Overview
- Description
- Contains records of the Political Department represented the WJC with governments and international organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Council of Europe. Records relate to the departmental activities reflected antisemitism, human rights, migration, minorities, genocide, statelessness, prosecution of war crimes, relations between Christians and Jews, peace and disarmament, reparations, the situation of Jews in specific countries (notably the USSR and North Africa). Contains also papers of three persons: Maurice L. Perlzweig, Robert S. Marcus, and Oscar Karbach ( personal materials, alphabetical files of special assistance cases for persons seeking assistance with immigration/visa problems during the years 1946-1948, correspondence and publications). Materials in this series include correspondence, reports, memos, publications, releases, mimeographed materials, and submissions.
- Date
-
inclusive:
1919-1977
bulk: 1940-1969
- Collection Creator
- World Jewish Congress
- Biography
-
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international organization founded by resolution of the First World jewish Congress, which took place in August 1936 in Geneva. The organization goal is to defend the political, social, and economic rights of Jews throughout the world. Its governing bodies were elected at the First World Jewish Congress: the executive committee headed by Stephen Wise (also the organization’s chairman), an administrative committee, headed by Nahum Goldman, and a central council headed by Louis Lipsky. At the first session of the executive committee, Sept. 6, 1936, it was decided to establish regional offices of the WJC in Geneva, New York, and London, and a central bureau in Paris. The central bureau coordinated the WJC’s work, collected information on the situation of Jews in various countries, published materials, and also lobbied at the League of Nations. In 1940, with the Second World War under way, the central bureau was transferred to New York, and a European office was established in London.
Physical Details
- Language
- English Other languages
- Genre/Form
- Minutes. Correspondence. Reports.
- Extent
-
164,759 digital images : PNG ; 39.3 GB.
141 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
19 CD-ROMs ; 4 3/4 in..
- System of Arrangement
- Organized in four sub-series: 1. Executive Files; 2. Office Files; 3. United Nations Files; 4.World Jewish Congress Submissions to the United Nations and Other Agencies. Arrangement is thematic
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- This material can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations. No other access restrictions apply to this material.
- Conditions on Use
- Fair use only. Persons wishing to quote or publish from the records of the World Jewish Congress beyond the fair use provision as established by copyright law must obtain the written approval of the American Jewish Archives. The sale or distribution of microfilms or CD copies by the USHMM to any outside individual or agency is not permitted. Microfilms and all electronic images of the World Jewish Congress records are for use on site at the USHMM only and may not be lent to third parties.
- Copyright Holder
- American Jewish Archives
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
American Jewish Archives
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- Files of the Political Department (Series B) of the WJC in New York City. Originally established in 1936 under Nahum Goldmann and Marc Jarblum in Paris, the Political Department was charged with the protection of the basic rights and freedoms of Jews in the political and diplomatic fields. Conditions resulting from the rise of Hitler, however, created for the Department the additional task of obtaining political relief for refugees. Following the move of the WJC's main office to New York in 1940, Maurice L. Perlzweig was named director of the Political Department. In 1947, Perlzweig became permanent representative from the WJC to the United Nations and Robert S. Marcus took over as political director. Following Marcus' death in 1951, Perlzweig resumed direction of the newly renamed Department of International Affairs and United Nations (New York Branch) and continued in that capacity until his retirement in 1974. The New York branch of the Department of International Affairs concentrated on the western hemisphere, while the London branch (directed by Alexander L. Easterman) covered the eastern hemisphere.The World Jewish Congress records was donated to the American Jewish Archives by the World Jewish Congress in 1982. All materials donated prior to 2002 have been arranged and described in the American Jewish Archives inventory. Series B (Political Department) of the collection was microfilmed and sent to the United States Holocaust Museum in 2006. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum International Archives Project transferred the collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives in Apr.2006.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-08-24 13:41:55
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn518228
Download & Licensing
- See Rights and Restrictions
- Terms of Use
- This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.
In-Person Research
- Requires Research Visit
- Plan a Research Visit
-
Request in Shapell Center Reading Room
Bowie, MD
