JDC Archives Artifacts and Ephemera Collection Database now open

We are pleased to announce that the JDC Archives Artifacts & Ephemera Collection database is now accessible online. Over 150 records are now searchable in our online database, enabling museum educators and curators, academic researchers, and the general public to access select artifacts from this diverse and rich collection. The Artifacts and Ephemera Collection contains a broad spectrum of media ranging from posters and illuminated records to precious artwork and items from Jewish communities around the world. Given the visual and dynamic nature of these objects, these special holdings enrich and complement the JDC Archives text and photo collections, bringing history alive.

Highlights include:
• Ephemera from JDC’s early years such as crafts made by Polish Jewish orphans in a JDC-supported orphanage in Krzemieniec, Poland, in the 1920s and passports held by early JDC staff members;
• Illustrated statistical reports spanning JDC’s history, including posters from Sosua, Dominican Republic, which depict food supply and settler population composition in the early 1940’s;
• Albums and scrapbooks such as a commemorative album from the Hungarian Jewish community celebrating JDC’s 25th anniversary in 1939, decorated with watercolor symbols and capturing a vibrant community on the eve of destruction;
• Ritual items distributed in the displaced persons camps following World War II, including a Chanukah menorah made by the “surviving remnant”;
• Posters created for the Polish State Yiddish Theatre in Warsaw, 1970s-1990s;
• Plaques and medals received by JDC staff members from communities around the world throughout the decades
• Items of distribution that offer glimpses into the lives of JDC aid recipients

Discover the many treasures of the collection today: https://archives.jdc.org/our-collections/artifacts-ephemera-collection/.