Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society in Poland (1946–1949)

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Poland

Holding institution:: The Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute

Holding institution (official language):: Żydowski Instytut Historyczny im. E. Ringelbluma

Postal address:: ul. Tłomackie 3/5, 00-090 Warszawa

Phone number:: (+48 22) 827 92 21

Web address:: http://www.jhi.pl/

Email:: secretary@jhi.pl

Reference number:: PL 312/351/

Title:: Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society in Poland (1946–1949)

Title (official language):: Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society w Polsce (1946-1949)

Creator/accumulator:: Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society in Poland

Date(s):: 1946/1949

Language:: Polish; English; French; German; Yiddish; Hebrew

Extent:: 8.5 linear metres (486 archival units)

Type of material:: Textual material; Photographic images

Physical condition:: good

Scope and content:: This collection comprises records of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), as follows:

I. Organisational records: units 1-32:

- HIAS headquarters bulletins, circulars, general correspondence – domestic and foreign, including with branch offices;

- reports on operations in 1946-9 – units 7-11;

- general personal files – units 28-31;

- employee personal files – unit 32.

II. Personal records regarding emigration – units 33-265:

- affidavits – units 33-73: certificates issued by U.S. citizens, authorised by notary public, confirming the issuing party’s citizenship, source(s) of income, his/her will to invite his/her relatives to the United States and arranging for any indispensable care and assistance to them;

- correspondence – units 74-265: a collection of personal letters regarding individual and group matters; the letters are arranged alphabetically by name of emigrant-to-be.

III. Personal records regarding sought-for people – units 266-359:

- cards of sought-for individuals – units 267-310;

- cards received from various HIAS offices and institutions cooperating with HIAS, arranged alphabetically by name of seeking people;

- correspondence – units 311-359: letters re. search conducted, in alphabetical order.

IV. HIAS branch records – units 360-484: general and personal correspondence re. emigration and search-related affairs:

- Gliwice – units 360-364;

- Krakow – units 365-393;

- Łódź – units 394-453;

- Wroclaw – units 454-484.

V. Miscellaneous: – units 485-486: photographs; fragments of letters, notes, envelopes, postage stamps.

Archival history:: The Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) archive was transferred to the Jewish Historical Institute (ŻIH) after the former was wound up in 1949. No lists or records on the takeover of these materials by ŻIH are extant, and thus we do not know with any certainty what the archive’s condition was in 1949. The records have been severely intermingled, as they had been taken out from the original box-files, binders and folders; the archival items were shuffled many times and their original arrangement disturbed.

The HIAS archive stored at ŻIH in Warsaw does not contain the entire file and record legacy of the Polish HIAS branch. The technical condition of the extant records attests that they have long remained in humid conditions. Some records may have been deemed deficient and scrapped because of severe corruption.

Administrative/biographical history:: The Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society was established by the merger of two other immigrant assisting organisations in the United States in 1909. During World War I HIAS began setting up its branch offices in Europe and Asia. The organisation operated in Poland since 1920.

Leon Alter, director of the Polish headquarters from 1924-39, began working towards the reinstatement of the organisation, which was finally accomplished in March 1946. The Ministry of Labour and Social Care determined detailed guidelines for the Society’s activity, allowing it to share information on the relations in alien countries with regard to emigration conditions, the conditions put forth by alien countries’ emigration regulations, any formalities required from persons willing to emigrate to be settled with Polish public offices, alien states’ agencies or legations and transport/carriage enterprises. HIAS’s postwar activities in Poland mainly consisted in helping those planning to emigrate collect and fill out the documents they needed to settle before leaving Poland, acquire the visa(s) and ticket(s), and granting them material help. The organisation’s activities within Poland only extended to legal emigrations, in which field HIAS collaborated with the Central Committee of Jews in Poland (CKŻP). A separate sector of HIAS’s operations was searching for relatives in Poland and abroad. Foreign residents were supported in their effort to search for their relatives and/or acquaintances in Poland. Individuals residing outside Poland were sought for as well. HIAS had its branch offices in Warsaw and Krakow plus establishments in Łódź, Wroclaw, and Gliwice; altogether, their joint effort led to the registration by 1949 of some 19,000 persons, of whom more than 4,000 eventually left Poland with HIAS’s help.

Access points: locations:: Gliwice; Krakow; Łódź; Wrocław

Subject terms:: Aid and relief; Migration

Finding aids:: A catalogue in Polish is accessible online.

It includes an index of personal names.

Yerusha Network member:: Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute

Author of the description:: Agnieszka Reszka; Żydowski Instytut Historyczny im. E. Ringelbluma; 2015

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