Subseries 1: Assistance, General, 1944-1975

These records pertain to general social assistance provided by the Community to Sephardim. The bulk of the records are correspondence from the 1940s and 1950s. Correspondence includes letters of recommendation by Dr. Isaac Alcalay, Chief Rabbi of the Community; requests for monetary assistance from both individuals and other organizations and requests for assistance in finding employment or an employee. Other items of potential interest are records concerning immigration, including notes on a particular immigrant as well as correspondence between the Community and the immigrant or an organization that was aiding him/her. Much of these records on immigration are to and from immigrants in Displaced Persons camps, and most of the Community responses to these letters are by Dr. Alcalay. Folders labelled "Overseas Relief" document the Community's work in aiding Jews during and immediately following World War II. Most documents are in English, but there are also a few in Spanish, French, and Hebrew.