Metadata: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, New York Saly Mayer Annex 39/50 1939-1950
Collection
- Country:
- Switzerland
- Holding institution:
- Archives of Contemporary History at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
- Holding institution (official language):
- Archiv für Zeitgeschichte der ETH Zürich
- Postal address:
- Hirschengraben 62, CH-8092 Zurich
- Phone number:
- +41 44 632 40 03
- Web address:
- https://www.afz.ethz.ch/
- Email:
- afz@history.gess.ethz.ch
- Reference number:
- JOINT SM Annex 39-50
- Title:
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, New York Saly Mayer Annex 39/50 1939-1950
- Title (official language):
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, New York Saly Mayer Annex 39/50 1939-1950
- Creator/accumulator:
- Mayer, Saly
- Date(s):
- 1939/1950
- Language:
- German
- English
- Extent:
- 0.25 shelf metres
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection contains material concerning Saly Mayer’s time at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee between 1939 and 1950.
- Archival history:
- The collection was transferred to the AfZ (Archives of Contemporary History) in 2006.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Saly Mayer's parents immigrated to Basel from southern Germany and moved to St. Gallen a few years later. Together with his brother Max, Saly Mayer founded a textile export company in England in 1907. After Max's accident in 1911, Saly Mayer returned to St. Gallen and expanded his business. In 1930, he acquired the citizenship of St. Gallen. In 1933, he became a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), for which he was elected to the city parliament. From 1929, he managed the secretariat of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG) on an honorary basis, and from 1936 to 1943, he was its chairman. From his private economic situation as a successful, internationally active factory owner and loyal citizen, he tried to undermine the state refugee policy without publicly criticising it. Neutral Switzerland initially became a refuge for persons persecuted by the Nazis. However, the small and financially weak SIG had to pay for the Jewish refugees’ livelihood. The headquarters of Mayer's companies was in St. Gallen. Due to the activities of his companies in the international textile trade, there were also many opportunities for financial transactions by SIG. St. Gallen thus became the hub for the distribution of funds from aid organisations such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to Jews and Jewish organisations in Nazi-occupied territories.
- Access points: locations:
- St Gallen
- Switzerland
- Subject terms:
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- Refugees
- Access, restrictions:
- No open access. Subject to application.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Museum Hohenems
- Author of the description:
- Severin Holzknecht; Jewish Museum of Hohenems; 2019