American Jewish Committee Records, Domestic and Geographic Files
Scope and Content Note
The American Jewish Committee Records, Domestic and Geographic Files consists of materials created by executive offices, departments, local offices and chapters of the Committee concerning a variety of matters, primarily Jewish civil and religious rights, integration, Jewish communal organizations and communal issues.
However, materials found in this collection encompass other civil, racial, and and religious minority groups as well.
The records consist of briefs, conference proceedings, correspondence, legal documents, memoranda, minutes of meetings, printed materials, reports, resolutions, statements, studies, and surveys.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by state with further subdivisions by counties and cities.
The collection covers topics such as Jewish communal organizations that were affiliated with the American Jewish Committee, communal issues, fundraising, hate groups, the American Jewish Committee’s membership, and visits by the organization’s representatives to various areas of the United States.
Dates
- 1921, 1941-1962, 1995
Creator
- American Jewish Committee (Organization)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English with some German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, and Yiddish.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Access Information
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History.
Historical Note
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) was founded in New York in 1906 to defend Jewish civil and religious rights throughout the world. Among the original founders of the AJC were Louis Marshall, Judge Mayer Sulzberger, Jacob Schiff , and Cyrus Adler. At the outset, the AJC consisted of a select group who interceded on behalf of Jews privately and behind-the-scenes, in the traditional style of personal diplomacy. Early AJC efforts included lobbying for a liberal American immigration policy and against the literacy test requirement for immigrants. It campaigned against violations of rights of Jews in Tsarist Russia and worked to secure minority rights for Jews in post-WWI Europe.
In the 1930s the AJC began to widen its membership, and by the 1940s its structure and approach had undergone a fundamental change. The private diplomacy policies gave way to more broad and outspoken public relations and educational programs, including anti-German boycott campaigns and scholarly studies, surveys, and publications on anti-Semitism, Nazi influences in the US, civil and religious rights, and inter-religious and intercultural relations.
During the rise of Nazism and Fascism and the years of World War II, the AJC intervened before the US and other Allied governments on behalf of the persecuted Jews of Europe. It campaigned against domestic indifference and pro-Nazi sympathies, and encouraged neutral states‘ representatives to allow Jewish immigration and to create safe heavens for Jewish refugees.
After the war, the Committee continued its lobbying activities, public relations and educational programs, monitoring anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry, and promoting intergroup cooperation, cultural diversity, and intercultural education. The AJC supported legislation addressing racial and religious discrimination in employment, education, and housing. The Committee campaigned on behalf of Soviet Jews, as well as for Jewish groups in Syria, Iran and Ethiopia. The AJC also drew attention to the plight of persecuted ethnic and religious groups throughout the world.
The AJC founded the monthly magazine Commentary in 1945 and has co-sponsored the annual publication of the American Jewish Year Book since 1908.
The AJC national headquarters are in New York and it has regional offices throughout the United States, an Israeli office in Jerusalem, and a number of other international offices.
Extent
48 Linear Feet
Abstract
The American Jewish Committee Records, Domestic and Geographic Files consists of materials created by executive offices, departments, local offices and chapters of the committee concerning a variety of matters, primarily Jewish civil and religious rights, integration, Jewish communal organizations and communal issues. However, materials found in this collection encompass other civil, racial, and religious minority groups as well. The records consist of briefs, conference proceedings, correspondence, legal documents, memoranda, minutes of meetings, printed materials, reports, resolutions, statements, studies, and surveys.
Arrangement
The collection consists of a single series.
Materials are arranged alphabetically by state. Current arrangement follows the original arrangement done by the AJC staff.
Within the collection, information related to each state follows a general pattern created by the AJC, consisting of nine possible sections that occur in the following order:
1. General or first folder: This folder contains information concerning the governmental structure, state or city structure, population, and legislation. Materials are arranged in chronological order within the folder.
2. Communal issues: These are issues which are of interest to AJC. The general Communal Issues folder contains materials which have no specific subject or materials which have a specific subject but is not voluminous enough to warrant opening its own folder. The topical outline may be of help in classifying specific issues. The issues are arranged in chronological order within the folder.
3. Communal organizations: All organizations whose aims are within the interest of the people and are non-governmental controlled. These are arranged in alphabetical and then chronological order within the folder.
4. Fundraising: The general Fundraising folder contains general fundraising information, and materials related to specific fundraising organizations materials related to are not voluminous enough to warrant a separate folder.
a) The Fundraising breakdown is used only in the State and chapter-city. Unit and Non-Chapter cities do not have a Fundraising breakdown, but have its fundraising information filed within the State Fundraising folder.
b) Joint Defense Appeal: Fundraising arm for the ADL and AJC organizations. Unit and Non-chapter cities JDA general materials are arranged in chronological order within the State’s JDA folder. Unit and Non-chapter cities JDA Reports are arranged in alphabetical and chronological order within the State’s JDA Reports folder.
5. Hate groups: Groups including the KKK and White Citizens Council. Materials pertaining to these groups are arranged in chronological order within the folders.
6. Membership: AJC Membership. Unit and Non-chapter cities Membership is filed within the State Membership folder. These materials are arranged in alphabetical and chronological order.
7. Chapters: Chapter cities have all the basic breakdown as the State. An additional breakdown consists of the Chapter materials and its own breakdown.
8. Units: Unit cities have five basic sections: General folder, Communal issues, Communal organizations, Visits, and Units.
9. Visits: Field trips. Contains information concerning the community structure and organizational need, etc. Materials are arranged in chronological and alphabetical order for the Cities-general Visits folder, and in chronological order for all cities.
Acquisition Information
The American Jewish Committee deposited selected record series at the YIVO Archives in 1983. Several record series were transferred from AJC to the YIVO Archives prior to 1983.
- American Jewish Committee
- Church and state
- Civil rights
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Communal organizations and issues
- Correspondence
- Discrimination
- Education
- Financial records
- Jewish Community Councils
- Joint Defense Appeal
- National Community Relations Advisory Council (U.S.)
- Official documents
- Printed materials
- Social integration
- United States
- Title
- Guide to the American Jewish Committee Records, Domestic and Geographic Files 1921, 1941-1962, 1995 RG 347.17.13
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Yakov Illich Sklar
- Date
- © 2013
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
Repository Details
Part of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Repository
