Records of the Geneva office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1945-1954.

This incredibly rich archival fonds contains several hundreds of files relevant to the immediate post-war relief efforts of the JDC, and its support of Jewish organisations engaged in the reconstruction of the Belgian Jewish communities during the late 1940s - early 1950s. The fonds is divided into four main sections (‘subcollections’): Administration, Organisations, Subject Matter and Countries & Regions. Subcollection 1: Administration contains the following files, whose descriptions explicitly mention Belgium, Brussels, … and other relevant keywords: “Financial Statistical Reports” (nr. ADM 93; 1948-1949, 1953), “Country Directors Conference Part II” (nr. ADM 602; 1948), several files with correspondence of M.W. Beckelman (nrs. ADM 209, AMD 220, ADM 231 and ADM 255; 1950-1954), “Joseph Schwartz – Correspondence” (nr. ADM 390; 1950-1951), “Social Services 87: Summary of Social Security Legislation” (nr. ADM 595; 1950) and “Administrative Services - Field Trips” (nr. ADM 136; 1949-1950). These files mostly contain correspondence and various reports on the situation in Belgium and the activities of the JDC and its supported organisations, such as the Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre. In Subcollection 2: Organisations we note several series and files that are relevant to our guide. The (sub)series “Organisation of Rehabilitation and Training (ORT)”, spanning nrs. ORG 164 – ORG 185 and ORG 532, has ‘Belgium’ as a keyword. This series contains files on ORT-activities in mostly European countries. Keyword ‘Brussels’ is attributed to the file “International Council of Jewish Women” (nr. ORG 524) and to (sub)series “Paul Baerwald School of Social Work” (nrs. ORG 208 – ORG 224, ORG 501 – ORG 503). The same goes for the series “International Refugee Organisation” (nrs. ORG 348 – ORG 499). ‘AIVG’ (the organisation Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre) is mentioned as a keyword for the series “Standing Conference of Voluntary Agencies” (nrs. ORG 442 – ORG 448). Lastly, we note the file “Ford Foundation: France and Belgium. Projects 1952-1954” (nr. ORG 504). Several files in Subcollection 3: Subject Matter explicitly mention Belgium in their descriptions: “General Documentation -- Declaration of Death Surveys” (nr. SM 410; 1946-1949); “Care and Maintenance, Non DP Countries” (nr. SM 416; 1948); “Rehabilitation & Settlement—Reconstruction Laws Part II” (nr. SM 796; 1947-1948) and “Legal Aid – Documentation Restitution Surveys Part II” (nr. SM 818; 1948). The keywords ‘Brussels’, ‘AIVG’, ‘AJDC Brussels’ and/or ‘École et Éducation, Belgique Bruxelles’ are attributed to the following files: “Summary of Social Security Legislation in Ten European Countries” (nr. SM 944; 1950); “IRO Refugee Statistics”, part I and II (nrs. SM 879 – SM 880; 1949-1950); “Books B: Miscellaneous Distribution 1948-1951 and Warehouse Inventories 1950-1951” (nr. SM 872); “Emigration Conferences” (nr. SM 867; 1953); “T[u]B[erculosis] and ex-T[u]B[erculosis] cases” (nr. SM 902, SM 904; 1950-1952); “Etania Hospital” (nrs. SM 922 – SM 923; 1949-1954); “Consecutive File Part II (July-December) 1954” (nr. SM 877) and “Tracing Requests” (nr. SM 871; 1947-1948, 1951). The bulk of relevant files in this fonds however can be found in Subcollection 4: Countries & Regions. There are more than 220 files in the section ‘Belgium’. These files contain various reports (of meetings, field trips, activities), correspondence, notes, lists (names of students, members, survivors, refugees, …), statistical material, financial documents (auditing reports, expenditure reports), etc. The material mostly deals with requests for financial aid and support of organisations, fund-raising activities, relations between the JDC and subventioned organisations, and so on. The section ‘Belgium’ itself is divided into four series. Series 1: Belgium - Administration contains the following relevant material: “general” files (nrs. BG 8 – BG 12; years 1946-1954); files on administration costs (nr. BG 1; 1947), budget schedules (nrs. BG 2 – BG 5; 1947-1950), currency accounting (nr. BG 6; 1948) and finances (nr. BG 7; 1947-1948); files regarding personnel (nrs. BG 13 – 14, nr. BG 211; 1947-1950, 1953), supply lists (nr. BG 21; 1946-1950, 1954) and the Brussels warehouse (nr. BG 22; 1947, 1949-1950). In Series 2: Belgium - Organisations we find files on the following organisations or JDC departments: JDC and Vaad Hatzala (nr. BG 23; 1948); AIVG (nrs. BG 24 – BG 49; 1946-1954); Aliyah de la Jeunesse (nrs. BG 50 – BG 51; 1947-1949); Amicale belge de l’UNRRA (nr. BG 52; 1947); Shomre Hadas (nr. BG 53; 1954); Association of Jewish Political Prisoners (nr. BG 54; 1947); CARE (nr. BG 55; 1947); Central Orthodox Committee (nr. BG 56; 1948-1950); Centrale d’œuvres sociales juives (nr. BG 58; 1952-1953); Comité central israélite (nr. BG 59 – BG 66; 1945-1954); Comité pour le Placement des Intellectuels Réfugiés (nr. BG 67; 1948); Conseil des Associations juives de Belgique (nr. BG 68 – BG 69; 1947-1948); “Consistoire de Bruxelles” (nr. BG 70; 1947-1948); various Belgian Jewish cooperatives (nrs. BG 71 - BG 72; 1947-1949, 1951, 1953); COREF (nrs. BG 73 – BG 74; 1947-1949); Educational Foundation America (nr. BG 75; 1947); Ezrat Hayeled (nr. BG 76; 1947); Ford Foundation (nrs. BG 77 – BG 78; 1952-1954); “Hebrew Schools Antwerp”, i.a. Jesode-Hatora and Tachkemoni (nrs. BG 79 – BG 81; 1947-1950, 1954); “Hebrew Schools Brussels”, i.a. Talmud Torah Kahal Adass Jeschurun and École Israélite (nrs. BG 82 – BG 84; 1947-1950); Hehalutz (nr. BG 85; 1948); HISO, i.a. concerning Villa Altol, Maison de Vieillards, loan kassa (nrs. BG 87 – BG 100; 1947-1954); Home de Marquain [École Artisanale et Agricole du Bachad] (nrs. BG 101 – BG 104; 1946-1948); various files regarding IRO work in Belgium (nrs. BG 105 – BG 112; 1945, 1945-1952); JCC [Jewish Claims Conference] (nr. BG 113; 1947); Jewish Committee For Relief Abroad (nr. BG 114; 1949); Jewish Refugees Welfare Society (nr. BG 115; 1947); École israélite de Bruxelles (nr. BG 116; 1947-1954); Les Amis des Enfants [Kinderfraynd?] (nr. BG 117; 1947-1948); Location Service (nr. BG 118; 1947-1948); files on audits of JDC, ORT and subventioned organisations by Loeb & Troper (nr. BG 119 – BG 126; 1947-1954); Maccabi (nr. BG 127; 1949); Maison de Retraite in Brussels (nr. BG 128; 1949-1954); Mizrachi (nr. BG 129; 1947-1948); Morris Myer Home in Ronquières (nr. BG 130; 1948); National Council of Jewish Women (nr. BG 131 - 133; 1945-1950); ORT, i.a. schools in Antwerp, Charleroi and Kessel-Lo (nr. BG 134; 1946-1947, 1949-1950, 1952, 1954); Communauté Sépharadite (nr. BG 135; 1949); s.a. SETICO, regarding an offer to sell fishing boats (nr. 136; 1948); Société israélite d’Assistance antituberculeuse (nr. BG 137; 1948, 1950-1953); Solidarité juive (nr. BG 138-139; 1949-1950); Union des Étudiants juifs (nrs. BG 140 – BG 142; 1947-1950); United Nations Appeal for Children (nr. BG 143; 1948); United Refugee Immigration Association (nr. BG 144; 1948-1950); Vaad Hatzala (nr. BG 145; 1946-1947); Child care program [of the American Jewish Congress] (nr. BG 146; 1946-1948); Yeshiva Kehillat Jacob [also named Yeshiva Kehillat Yaakov, Yeshiva at Belz] (nrs. BG 147, BG 151 – BG 155; 1947-1952); Yeshiva Etz Hayim (nrs. BG 148 – BG 1950; 1947-1950); Yeshiva Mesivta (nr. BG 156; 1948); [Credit] Cooperative in Antwerp (nrs. BG 212 – BG 213; 1946-1954); Credit Cooperative in Brussels (nrs. BG 214 – BG 218; 1946-1954); “Centrale” (nr. BG 219; 1954); “Small Loan Fund” (nr. BG 220; 1946-1954) and Tailors Cooperative (nr. BG 221; 1946-1952). Series 3: Belgium - Subject Matter contains almost 70 files on various topics i.a. the internal functioning of the JDC (financial reports, reports of visits to Belgium, statistical reports, general reports on the work of JDC, life in Belgium, …); immigration and emigration (aid to refugees, refugee and alien policy, DP coal miners); the activities of the JDC and its offices and supported organisations in Belgium (regarding the support of Jewish institutions, schools, Yiddish theatre, childcare, Yeshiva Etz Hayim, …); medical assistance (individual cases, the JDC medical program, chronic diseases, …); spoliation, restitution of property, and reparations of war damage; survivors (lists of survivors, transit of Greek survivors, repatriated political prisoners, survivors of Bergen-Belsen, …); various shipments of goods (books, Passover supplies); JDC’s Belgium program; reconstruction loans; students; … See nrs. BG 156.1 – BG 224. These files span the years 1945-1954. Lastly, we note the following files in Series 4: Belgium - Localities: “AJDC Country Directors' Conference Paris” (nr. BG 200;1952); Paul Baerwald Department Country Correspondence i.a. student applications (nrs. BG 201-202; 1949-1953); Mr. Beckelman’s correspondence (nr. BG 203; 1952-1953); general correspondence and remittances (nr. BG 204; 1945); closure of JDC Office (nr. BG 205; 1950); files of James Rice i.a. scholarships, assistance to refugees, correspondence with IRO (nrs. BG 206 - 208; 1948-1950) and supply of educational material to schools (nr. BG 209; 1949).