Among the problems created by World War I was the great mass of homeless refugees in Europe. ICA took a leading role in the coordinating of the efforts of the various Jewish bodies working in this field, culminating in the formation in 1927 of the HIAS-ICA Emigration Association (HICEM). The access to power of Hitler gave this operation a new urgency. ICA devoted some £ 800,000 to help German Jews emigrate and settle in their countries of destination. At the same time ICA's colonies were opened to German Jewish families wishing to settle there: in Argentina several new agricultural settlements were created in which 400 refugee families found employment and security.
After World War II, one
of the first fields in which ICA's help was again needed was that of the loan
banks, but now no longer in Eastern Europe. ICA was among the first of the large
Jewish organizations to come to the assistance of the poverty-ridden communities
in North Africa. Together with the JDC, it established a series of loan banks in
the larger towns of Morocco and Tunisia, with the object of helping the
thousands of poor Jewish artisans to extricate themselves from their miserable
economic conditions. The loans enabled their recipients to buy raw materials and
tools, modernize their methods of production, repair their workshops, etc.
Following the massive Jewish emigration from those countries, this activity came
to an end in 1974; over 14,000 loans had been distributed, totaling more than £
1 million. Emigrants from North Africa to France were also aided by welfare
agencies supported by funds from ICA.