This subcollection documents JDC’s large-scale policies and objectives, implemented in over 70 countries to realize the organization’s global relief, rescue, and renewal directives. Initiatives depicted in these records include: the establishment of professional development and leadership resources for young Jewish professionals worldwide; the development of missions as a resource for JDC staff, board members, and laypeople to visit and observe JDC’s global operations; and the formation, implementation, and oversight of JDC’s extensive relief and support services for tens of thousands of Soviet Jewish émigrés waiting in transit in Rome and Vienna for their emigration applications to the United States, Canada, and other locations to be processed. Some files contain records whose dates lie slightly outside the precise dates of the overall collection, but which as well pertain to operations and programs delineated in this subcollection. These files contains some materials whose dates fall outside the scope of the time period 1975-1989.

[Some of the documents in this collection use outdated or offensive terminology that is contemporary to the time period in which these records were created. Language that comes from the original archival material can provide information about specific issues and about the context of the creators of these records.]

Arrangement

Record Group: Israel

This record group documents JDC’s operations in Israel from 1975-1989. In 1989, when JDC marked its 75th anniversary, Israel – and earlier, Palestine – stood as the only country in which JDC had continually operated since its founding in 1914. Consequently, the scope of JDC’s work and partnerships in Israel has profoundly impacted almost every aspect of social welfare services, research, and planning in the country.

The 1970s saw the formal establishment of JDC-Israel in 1976 as a distinct entity in Jerusalem. Previously, much of JDC’s activity in Israel was carried out via MALBEN (Organization for the Care of Handicapped Immigrants) until it was disbanded in 1975. JDC-Israel’s founding mission focused on on developing innovative model programs that would stimulate social change and responsive community action throughout the health, education, and welfare sectors, including among particularly vulnerable populations such as: at-risk children, the elderly, the handicapped, and the economically disadvantaged. JDC’s collaborations prioritized local initiative; it advised and funded programs whose activities were then carried out largely by other entities.

JDC’s role in the care of the aged in Israel was manifest in the activities of Eshel, founded in 1969, which developed and planned services for the elderly. The JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Adult Human Development (later the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute) was founded in 1974 to help Israel face the consequences and social implications of a particularly rapid rate of population aging, and to help better address the resulting challenges. Throughout this time period, JDC also played an important role in aiding handicapped of all ages by supporting special programs and resources under the auspices of a number of voluntary organizations and institutions, many of which JDC created. Child development and assessment centers in Israel helped determine the nature and cause of children’s handicaps and to prescribe treatment.

JDC also intensified its focus on the health and well-being of children and youth through its partnership with the Israel Association of Community Centers (IACC), which was founded in 1969. JDC supported the creation of the IACC, whose mission is to establish and assist a network of community centers across Israel. JDC’s commitment to professionalism in social service led to the creation of the Joseph J. Schwartz Program in 1971 at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to train professionals for the burgeoning community center movement. This and other manpower development programs helped meet the critical need for trained manpower and to help in the delivery of human services, undergraduate and post-graduate studies, continued education, and scholarships for use in Israel and abroad.

In the 1980s, to assist with emerging needs in the wake of increased immigration from Ethiopia and the Soviet Union, JDC initiated major projects to assist in the long-term absorption of newcomers from the Soviet Union and Ethiopia. JDC created a separate entity called Amishav to carry out paraprofessional and vocational training in addition to social and community programming for the Ethiopian olim (immigrants).

During this period JDC’s Yeshivot Program continued to provide extensive support for yeshivot, a long-time focus of JDC’s activities in Israel. JDC offered subsidies to over 100 schools with special emphasis on nutrition, vocational training, scholarships, and health programs.

Materials are in English and Hebrew.

Series 1: Israel: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s Israel program and includes correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and financial materials. In addition to general administrative matters, this series also contains the Articles of Agreement and Association for the establishment of JDC-Israel in 1976 and material on the JDC-Israel Headquarters building in Jerusalem. Also included are meeting minutes of the JDC Board and executive staff.

Series 2: Israel: Organizations

The Organizations series describes JDC’s partnerships with other institutions in Israel from 1975-1989, including the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and its Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and the Joseph J. Schwartz Program which trained professionals for Israel’s burgeoning community center movement and various scholarship programs. This series chronicles JDC’s partnerships with many non-profit organizations, including ILAN (Israel Foundation for Handicapped Children), the Central Library for the Blind, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Micha, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Shamir, Tel Hashomer Hospital, the United Israel Appeal, and many other organizations.

Series 3: Israel: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects the various programmatic aspects of JDC’s operations in Israel from 1975-1989, primarily in partnership with the Israeli government.

JDC’s work in Israel continued its traditional focus on assisting the aged, the chronically ill, and the handicapped. The JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Adult Human Development (later known as JDC-Myers-Brookdale), founded in 1974, was funded through a three-way partnership among JDC, the Israeli government, and the Brookdale Trust. The Institute’s mission promotes research, practice, and education on aging and human development.

The Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged (ESHEL) was founded by JDC in 1969 in partnership with the Israeli government. Since its inception, ESHEL has played an important role in developing community services for the aged in Israel, with a focus on enabling elderly clients to continue to live independently. For clients requiring care in nursing homes, ESHEL was instrumental in building new facilities and in partnering with the Israeli government to renovate former MALBEN (Organization for the Care of Handicapped Immigrants) nursing homes for such purposes.

The Handicapped series details JDC-Israel’s support for services for the handicapped, including the development of day care programs. The Community Centers series reflects JDC-Israel’s support for the development of community centers and its assistance in helping the centers reach out to Israel’s disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. The Immigrant Absorption series includes records of JDC-Israel’s assistance in the absorption of new immigrants to Israel, with a focus on immigrants from Ethiopia and the Soviet Union. The Manpower Development series documents JDC-Israel-supported programs in that field, including training for paraprofessionals in day care centers and the development of senior executive staff in the Israeli Civil Service.

The Children and Youth series highlights a number of major JDC-Israel interventions for children and youth at risk, a major focus of JDC-Israel’s work, including educational projects, such as the Mifne Project, which targeted youth who had dropped out of the Israeli school system. The Education series documents JDC-Israel’s involvement in Israel’s educational sector, primarily in Jewish education, with the Masorti (Conservative) movement and other Jewish institutions.

The Religious-Cultural series describes JDC’s outreach programs under the auspices of Yeshivot to serve their surrounding communities as well as partnerships with the Israeli Army, kibbutzim, and programs for prisoners. JDC-Yeshivot also recruited rabbis for other countries including Brazil, Finland, and Sweden. The Voluntary and Non-Profit Sector series documents JDC-Israel’s efforts to provide training and technical assistance to the non-profit sector in Israel.

Record Group: Italy

Since World War II, Italy continued to serve as the principal staging area for Soviet Jewish transmigrants who were awaiting the processing of their emigration applications. During this lengthy processing period—the process usually took months – transmigrants were stranded without access to social service resources, housing, or education. In response to this acute need, JDC began dedicated resources to sustain the transmigrants. Over the next two decades, as glasnost precipitated increasing numbers of Soviet Jews to initiate emigration proceedings, JDC’s support expanded into a comprehensive network of basic and emergency medical services, financial support, social services, educational, cultural, and religious programs, language classes, and housing assistance for tens of thousands of transmigrants.(Further details on JDC’s transmigrant program can also be found in the Austria record group, IDEA ID #1088788). Aside from documenting JDC’s transmigrant program, the Italy record group also documents JDC’s assistance to the Rome Jewish community and the Italian Jewish community at large. This assistance includes the provision of a loan in 1983 to help the Rome Jewish community meet its commitments for Jewish education. Materials are in English, with some in Italian.

Series 1: Italy: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s Italy program and includes correspondence, reports, and financial materials. The Financial and Budget files include material about the Rome Jewish community loan: in May 1983, after being asked to provide assistance to the Rome Jewish community, the JDC Board of Directors approved a $350,000 loan to help the community meet its commitments for Jewish education, particularly for the Scuola Media , a junior high school. The Rome office files detail the specific administrative operations of the JDC office in Rome, including its annual reports.

Series 2: Italy: Organizations

The Organizations series reflects JDC’s partnerships and interactions with other organizations, both Jewish and secular, regarding the Soviet transmigrants (see further details in the Subject Matter series description, IDEA ID #1096613) and the Italian Jewish community at large. Such partners included the American Universities Field Staff, at the Italian Jewish Heritage Foundation of America, and the Union of Italian Jewish Communities. The Rome-based Union of Italian Jewish Communities was the representative body of the 22 communities to which Italy’s 35,000 Jews were affiliated. The series also contains material on the Selvino Home in Selvino, Italy, the site of a hostel for orphaned children who survived the Holocaust, an operation financed by the Jewish Agency, JDC, and Youth Aliya (Aliyat Hano’ar).

Series 3: Italy: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects the various programmatic aspects of JDC’s operations in Italy. The bulk of the material in this series—including correspondence, educational curricula and syllabi, and financial material—relates to the transmigrant program, as it was the dominant feature of JDC’s work in Italy at this time. JDC sponsored a Jewish school in Rome/Ladispoli, which had programs for Soviet and Iranian children awaiting resettlement. The schools provided the children with general as well as Jewish subject material and also offered English and Hebrew language training. JDC also opened Jewish community centers in Rome and Ladispoli to provide educational, cultural, religious, and recreational activities, in addition to training in the languages of various countries of destination.

A few of the Transmigrants files are restricted for confidentiality concerns. Please see our Access & Restrictions Policy.

Series 4: Italy: Localities

The Localities series includes material regarding JDC activities in Rome, Milan, and Venice. The file contains correspondence between JDC and leaders of the respective communities; a small contribution to the Jewish museum of Venice; a request from the Milan Jewish community requesting help for the Home for the Aged in 1977 and for a Beth Hamidrash program for school-age children in 1986.

Record Group: Jamaica

The Jamaica record group includes materials about JDC’s response to Hurricane Gilbert in in 1988, including an Open Mailbox for relief donations, and the possibility of communal properties in Jamaica.

Record Group: Japan

The Japan record group includes correspondence regarding the Auschwitz Memorial Pavilion Project in the town of Kurose.

Record Group: Kenya

The Kenya record group contains requests from organizations for a JDC contribution to their projects, including a request from the Nairobi congregation for help to fix their synagogue roof. Also included is an activity report on JDC’s International Development Program in Kenya, including the goat project. Under JDC sponsorship, Israeli experts were sent to Kenya to work on a project raising goats with Israeli farmers. These experts supervised the construction of pens and the purchase of local goats and served as the project’s instructors.

Record Group: Latin America

JDC involvement in Latin America began in the mid-thirties with an influx of refugees from Germany and from German-occupied Austria and Czechoslovakia; from 1936-1944 JDC provided over $1,000,000 in aid. In the post-war period, JDC contributed to the creation of community-wide institutions in Latin America and provided considerable sums to these through Claims Conference grants to Holocaust survivors. In 1975, a renewed effort on JDC’s part to develop and strengthen lay and professional leadership through various communal organizations and through Jewish education in Latin America emerged when Alfredo Berlfein was appointed JDC representative in the region. From 1975-1989, JDC operated programs in cooperation with the local communities of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, in addition to other more infrequent interventions in Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay. It worked closely with community leadership and institutions to plan and implement programs to realize these communal objectives, including conducting outreach work with small and distant communities in the interior of Argentina; partnering with the Pedagogical Center of the Vaad Hachinuch of Rio de Janeiro, which served all Jewish educational institutions in the area; and the Programa de Asistencia Social Israelita (PASI) to address the growing number of Jewish poor in Chile. A milestone in JDC’s endeavor to develop lay and professional leadership throughout Latin America came in 1987 with the creation of LEATID. Created by JDC, LEATID – the Latin America Training and Research Center for the Development of Jewish Communal Leadership – responded to the great community need for qualified and committed service personnel and served as a catalyst for meaningful manpower development throughout Latin America.

The Cultural and Religious file records shipments of matzot in Latin America, as well as the attempt of the Costa Rican and Puerto Rican Jewish communities to find a new Rabbi in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Also discussed is the lack of both shochtim (ritual slaughterers) and rabbinical services in those countries in Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean where there is a significant Jewish community. The Education file evidences JDC’s involvement in Jewish education in Latin America and its investment in its expansion. The files contain reports and correspondence with other individuals with JDC global staff members and other organizations, such as the Jewish Agency, and also include grant approval letters from the Rich Foundation for Jewish education projects in the region. In this record group, the terms “Latin America” and “South America” are both employed by JDC to refer to the organization’s work in the region and to its regional policies and strategy. JDC continues to use “Latin America” to describe its present-day activities there. Materials are in English and Spanish.

The majority of the Personnel files are restricted for confidentiality concerns. Please see our Access & Restrictions Policy.

Record Group: Lebanon

The Lebanon record group documents JDC relief in response to the Lebanese civil war, providing medicine, clothes, and other supplies for those in need. Contributions to relief efforts in Lebanon came through a JDC Open Mailbox, ultimately receiving $400,000 in cash donations. Also included in the record group are materials on the Alliance school in Beirut.

Record Group: Libya

The Libya record group is restricted in accordance with JDC’s Access & Restrictions Policy.

Record Group: Malta

The Malta record group contains a request for aid from the Jewish Community of Malta; JDC wanted to obtain verification of the situation before proceeding.

Record Group: Mauritius

The Mauritius record group contains a request for aid from the Mauritius Jewish Council, which JDC denied.

Record Group: Mexico

The Mexico record group documents JDC’s relief efforts in Mexico following the earthquake in September 1985; JDC donated $100,000 to a shelter project for 42 families and was directly involved in a project developing a high school where an old one was demolished due to the earthquake. Included are cash receipt reports of Mexico relief and details of the Open Mailbox which received over $600,000 in donations. JDC also helped fund the publication Nuestro Mundo and had contact with the Jewish community of Guadalajara. The record group also includes a history of JDC relations in Mexico.

Record Group: Morocco

The Morocco record group extensively documents JDC’s comprehensive activities, including its support of educational and welfare services for tens of thousands of children in the kindergartens and schools of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, Lubavitch, ORT, and Ozar Hatorah systems. JDC also funded feeding programs, cash relief, summer camps, relief supplies, dental clinics, and Œuvre de secours aux enfants (OSE) medical facilities for students and their families.

JDC’s dedicated support for education in Morocco also prioritized comprehensive training and professional development aid for teachers. It provided consultants and training materials and organized seminars and workshops on Jewish education.

Field reports (located in the Administration series) from JDC staff and consultants including Stanley Abramovitch, Seymour Epstein, Leon Leiberg, Cecile Misrahi, and Evelyn Peters provide wide-ranging overviews and assessments of the economic, political, and social contexts for the Jewish communities of Morocco, as well as geopolitical factors impacting the region.

Series 1: Morocco: Administration

Series 2: Morocco: Organizations

Series 3: Morocco: Subject Matter

Series 4: Morocco: Localities

Record Group: New Zealand

The New Zealand record group regards elderly Soviet Jews who had resettled in New Zealand, but could not receive a pension because they had not lived in the country for at least 10 years. The Wellington Hebrew Congregation appealed to JDC for assistance on behalf of these Jews. Since the 1970s, approximately 200 Soviet Jews had settled in Wellington out of a population of 2,000 Jews.

Record Group: Nicaragua

The Nicaragua record group includes a memo on Nicaragua’s relations with Israel; a list of organizations providing emergency relief during the civil war; an ADL report on efforts on behalf of the Nicaraguan Jewish community; and the situation of Jews under the Sandinista government.

Record Group: Nigeria

The Nigeria record group includes an appeal for aid for tornado relief; a request from the African Jewish Religious Council for assistance on two projects; and a request for assistance from the Christian Foundation Medical Centre.

Record Group: Norway

The Norway record group contains materials as they regard JDC’s participation in the new Oslo kindergartens, as well as its application for assistance to the Norwegian Refugee Council for the care and maintenance of Soviet and Iranian refugees in Vienna and Rome. This ORT application was the combined request of ORT, JDC, and the United HIAS Service (UHS) for $300,000.

Record Group: Paraguay

The Paraguay record group includes a report by Alfredo Berlfein, JDC director of Lain America, on his visit to Paraguay; a general review of Paraguay by Max W. Jacobs; as well as information on JDC’s $2,500 allocation for the school in Asunción.

Record Group: Peru

The Peru record group includes a community request to secure a rabbi for the Peruvian Jewish community; material on the provision of aid to Peru after a flood emergency; and a report by Rachel Fleishman of the JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Adult Human Development in Israel. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the need for professional assistance in the field of gerontology in Peru and to examine the extent to which this need could be met by the State of Israel.

Record Group: Portugal

The Portugal record group documents JDC’s provision of Passover supplies as well its financial support for Lisbon’s Jewish community center, Hehaver. The center sponsored educational, cultural, and religious programs. Activities included adult programs, holiday celebrations, pre- and post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah classes, youth activities, and seminars.

Record Group: Poland

In 1981, JDC began to witness the “radiating effects” of its 1980 return to Hungary – JDC’s official reentry to the Communist Eastern Bloc – as first Czechoslovakia and then Poland invited JDC to resume direct operations. In January 1982, after a lapse of 14 years since it was kicked out in 1967, JDC resumed operations in Poland. With government approval, the Jewish organizations in Poland, such as the Kultur Farband and the Coordinating Committee for Jewish Welfare, and JDC organized a relief program. The Coordinating Committee for Jewish Welfare was established by JDC within its first year of operation in Poland. The Committee provided cash relief, medical and religious supplies, cultural programs, kosher kitchens, and infrastructure support to over 5,000 Jews (roughly 90% of the community).

JDC collaborated with Jewish relief organizations in Europe and Great Britain and non-Jewish organizations in Holland and Norway to provide emergency food packages for general distribution to all families supported by JDC.

Of particular note are the original signed agreements, in both Polish and English, signaling JDC’s reentry to Poland in 1982, as well as the field reports written by country director Akiva Kohane. These reports documented his visits to Poland and reported on the status of the Polish Jewish community and JDC-supported programming.

Series 1: Poland: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s Poland program through correspondence, reports, and financial materials. Of particular note in this series is the original signed agreement that signaled JDC’s return to Poland in 1982, as well as the field reports by JDC Poland country director, Akiva Kohane. These reports describe the visits he made to Poland and contain details on meetings with the Jewish community and progress updates on JDC-supported projects and partnerships.

Series 2: Poland: Organizations

The Organizations series reflects JDC’s partnerships and interactions with other organizations in Poland from 1975-1989. The Coordinating Committee for Jewish Welfare, which was largely funded by JDC, provided cash relief, medical and religious supplies, cultural programs, kosher kitchens, and infrastructure support to over 5,000 Jews. The Jewish Religious Union (ZRWM), a member of the Coordinating Committee which also received JDC funding, helped organize the cultural and religious life of the Jewish community.

JDC fielded requests for assistance from the Association for the Rehabilitation of Jewish War orphans and also provided funds for the Janusz Korczak Award through the Janusz Korczak International Association. The award, established in recognition of the heroism of Janusz Korczak during World War II, was given annually to the author of an outstanding work for children. Of note are the materials from the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, an institute supported by Poland’s Ministry of Culture, which detail JDC’s attempt to obtain copies of the records of its Warsaw office during and after the Holocaust. These records were confiscated by the authorities and are now housed by the Institute.

Series 3: Poland: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects JDC’s programs in Poland. Through its relief and welfare program, monthly cash assistance was provided for about 3,500 Jews who met the criteria established by the Coordination Committee for Jewish Social Services of the Jewish Religious Congregation and the Kultur Farband. JDC also provided assistance to needy non-Jews who helped Jews during the Holocaust. This program was implemented in close cooperation with Yad Vashem, which determined the eligibility of the individuals for recognition as Righteous Gentiles and receives its primary funding from the Claims Conference. This series also includes a file with reflections by JDC staff on the 40th and 45th anniversaries (1983, 1988) of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Record Group: Romania

During the 1960s and 1970s, JDC confronted the challenges of supporting Eastern European Jewry after its Cold War expulsions from Soviet satellite countries put most of these communities out of reach. Romania stood as an exception: the Romanian government invited JDC to resume operations in March 1967 and it did not succumb to the anti-Israel clamor following the Six-Day War in June 1967.

Almost half of the Jewish population at the time was aged 60 and over and therefore reached the country’s mandatory retirement age. The majority of the Jewish retirees were Holocaust survivors who lost many years of employment during and after World War II; as a consequence, they received very limited government pensions, or none at all. Of the nearly 21,000 Jews remaining in Romania by the late 80s, 46% of the population lived in Bucharest; the rest resided in 158 localities throughout the country, 66 of which had organized Jewish communities.

The Federation of Jewish Communities (FEDROM), led by Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen, was the government-recognized Jewish communal organization for all of Romania and was responsible for central decisions on policies and programs. With government approval, FEDROM officially launched a massive social welfare program with JDC assistance during Passover in 1967. Additional specialized services, including cash relief, food packages, and clothing distribution, were introduced. JDC supported homes for the aged, including the Dr. Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen Home for the Aged and the Martin Balus Home in Bucharest, with additional beds serving additional regions. FEDROM, with JDC assistance, also operated a network of 11 kosher canteens throughout the country, which provided nourishment and social opportunities for elderly clients. Material is primarily in English, with some Romanian.

Series 1: Romania: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s Romania program and includes correspondence, reports, financial materials, and field reports. Of particular interest in this series are the field reports written by Moses Levine (1966-1980), Ted Feder (1980-1985), Leon Leiberg (1985-1988), and Zvi Feine (1988-1989), who all served as Country Directors for Romania, as well as reports by Cecile Misrahi and Mara Coen, Social Services Consultants. These materials detail social, political, and economic developments in the country, meetings with the Romanian Jewish community, and updates on JDC programming.

Series 2: Romania: Organizations

The Organizations series reflects JDC’s partnership with the Federation of Jewish Communities (FEDROM). FEDROM, the government-recognized Jewish communal organization for Romania, is headquartered in Bucharest. All decision-making relating to policy, approval of funds, etc. was done by the FEDROM leadership. Included in this file is correspondence between Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen and JDC staff; data compiled by FEDROM concerning the Jewish communities in Romania; budget and activity reports; and other resources.

Series 3: Romania: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects the programmatic aspects of JDC’s operations in Romania. The Aged files document JDC’s support of homes for the aged, including the construction, equipment, and annual operating expenses of the Dr. Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen Home for the Aged and the Martin Balus Home in Bucharest, as well as institutions to serve elderly clients in the regions of Arad, Timisoara, and Dorohai.

The Disaster Relief material documents JDC efforts to aid flooding victims in 1975, as well as the victims from a 1977 earthquake. The Emigration file contains correspondence, news clippings, and memos regarding Jewish emigration from Romania, while the Medical file documents Dr. Benno Chabot’s medical consultation for Romania. Dr. Chabot was the Director of the Department of Chronic Diseases of the Israel Health Ministry.

The Relief and Welfare series details the efforts to support elderly and chronically ill assistees. Under the relief program, these individuals received monthly cash grants, cash grants for fuel during the winter, food packages, and a clothing distribution program for the elderly. FEDROM, with JDC assistance, also operated 11 kosher restaurants (canteens) throughout Romania.

The Religious-Cultural files contain requests for performances by Jewish choirs from Romania, including the Romanian Jewish Choir’s 1987 tour of the United States; the procurement of shochtim (ritual slaughterers); and the restoration of the Timisoara Synagogue in 1983-1984. The Restitution file contains correspondence with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) regarding the possibility of compensation for Romanian victims of the Holocaust.

Series 4: Romania: Localities

The Localities file includes material on the renovation and refurbishment of a kitchen and dining room in the multifunctional unit building of the Jassy Jewish Community.

Record Group: South Africa

The South Africa files contain correspondence, news clips, and reports that reflect the situation of Jews in South Africa and Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe) at this time. Of interest are Akiva Kohane’s 1977 reports on his visits to South Africa and Rhodesia to assess the status of the Jewish communities there. The South African Jewish Appeal file documents the organization’s contributions to JDC.

Record Group: Spain

The Spain record group focuses primarily on JDC’s role in the care and maintenance of post-World War II refugees. The Education file includes a request for financial assistance from the Colegio Sefardi de Barcelona, as well as a request from the World Sephardi Federation for JDC participation in a building fund for schools in Madrid and Malaga. Field reports from JDC representatives Ted Feder, Cecile Misrahi, Steve Drysdale, and Seymour Epstein deal mostly with the status of JDC’s cash relief program for elderly refugees, in addition to descriptions of the general situation in Spain and visits to schools.

Record Group: Sweden

The Sweden record group documents JDC’s work in Sweden. The files include project proposals, such as a proposed day center for adults; a request for financial assistance from the Union of Polish Jews in Malmo; a summary of impressions and recommendations based on visits to Scandinavian countries; and a pamphlet on Jewish life in Scandinavia. The Day Care file includes Evelyn Peters’ report on her trip to Stockholm (in her capacity as a day care consultant for JDC) to visit the Jewish kindergarten there, as well as related correspondence. Additionally, the Sweden files include a request for financial assistance from the Institute for Jewish Culture and progress reports from the Institute.

Record Group: Switzerland

The Switzerland record group primarily comprises correspondence between JDC offices in New York and its European headquarters in Geneva (JDC’s Geneva office opened in July 1958). The Rothschild Foundation file documents JDC’s relationship with the Foundation, their partnership in a loan fund, and their share in a fellowship for a Rabbi for the Jewish community in Santiago, Chile. The Saly Mayer Memorial Fund, established in 1951 with funds from the Verband Schweizerischer Judischer Fursorgen (VSJF) and JDC and named after JDC’s representative in Switzerland during World War II, was set up to assist Jewish students in Switzerland and Jewish tuberculosis patients at the Etania Home. Its file includes correspondence and memos regarding Saly Meyer and the distribution of funds.

Record Group: Syria

The Syria record group contains field reports about JDC staff visits to Aleppo and Damascus and correspondence regarding procuring religious and educational supplies for Jewish schools. Some materials are restricted in accordance with JDC’s Access & Restrictions Policy.

Series 1: Syria: Administration

Record Group: Taiwan

The Taiwan record group includes some correspondence regarding a request from Taiwan for JDC funds to aid the Jewish community. The file also includes a March 1981 bulletin from the Taiwan Jewish Community.

Record Group: Thailand

The Thailand file concerns JDC’s relief efforts for Kampuchean refugees in Thailand, specifically in its participation in the educational program. Included is correspondence, primary education syllabi, educational materials, and a document on the history of JDC’s relief efforts for Kampuchean refugees in Thailand.

Record Group: Tunisia

These records document JDC’s operations in Tunisia from 1975-1989. When JDC first began operating in Tunisia in 1951, the Jewish community numbered over 110,000. By 1989, the Jewish population was estimated to be approximately 1,800 among a total population of 7,500,000. Jews lived mainly in Tunis, Djerba, Nabeul, Sousse, and Sfax, and were primarily elderly and of modest means, although there were approximately 260 children in Jewish schools. Thus, JDC’s efforts at this time focused primarily on supporting Jewish education and social welfare for the elderly.

Social welfare consisted of monthly cash grants, mainly for food and rent; additional grants were made for Passover and, in some cases, for clothing. Medical care was also provided, including for those in the two homes (foyers) for the aged. The bulk of JDC’s budget in Tunisia, however, was allocated to Jewish education. JDC provided direct support to Jewish schools in Tunis, Djerba, and Zarzis, including those institutions operated by Lubavitch. Hot lunches were also provided to students as part of a JDC-supported feeding program.

Items of particular note include detailed field trip reports of country director, Evelyn Peters. In addition to her oversight of JDC’s activities in Tunisia, Peters also served as the country director for Algeria and India, and consulted on global day care education issues for JDC. Her comprehensive reports offered evaluations of the political and economic environment in Tunisia, impressions of individual Jewish communities, and updates on JDC-supported programs. Field trip reports by Stanley Abramovitch, Director of JDC’s Education Department, describe the JDC-supported education program in Tunisia and his visits to local schools.

Materials are primarily in English, with some in French.

Series 1: Tunisia: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s Tunisia program. Noteworthy materials include the detailed field trip reports of country director Evelyn Peter, and JDC’s education director Stanley Abramovitch. These reports provide vivid and comprehensive evaluations of JDC’s role in the country, updates on JDC-supported programs, and general commentary on the political and economic environment in Tunisia, JDC’s role in the country, and updates on JDC-supported programs.

Series 2: Tunisia: Organizations

The Organizations series reflects JDC’s partnerships with other Jewish organizations in Tunisia to support Jewish education and care for the elderly. JDC participated with the Tunis community in operating two Homes for the Aged (La Goulette and OSE’s in Tunis) which provided shelter, medical care, food, and clothing to elderly individuals. In January 1987, the Tunis community took over the administration of the medical program formerly administered by OSE; the program provided health services to the needy and aged Jews in six communities. JDC helped fund this program and also covered the costs of emergency hospitalization and specialized treatment abroad.

In Tunis, Jewish education was provided by Lubavitch, which operated two separate schools for boys and girls. Lubavitch also supervised the Yeshiva in Djerba. JDC subsidized up to 70% of the Lubavitch schools’ operating costs.

Series 3: Tunisia: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects JDC’s programs in Tunisia. The Aged folder includes a report on Ilene Hyman’s consultantship to assess the two homes (foyers) for the aged, as well as a report by Mireille Karsenty, a psychologist invited by the Tunisian Jewish community, which analyzed Tunisian social services. The Disaster Relief folder documents events in October 1982, when torrential flooding in and around the Tunisian cities of Sfax and Zaghouan killed more than 100 people and rendered thousands homeless. JDC dedicated resources to assessing the damage and earmarked $10,000 for the emergency purchase of relief supplies. The Education file includes reports by Stanley Abramovitch on JDC’s education program, including evaluations of the schools in Djerba, Hara Sghrira, and Hara Kebira.

The Refugees file includes materials regarding the emergency resettlement of Tunisians in France, starting in 1985. This migration was prompted by the Israeli bombing of the PLO headquarters in Tunisia in October 1985, which left Tunisian Jews feeling vulnerable and threatened in their own country. In 1986, JDC’s Board of Directors approved a grant of $288,000 to the Fonds Social Juif Unifie (FSJU) to meet this resettlement need. The Library file details the efforts made to catalog the Tunis Community Library, with reports from consultants Professor Georges Weill from Alliance Israelite Universelle and Joseph Tedghi, on behalf of the Committee of the International Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities.

Series 4: Tunisia: Localities

The Localities file consists of correspondence regarding the discontinuation of JDC’s financial support for the school feeding program in Djerba in 1985.

Record Group: Turkey

The Turkey files include correspondence, memos, and reports concerning the Jewish community in Turkey. Materials include updates on a loan fund in Istanbul; a request for JDC from the Jewish hospital in Turkey; a report of Rabbi Rosen’s (Chief Rabbi of Romania) visit to Turkey; the status of the Jewish Community in Turkey, as well as its history; and a report of the American Jewish Congress’ delegation to Turkey. The Relief file documents JDC assistance in the wake of a terrorist attack at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, in which 21 Jews were killed.

Record Group: USSR

For decades, JDC extended an indirect lifeline to Jews in the Soviet Union – providing financial support to refuseniks who had lost their livelihoods after applying to leave for Israel and to other Jews in need. Executive Vice President Ralph Goldman, who began his tenure in 1986 began consulting with trusted advisers to advance the long-term goal of returning to the Soviet Union. A 1986 New York breakfast at which Rabbi Arthur Schneier strategically seated JDC leaders next to Konstantin Kharchev, the Soviet Minister of Cults resulted in a coveted invitation for JDC to visit the Soviet Union. In January 1988, JDC set foot on Soviet soil for the first time since the closure of Agro-Joint exactly 50 years earlier. With JDC’s return to the Soviet satellites in 1988, Executive Vice President Ralph Goldman began consulting with trusted advisers to advance the long-term goal of returning to the Soviet Union.

Asked to re-create an updated Agro-Joint program, JDC leaders declined, declaring that their primary interest now was to Judaize the Jews of the Soviet Union. Yet in the prevailing atmosphere of glasnost, JDC was permitted to return to the Soviet Union. One of the priorities which JDC assumed in its lifeline role in the region was the rehabilitation and revitalization of Jewish communal infrastructures and the empowerment of Soviet Jewry. To this end, it supported the training of educators, religious leaders, and communal professionals, built Judaic libraries, and imported Russian-language Jewish books and materials. By the end of the 1980s, it had established contact with numerous Jewish communities and shipped hundreds of thousands of religious and cultural items that they had requested. JDC also created facilities for and implemented an astonishing range of cultural and religious activities, such as organizing Jewish cantorial concerts for sellout crowds in major cities, across the region. Records of note include the Policy and Strategy file which documents the policy making decisions and discussions as it pertains to JDC’s objective to reenter the Soviet Union after a 50-year absence. Materials are in English and Russian.

Series 1: USSR: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s activities in the USSR. The series includes financial materials, correspondence, a few field reports by Asher Ostrin, Ralph Goldman, and Seymour Epstein, and general administrative materials. Also included are informational bulletins which contain updates and the latest news regarding Jews in the USSR at this time. Of particular note is the Policy and Strategy file which documents JDC’s policy discussions and objectives regarding its as desire to reenter the Soviet Union after being expelled in 1938.

Series 2: USSR: Organizations

The Organizations series reflects JDC’s partnerships and correspondence with other Jewish organizations, including those that specifically advocated for the rights of Soviet Jews such as Action for Soviet Jewry and the National Conference of Soviet Jewry. In addition to correspondence, the National Conference of Soviet Jewry file also contains examples of its newsletter “Jews in the USSR” from 1988-1989. The Council of Jewish Federation materials include reports on its Soviet Resettlement Program as well as position papers submitted to its Task Force on Jewish Identity, formed in 1980.

Series 3: USSR: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects the programmatic aspects of JDC’s operations in the USSR. Once JDC was permitted to return to the Soviet Union in 1989, its primary interest was to revitalize and rehabilitate Jewish communal infrastructures. To this end, it promoted religious-cultural activities in the region, including the shipment of hundreds of thousands of religious and cultural items and the building of Judaic libraries. Of note are the materials which document the organization of Cantor Malovany’s concerts for sellout crowds in Moscow, Leningrad, and Tashkent between 1988 and 1989.

Series 4: USSR: Localities

The Localities series documents the creation of JDC’s Open Mailbox for contributions to assist victims of a devastating earthquake in Armenia in December 1988. In August 1989, JDC financed and arranged an El Al airlift of more than 60 earthquake victims, most of them amputees, from Yerevan, Soviet Armenia, to Israel. There, the trauma victims underwent rehabilitation and were fitted for prosthetic limbs. Seven weeks later, the earthquake victims were flown back to Armenia, with most able to disembark with little to no assistance. This humanitarian airlift marked the first occasion that an Israeli airline had landed in the Soviet Union since Moscow severed ties with Israel after the June 1967 Six-Day War.

Record Group: Uruguay

The Uruguay files reflect JDC involvement in the country from 1975-1989 and includes correspondence, memos, and financial materials. The Education file documents JDC assistance to schools in Uruguay, including the Escuela Scholem Aleijem, the Escuela Integral Hebrero, and the Ariel School. The file also includes correspondence regarding the merger of the Scholem Aleijem and Ivria schools. The Communidad Israelita del Uruguay file includes a request for JDC involvement in the development of a Golden Age Club at the Kehila of Montevideo.

Record Group: Venezuela

The Venezuela file contains three letters that report on visits to Venezuela from Alberto Berlfein, JDC’s representative in Argentina, and Herbert Millman, a representative of the Jewish Welfare Board.

Record Group: Yugoslavia

The Yugoslavia record group details JDC’s operations in this region and its efforts to sustain the continued development of this Jewish community. Yugoslavia was the only country in Eastern Europe where JDC was able to continue operations without interruption since the end of World War II.

Relief, support, and development funds were channeled to the Yugoslavian Jewish community through the Federation of Jewish Communities, the official representative body of some thirty communities with a combined Jewish population of approximately 6,500. JDC provided funds for cash relief to the aged and chronically ill; supported the Zagreb Home for the Aged; assisted in the development of a training program in Israel for Jewish Yugoslavian communal professionals in Israel; and was also involved in the training of religious leadership and the shipment of Passover supplies. Records of note include the comprehensive field reports of Country Directors Harvey Steinberg and Asher Ostrin. Also of interest is the file on the Pirovacs summer camp, owned and operated by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia, which served children, young families, and the aged for a five-session summer program. Materials are in English.

Series 1: Yugoslavia: Administration

The Administration series documents the operations and oversight of JDC’s operations in Yugoslavia and includes correspondence, reports, and financial materials. Materials of note include the field reports written by Country Directors, Harvey Steinberg and Asher Ostrin, and Seymour Epstein, JDC’s Global Director for Jewish Education. These reports described the general country situation, meetings with Federation staff, as well as updates to NYHQ staff on the status of JDC programming in Yugoslavia.

Series 2: Yugoslavia: Subject Matter

The Subject Matter series reflects the various programmatic aspects of JDC’s operations in Yugoslavia. JDC supported the aged by providing cash relief to dependent aged, chronically ill, and other disadvantaged clients. JDC also supported the Zagreb Home for the Aged, maintaining the building and consulting with the Brookdale Institute to determine future strategy for the care of the elderly.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia owned and operated a campsite near the coastal town of Pirovacs, to enhance the quality of Jewish life for participants from Yugoslavia and other Eastern European communities.

JDC assisted in the training of local Jewish communal professionals from Yugoslavia, including funding an Institute for the Training of Chazzanim (cantors) in Belgrade that was developed by the community and supported training of local religious leadership.

The Disaster Relief file documents the $10,000 contribution made by JDC in 1979 to the Yugoslav Red Cross for earthquake relief. A strong earthquake in April 1979 caused widespread damage along the southern Adriatic coast, killing hundreds and leaving thousands homeless. The Education material documents educational initiatives in Yugoslavia and a proposal for a Jewish kindergarten in Zagreb and a report by Evelyn Peters on the proposal and subsequent visit to Zagreb.

Series 3: Yugoslavia: Localities

The Localities series documents the exhibition on Jewish life in Yugoslavia, including the exhibition guide and the opening ceremony invitation. The series also includes correspondence regarding the 100th anniversary of the Zagreb Jewish community.

Record Group: Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia) record group contains material on an inventory of Jewish communal properties in Harare (Salisbury), Bulawayo, and Gwelo. The file also includes information on the Jewish community of Zimbabwe and key community leaders.