Louis Kraft Papers

A U.S. social worker, Louis Kraft was born on January 2, 1891 to Abraham and Etta (Gellis) Kraft in Moscow, Russia, and was taken to the United States as a small child. He was brought up and educated in New York City. He married Isabelle Jacobsohn on April 12, 1919. They had four children, one of whom died in infancy. Stephen, Arthur, and Barbara survived into adulthood. Kraft later married Pauline Roman on July 1, 1948.

From 1914 to 1917 he served as Executive Director of the Bronx YM & YMHA. His first association with the Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was in 1917 as Director of Activities in military camps during World War I. In 1921, he was named Director of Jewish Community Center Activities of the JWB. From 1938 to 1947 he served as Executive Director of that organization. In 1947, Kraft helped establish the World Federation of YMHAs and Jewish Community Centers, and served as secretary of that body until the 1970s. During the 1940s and 1950s, he engaged in establishing Jewish Community Centers overseas. He established the Jerusalem YM & YWHA in 1948. In 1950-1951, he helped reorganize the School of Social Work in Jerusalem at the request of the State Department.

In 1953, Kraft was invited by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the Joint Distribution Committee to direct the planning of reconstruction and development of the Jewish communities in Europe and continued until 1961. In 1951, Kraft was the first recipient of the biennial Frank L. Well Award for notable contributions to the Jewish Community Center field. He was elected an Honorary Life member of the JWB Board of Directors. In 1964, he received the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Western Branch. He served at various times as President of the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service; President and Honorary President of the Association of Jewish Center Workers; President of the Social Group Work Section of the National Conference of Social Work; President of the International Conference of Jewish Social Work. He was one of the founders of the United Service Organization (USO) and a member of its Executive Committee during World War II. From 1961 until 1974, he served as voluntary Executive Secretary of the Association of Jewish Center Workers.

Kraft wrote Century of the Jewish Community Center Movement (1854-1954) (1953) and The Development of the Jewish Community Center (1968), and edited, with C.S. Bernheimer, Aspects of the Jewish Community Center (1954). He wrote many articles on subjects related to Jewish Community Centers, and was often referred to as "the architect of the Jewish community center movement."

Louis Kraft died on July 12, 1975 in his home on Central Park West, New York.

January 2, 1891

Born Moscow, Russia

1912

B.S., CUNY

1914-1917

Executive Director, Bronx YM-YWHA

1917-1920

Director, Army, Navy Welfare Work, Jewish Welfare Board

April 12, 1919

Marries Isabelle Jacobsohn, they later divorce

1921-1937

Director, Jewish Community Center Activities, JWB

1938-1947

National Executive Director, JWB

1940-1946

Member, Executive Committee, USO

1943

President, National Conference of Jewish Communal Service

1947

General Secretary, World Federation of YMHA's and Jewish Community Centers; Honorary President, National Association of Jewish Center Workers

1948

Founder, Jerusalem Branch, YM-YWHA

July 1, 1948

Marries Pauline Roman

1948-1952

International Conference of Jewish Social Workers

1950

Reorganizes Jerusalem School of Social Work

1950-1951

Lecturer, Jerusalem School of Social Work

1953-1961

Community Reconstruction and Development, Europe, Joint Distribution Committee

1953

Author, A Century of the Jewish Community Center Movement

1954

Co-editor, Aspects of Jewish Center Work

1963

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Jewish Theological Seminary of America

1966

Co-author, Change and Challenge: A History of 50 Years of JWB

1967

Author, Social Agency Administration; Author, Development of the Jewish Community Center

1971

Honorary degree, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion

1972

Townsend Harris Medal, City College Alumni Association

July 12, 1975

Died, New York City

References: The preceding Sketch and Chronology were compiled on the basis of archival documents in the Papers of Louis Kraft as well as from data presented in Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 10, p. 1235; Who's Who in World Jewry 1972. Ed. I.J. Carmin Karpman, N.Y.: Pitman Publishing Corp., 1972; The New York Times, July 12, 1975; Biographical Dictionary of Social Welfare in America (William I. Trattner, editor) Westport: Greenwood Press, 1986; and an email from Barbara S. Kraft, December 6, 2004..