Jewish Colonization Association (JCA)-Argentina Office-Individual Files

Identifier
irn545933
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2016.195.1
  • RG-68.195
Dates
1 Jan 1890 - 31 Dec 1976, 1 Jan 1939 - 31 Dec 1945
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Spanish
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

86,987 digital images, TIFF

Creator(s)

Biographical History

The Jewish Colonisation Association (JCA) was created on September 11, 1891 by Baron Maurice de Hirsch. The most prominent of JCA activities was the resettling of Jews from Eastern Europe in agricultural colonies on lands purchased by the committee, particularly in North America (Canada and the United States), and South America (Argentina and Brazil). Historical background: In 1897, at the request of the British government, JCA transferred 33 Russian refugee families from England to Cyprus, establishing three small colonies there. This venture failed and after a few years the settlers re-emigrated. In 1891 JCA bought land near Smyrna in Turkey, and established an agricultural training center, Or Yehudah, on an area totaling 3,000 hectares by 1902. Owing to numerous difficulties the center was closed in 1926. A group of Romanian Jews in Anatolia were assisted by JCA in the early 20th century, and a small-scale Russian immigration led JCA to establish an immigration bureau in Constantinople in 1910. JCA also bought land in Anatolia and Thrace, and founded Mesillah Ḥadashah and two other agricultural settlements for several hundred families. During World War I the settlers were forced to leave, and in 1928 the colonies were practically liquidated, only the immigration bureau remaining to assist migrants in transit for Ereẓ Israel.

Archival History

Arkhiyon ha-merkazi le-toldot ha-ʻam ha-Yehudi

Acquisition

Source of acquisition is the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) (Arkhiyon ha-merkazi le-toldot ha-ʻam ha-Yehudi). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received this collection via the United States Holocaust Museum International Archives Project in August 2016.

Scope and Content

Contains over 7,000 personal files, mostly of settlers in colonies of the Jewish Colonization Association (JCA) in Argentina. The files generally contain lease or purchase contracts between JCA and individual settlers (or between JCA and institutions, such as Jewish cooperatives or government agencies) and occasionally partnership agreements between several colonists and JCA. The files often contain detailed plans of farms or of fields.

System of Arrangement

Arranged in the alphabetical order of the colonies, and the family names of the settlers.

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Copyright Holder: Arkhiyon ha-merkazi le-toldot ha-ʻam ha-Yehudi

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.