American Federation of Jews from Central Europe

This collection consists mainly of responses to a 1944 questionnaire sent by the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe to collect information on the communal property owned by Jewish communities in Germany prior to November 1938. Materials include completed questionnaires, correspondence, lists of reporting congregations, addresses, charts of data collected, and a final report. A small amount of materials related to other functions of the Federation is also included.

The Collection contains correspondence of CENTRA, the Council of Jews from Germany, the Irgun Olej Merkaz Europa, the Leo Baeck Institute in Jerusalem, and others. Topics include the Spanish translations of LBI publications and the collaboration of the Council of Jews from Germany with CENTRA. Mentioned is the possibility of establishing a permanent representation of the Leo Baeck Institute in Buenos Aires. A point of concern is the preservation of the German-Jewish heritage in Latin American congregations and organizations of CENTRA. Included are various materials on CENTRA's congresses as well as completed questionnaires about the German-Jewish communities and institutions in South America.

This collection contains the records of the Council of Jews from Germany (Council for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Jews from Germany). It represents the interests of former German Jews in matters of restitution and indemnification, legislation, contacts with successor organizations for heirless Jewish property in West Germany, and social work activities, and was a founding member of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (the Claims Conference). The records primarily range from the 1950s to the 1970s, and include correspondence concerning all aspects of restitution, particularly with the Claims Conference, internal minutes and other administrative and financial documents, and a small amount of cultural material.

The collection documents the life and interests of Curt C. Silberman. There are only a few materials related to his life in Germany and his and family's immigration. The bulk of the collection consists of documents and correspondence related to his involvement with Jewish organizations in the US and his visits to Germany, especially his hometown Wuerzburg.

The collection documents the life and professional activities of the German-born attorney Curt Silberman, in the period of his life following his emigration to the United States, from the 1940s to the 1990s. The materials include correspondence; manuscripts of speeches; ephemera; clippings; publications such as organizational newsletters and anniversary booklets; and photographs. The majority of the materials relate, on the one hand, to Silberman's service in and engagement with social welfare, cultural and educational organizations and institutions, including the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe and allied organizations; and, on the other, to his activities as a lecturer and speaker, both in the United States and (from the 1960s on) in Germany, especially his hometown of Würzburg, on topics including the commemoration of Kristallnacht, German Jewish history, and aspects of international law.

Emigration 1864-1952: This collection - encompassing about 90 years - contains papers about the situation and persecution of Jews in Eastern European countries (Russia, Poland, Roumania, Bulgaria, Lithuania). Papers describe the activities of various relief organizations. There are more than 170 papers (ca.900 pages), about half of them written in German, about 30 each in French or English, over 20 in Yiddish and some in Polish. A printed appeal of the Reichsausschuss fuer Russisch-Juedische Fluechtlingshilfe, Berlin (1929) carries among others the signatures of Leo Baeck and ALbert Einstein. (VI, 16).

This collection consists mainly of newsletters, bulletins, statistics, internal communications, and minutes from the Bavarian State Restitution Office in Munich, the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, and the Coordination Office of the International Working Group for Restitution and Indemnification Claims in the Federal Republic of Germany. Correspondence of Ferdinand L. Herrmann (1902-1976) concerning restitution and two issues of the Bavarian Law and Ordinance Gazette are also included.

The Herbert Strauss Addenda contains subject files and writings from Strauss’ position as the executive director of the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe. These include correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, newsletters and pamphlets, and writings, including manuscripts and dissertations in the field of German-Jewish history and related topics.

The Herbert Strauss Collection documents the life and professional activities of Herbert Strauss, writer, historian, and teacher. The collection includes correspondence, court procedures, documents, lists, manuscripts and lectures, notes, photographs, printed materials, and a small amount of teaching materials. Materials constituting the collection reflect various aspects of Herbert Strauss’ personal life, teaching, research and writings in the fields of German-Jewish history and relations, Anti-Semitism, and assimilation. The collection includes both, personal and professional materials related to Herbert Strauss, with personal being by far the smaller.

This collection contains post-World War Two restitution matters primarily sent from the Council of Jews from Germany. It includes meeting minutes as well as internal and external correspondence relating to Council for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Jews From Germany (later the Council of Jews from Germany), as well as other organizations including the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (Claims Conference), the Jewish Restitution Successor Organization (JRSO), the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI), and the United Restitution Organization (URO). Some documents have annotations from the German-Jewish attorney Hermann Simon.

Various materials in 3 folders concerning Jewish claims and options of compensation for lost property after the end of War World II. Included are correspondence and various writings; minutes of meetings; as well as newspaper clippings.