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Finding aid prepared by Marilyn Henry with the assistance of a grant from Marshall
Weinberg in her honor.
Archives of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
Email: archives@jdc.org
| ID Code: | NY AR191418 |
| Creator: | American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee |
| Title: | Records of the New York Office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1914 - 1918 |
| Inclusive Dates: | January 1, 1914 - December 31, 1918 |
| Extent: | 9 linear feet |
| Location: | American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, New York Archives |
This collection comprises 155 numbered files from the New York Headquarters records
of JDC.
The material includes chronologies of events, correspondence, cables, reports, minutes
and
transcripts of meetings and conferences that document the origins, beginning in 1914,
of
systematic financial aid from American Jewish organizations to imperiled Jews abroad.
In August of that year, Henry Morgenthau Sr., then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, cabled New York philanthropist Jacob Schiff seeking emergency aid for the Jews of Palestine. Subsequently, three relief committees--the American Jewish Relief Committee, the Central Relief Committee, and the People’s Relief Committee--formed the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, popularly known as the "Joint," to distribute the funds they raised for needy Jews in Eastern Europe and Palestine.
The records in this collection depict the accelerated expansion of JDC activities: fund-raising, annual campaign drives, and ongoing efforts to overcome political obstacles and military restrictions that restricted the dispatch of field workers abroad. Also documented is the developing cooperation with governments, foreign Jewish organizations and nonsectarian voluntary agencies so essential for JDC's work; it enabled JDC to transmit emergency relief funds and individual remittances, and to provide food, clothing, and shelter to endangered Jews in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical manner.
Of note in this collection are records of prominent American Jewish leaders and philanthropists, such as Jacob Schiff, Felix Warburg, Louis Marshall, Cyrus Adler, Julius Rosenwald, and Judah Magnes, Genealogists and family researchers may find relevant correspondence, lists, and receipts for transmission of remittances to individuals.
In August of that year, Henry Morgenthau Sr., then U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, cabled New York philanthropist Jacob Schiff seeking emergency aid for the Jews of Palestine. Subsequently, three relief committees--the American Jewish Relief Committee, the Central Relief Committee, and the People’s Relief Committee--formed the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, popularly known as the "Joint," to distribute the funds they raised for needy Jews in Eastern Europe and Palestine.
The records in this collection depict the accelerated expansion of JDC activities: fund-raising, annual campaign drives, and ongoing efforts to overcome political obstacles and military restrictions that restricted the dispatch of field workers abroad. Also documented is the developing cooperation with governments, foreign Jewish organizations and nonsectarian voluntary agencies so essential for JDC's work; it enabled JDC to transmit emergency relief funds and individual remittances, and to provide food, clothing, and shelter to endangered Jews in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical manner.
Of note in this collection are records of prominent American Jewish leaders and philanthropists, such as Jacob Schiff, Felix Warburg, Louis Marshall, Cyrus Adler, Julius Rosenwald, and Judah Magnes, Genealogists and family researchers may find relevant correspondence, lists, and receipts for transmission of remittances to individuals.
Copyright held by The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. Other
intellectual property rights may apply. The publication of JDC records in any format
requires the written permission of the JDC Archives. Users must apply in writing for
permission to reproduce or publish manuscript materials found in this collection.
For more
information contact: archives@jdc.org
Repository, Title of Collection, Folder number, Title of item, Date of item.
Example: JDC Archives, Records of the New York Office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1914 - 1918, Folder #143.3, Cablegram from Albert Lucas to Ambassador Francis,
08/07/1917.
The records are arranged into the following categories:
This
subcollection focuses on the composition, structure, leadership, and operations of
JDC and
JDC committees and is divided into the following two record groups:
New York Administration:
Materials document expanding JDC committee development, assignments, commitments
to undertake relief activities and raise funds for impoverished Jews in various
locations abroad.
Overseas Administration:
This subcollection
deals with JDC's relationship and cooperation with the United States Government, its
departments, agencies, and consular officials; with foreign governments and their
embassies and consuls; and with JDC constituent member organizations and other private
Jewish and non-sectarian humanitarian organizations and agencies to aid in the transfer
and distribution of relief funds.
This
subcollection treats the functional activities of JDC in this period and documents
efforts
to provide care and critical relief for the displaced and the vulnerable; to support
children and orphans, rabbis, and prisoners of war; to distribute supplies and kosher
provisions, and to respond to personal appeals for aid in locating and assisting family
members. Subject matter is divided into the following seven record groups:
The
documents in this subcollection detail JDC's efforts to alleviate suffering and rebuild
devastated communities; they are organized in record groups that are arranged
alphabetically by country or region. When the amount of material for each country
or
region warrants further classification, the record group may be broken down into series.
Note that borders shift in the war era, and that the names of localities reflect both
recognized political and indigenous Jewish regions.
Materials document operations abroad, disruptions caused by war, transmission and
use of funds to acquire relief supplies, and relations with overseas
organizations, including local Jewish "help committees," through whom JDC
channeled funds. In this period, JDC did not maintain its own apparatus in Europe
in the form of offices or permanent representatives.
The geographical classification of the materials presented numerous challenges. Between
1914 and 1918, national borders shifted because of the collapse of empires and military
operations and occupations. Some communities or areas changed regimes repeatedly during
the
war era. Vilna, for example, originally under Russian rule, was seized by Germany
and
included in the new district of Ober Ost, and was later claimed by Poland and Lithuania.
Many locations were known by multiple names. Every effort has been made to cross-reference
communities and to provide traditional and popular geographic names; these may not
correspond to the current names and national borders.
Arrangement and collection-level description of the 1914 - 1918 Collection was originally
produced by Rose Klepfisz in 1964. Marilyn Henry updated the finding aid in 2010 using
current descriptive standards and practices, but did not renumber files or modify
arrangement.