The American Colony in Jerusalem
Wartime Aid

During the war the Colony opened an embroidery industry that sustained about 300 women whose husbands, fathers, and brothers were in the army or forced labor corps. When the food scarcities during the war became insurmountable, the Colony closed this workshop because the women became too hungry and emaciated to work. After the British conquered Jerusalem in December 1917, the Colony became the conduit of funds for organizations such as the Syrian and Palestine Relief Fund and the Christian Herald Relief Fund, which allowed them to open a new embroidery and dressmaking school. This account book and balance sheet records the Colony's expenses, remittances, and other charitable allocations to the destitute living in Jerusalem during 1918.

In December 1915, Edward Loud of Oscoda, Michigan, offered to organize funds to send to the Colony for relief work. Loud had visited the Colony before the war, and, like many visitors and guests, he maintained close contact with members of the Colony when he returned home. With the funds marshaled by Loud, the Colony created a soup kitchen that fed more than 1,100 people a day. Bertha Vester wrote to Loud that, “We make no distinction in nationality or creed, the only requirement being if they absolutely need the help. We have Syrians and Arabs… Latins and Greeks, and Armenians, Russians, Jews, and Protestants.”