AJDC Landsmanshaftn Department

Title: AJDC Landsmanshaftn Department

Inclusive Dates: 1937-1940, 1945-1950

ID: RG 335.7

Extent Information

15'; 36 5"

Arrangement

arranged numerically, by folder

Administrative/Biographical History

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (also known as the JDC) was founded on November 27, 1914, in order to facilitate and centralize the collection and distribution of funds by American Jews for Jews abroad. The Landsmanshaftn Department of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (LD) was originally organized as a department of the JDC, known as the Landsmanshaftn Bureau, in 1919 in New York. The aim of the department was to encourage relief efforts by the landsmanshaftn in the United States for their native communities in Eastern Europe.

This work was temporarily discontinued in 1924 before it was revived in the late 1930s as part of the JDC Reconstruction program. At this time, the JDC pledged to match with equal amounts of funds every donation made by each landsmanshaft to their former native communities, particularly those made on behalf of the interest-free loan associations (interest-free loan associations) in these communities. The JDC organized a Landsmanshaftn Fraternal Division, known usually as the Landsmanshaftn Department, in 1937 and this department successfully enlisted the cooperation of several hundred landsmanshaftn.

The outbreak of World War II put a temporary end to this program, which was revived once again in 1945, this time mainly as a channel of relief aid furnished by the landsmanshaftn for the survivors from their native communities. These activities were later expanded to include issues of immigration and the location of survivors.

Subjects (links to similar collections)

Austria
Charitable Activities
Communal Welfare Organizations
Displaced Persons and DP Camps
Germany
Holocaust and Aftermath
Immigration and Emigration
Italy
Landsmanshaftn
Poland
Refugees
Survivors, Holocaust
United States

Forms of Material (links to similar genres)

Documents - Records

Finding Aid Information

Inventory, English, 71pp., typed

Administrative Information

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Description: The sub-group consists of inter-office memoranda, general correspondence, correspondence with landsmanshaftn, reports from JDC regional offices, acknowledgements of contributions and other materials relating to the operation of the Landsmanshaftn Department (LD). The following series are included: 1. Records of the Landsmanshaftn Fraternal Division, 1937-40. Under this name the LD was re-established in 1937 to enlist the cooperation of the landsmanshaftn in the AJDC reconstruction program in Eastern Europe. Consists of LD-Landsmanshaftn correspondence; inter-office memoranda of Mrs. Henrietta Buchman, AJDC Assistant Exec. Secretary and Norman V. Gilimowsky, LD head; communications from local Loan Kassas in Poland and other Eastern European countries. 2. LD Post-World War II records, 1945-50: Relate to generating aid for Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe and DP camps; accepting earmarked contributions from the Landsmanshaftn for their landslayt abroad; locating relatives; aiding immigrants. Consists of: a. general correspondence and inter-office memoranda of Louis H. Sobel, JDC Assistant Executive Secretary and Solomon Tarshansky, LD Head. b. correspondence with regional JDC offices. c. correspondence with landsmanshaftn regarding localities.

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