British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 679

CHAPTER XVI.

122. After the Occupation the situation changed, slowly at first, and then, during the last ten years, so rapidly that social problems were created almost over-night and the traditional methods of dealing with them were totally inadequate. The situation was complicated by the influx of new immigrants chiefly from European countries who, in addition to introducing a new standard of living, produced all the social problems peculiar to an immigrant country. The mandatory administration was thus faced with a double problem to deal with; the one immediately dependent on, but not necessarily entirely responsible for, the other, namely the rapid increase of the urban population due to immigration and The social effect of the drift to the towns of the settled population.

123. The Jewish community, which had to deal with the double problem of the needs of the new immigrants and the care of the people already experiencing the strains and stress of town life, had the benefit of experience in social welfare and the help of large established institutions with an international backing. The Va'ad Leumi set up a department of social service in Hl31 and appointed trained social workers to established social service bureaux in the local communities ( Va’adei Haqehiloili), The functions of these bureaux include child and youth welfare, the relief of destitution, family case work, placement of children in institutions and family homes, etc. (see paragraphs 130 and 131 below).

124. The Government Department of Social Welfare was established in October, 19<14. The Department was a development of the Probation Service which had started with the appointment of a single Probation Officer in 1933. The Department has its headquarters in Jerusalem and is divided into two main sections :-

(1) Probation and the social work of the Law Courts under a British Principal Probation Officer.

(2) Welfare-under a British woman Principal Welfare Officer.

Six District Offices have been established :-

(1) Haifa, with a British woman Welfare Officer in charge. (2) Jaffa, under a senior Moslem Arab officer.

(3) Tel Aviv, under a senior Jewish officer.

(4) Gaza, (5) Nablus, (6) Nazareth, each under the supervision of a local probation Officer.


The administration of reformatory schools formerly under the Police and Prisons Department was transferred to the Department or Education in 1936 and is now the responsibility of the Department of Social Welfare. Remand homes for juvenile offenders

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