Raphael Family Papers

Aaron Rafalowsky was born in Russia in 1883 and came to the United States in 1902 with his wife, Ida Rafalowsky. They had three children, Julius (1905), Israel (1908) and Joseph (1916).

Aaron Rafalowsky,later Raphael, was an active member in the Bialystoker Somech Noflim (or Mutual Aid Society) which operated in New York City in the early twentieth century. Starting in the late nineteenth century, over forty organizations sprang up in the U.S. whose roots originated in Bialystok. During the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries, Bialystok was a part of the Russian Empire, but in 1919 became a part of Poland. The Bialystoker groups were some of the most active Landmanshaftn or hometown organizations. These organizations were set up to help service the social and financial needs of their community. They also sent delegates back to Bialystok with relief aid. Aaron was one of the delegates to travel back to Bialystok.

In 1921 the Bialystoker Center became the umbrella organization that oversaw all the Bialystok groups. The Center was also a physical space located at 228 East Broadway in Manhattan. During the 1920s the Center’s focus shifted to assisting the New York Jewish community. This included creating a home for the aging population. The home operated from 1929 to 2011.