Jewish Colonization Association (JCA)-Argentina Office-Individual Files
Extent and Medium
86,987 digital images, TIFF
Creator(s)
- Jewish Colonization Association
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
- Jewish Colonization Association
Subjects
- Argentina--Emigration and immigration--History--20th century.
- World War (1939-1945)--Refugees--Europe.
- Jews--Legal status, laws, etc.--Argentina--History--20th century.
- Emigration and immigration--Europe--History--20th century.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Europe.
- Refugees, Jewish--Argentina--Registers.
- Jews--Legal status, laws, etc.--Europe--History--20th century.
Genre
- Document
- Registers.