American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC), Kaunas office (Fond 1236)

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC) was founded in 1914 to assist Jewish persons in Palestine during World War I (1914-1918). The devastation of the war continued to cause distress on Jewish communities overseas. The Holocaust and World War II caused the JDC to ramp up its relief efforts. With the end of the war in 1945, Jewish survivors were placed into hastily created displaced persons camps throughout Germany. Along with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), the JDC helped administer these camps. The JDC has aided millions of Jews in more than 85 countries.