Alliance of Swiss Jewish Care Organizations Verband Schweizerischer Jüdischer Fürsorgen (VSJF)

Identifier
irn72306
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2013.207
  • RG-58.029
Dates
1 Jan 1926 - 31 Dec 1990
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • French
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

861,511 digital images, PDF

Creator(s)

Biographical History

The Alliance was founded in 1925, and known since 1936 as the Schweizerische Zentralstelle für Flüchtlingshilfe, it became the central aid agency for Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany. Until 1939, the Alliance organized primarily the transit of refugees. After the start of the war, the organization and financing of the temporary residence of Jewish refugees in Switzerland became its primary objective. The financial means were provided by the Swiss Jewish community as well as by American Jewish aid organizations, primarily American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee(or "Joint"), the HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), and the HICEM (HIAS-ICA-Emigdirect). In 1943 the Alliance was renamed the Verband Schweizerischer Jüdischer Fürsorgen (VSJF). Between the years 1933 and 1945, the Alliance took care of approximately 23,000 Jewish refugees, such as survivors from the concentration camps Bergen-Belsen and Theresienstadt as well as children and teenagers from Buchenwald. The activities carried out by the Alliance during these years included representing the interests of the Jewish refugees before the Swiss authorities, the procurement of clothing, medical care, the reunification of families, the provision of housing, the search for missing relatives, vocational training with view towards eventual emigration, and lending support in filing reparation claims against Germany and Austria during the postwar period.

Archival History

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung

Acquisition

Source of acquisition is the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ), Switzerland. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received the collection via the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s International Archives Project in 2013 and accretion in March 2017. Ongoing project.

Scope and Content

Jewish refugee dossiers with biographical data for individuals who were getting support and care provided by the Verband Schweizerischer Juedischer Fürsorgen (VSJF). The dossiers include documentation and correspondence regarding entry and leaving the country, family relatives living in Switzerland and abroad, legal status, aid provided, accommodations, educational programs, health problems, internment in labor camps, professional occupation, legal processes, Jewish property and restitution matters, etc.; VSJF office files during period of years 1944-1979: protocols, minutes, correspondence; Lists of refugees: 1944-1950; various documents of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (the Joint), 1955-1980.

System of Arrangement

The system of arrangement of the source repository has been preserved on the microfilm reels. Arranged in four series: 1. Jewish refugee dossiers (organized alphabetically), Files IB VSJF-Archiv / A.1 to Z.186 (12550 files); 2. Documents of the office of the Verband Schweizerischer Jüdischer Fürsorgen (VSJF), Files 242-260 (19 files); 3. Lists of refugees, 1944-1950 311-381 (71 files); 4. Various documents of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (HIAS and JOINT), 1955-1980. Note: The first tranche from this collection, received in October 2013, consists of personal dossiers of refugees in alphabetical order from A to G (Files A-1 to G-876).

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Copyright Holder: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung

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.