413 Jewish Poor Teenagers Get U.s.-funded Summer Jobs in Nyc

For the sixth year, a substantial number of New York City Jewish teenagers from poverty homes, including many from Hasidic families, are taking part this summer in a federally-funded program which provides jobs for them and badly-needed help for nonprofit Jewish agencies, the program’s sponsors reported today. A total of 415 Jewish teenagers in the 14-22 age group are participating during July and August in the program which is administered by Torah Umesorah, the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools. The Neighborhood Youth Corps program, which this summer is providing a city-wide total of 42,000 jobs, concentrates on teenagers who are either actual or potential high school dropouts.

Rabbi Joel Kramer, principal of the Prospect Park Yeshiva High School of Brooklyn and director of the Neighborhood Youth Corps summer project for Torah Umesorah, said the 415 teenagers are working at various projects for 23 hours a week at $1.60 per hour. He said they will earn a total of $150,000. They work as junior counsellors, library aids, clerks and recreational instructors at about 115 job sites. Rabbi Kramer said these include day camps. Head Start centers, summer schools, overnight camps, Jewish school offices and other non-profit Jewish agencies. He said Torah Umesorah, as the sponsoring agency, provides voluntary services for the trainees at an estimated cost of $50,000. Included is counselling, remedial education, cultural enrichment, job development, recruitment and job supervision.

Rabbi Kramer said that two years ago. the program had a peak enrollment of 600 Jewish poor children and that, if funds were available under the formula used by the Neighborhood Youth Corps for eligibility for jobs, Torah Umesorah could have placed up to 800 Jewish teenagers in the summer program.