rather difficult to foresee how deep its influence may p?ove.