Oswego (N.Y.)

The collection consists of Jack Cohen and Mosco Tzechoval’s papers relating to their involvement at the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, New York, 1944-1946. Materials include correspondence, sermons, minutes, reports, notes, clippings, and photographs.

On June 30, 1944 the Joint Distribution Committee opened its office in Bari, Italy to assist in the repatriation and relief of Jewish refugees following the Allied victory in Europe. Max Perlman, originally the JDC representative in North Africa, was transferred to head this office. The collection contains reports and lists concerning refugees transported from Naples, Italy to Oswego, NY following the World War II, and JDC efforts for the relief of Jewish refugees in the North Africa.

This collection contains records of the National Refugee Service (NRS), including committee files, correspondence, publications, and project files organized by partner organization and location. A few case files and a small amount of materials on predecessor organizations, notably the National Coordinating Committee, are also included. The records cover the major functions of the NRS related to migration, resettlement, retraining, employment, and social adjustment of refugees. Other subjects of note include affidavits, deportations, internees and enemy aliens in the United States, the refugee ship SS St. Louis, and the Fort Ontario refugee shelter in Oswego, New York. A few pieces of correspondence with Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Attorney General Francis Biddle are included.