Metadata: World ORTGovernance Records
Collection
- Country:
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Holding institution:
- World ORT
- Holding institution (official language):
- World ORT
- Postal address:
- World ORT, ORT House, 147 Arlington Road, London NW1 7ET
- Phone number:
- (0)20 7446 8595
- Web address:
- https://ortarchive.ort.org/
- Email:
- archive@ort.org
- Reference number:
- WO/1
- Title:
- World ORTGovernance Records
- Title (official language):
- World ORTGovernance Records
- Creator/accumulator:
- World ORT
- Date(s):
- 1880/2000
- Language:
- English
- German
- French
- Russian
- Yiddish
- Hebrew
- Extent:
- c. 83 boxes
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Moving images
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
These records give information on the processes, rules, and institutions affecting the management, administration and running of ORT (later World ORTUnion and World ORT). Includes the following series:
WO/1/1: Registration, 1919 (1 item)
WO/1/2: Constitution & By-Laws, 1955-present (10 folders)
WO/1/3: Governing Bodies, 1882 - present
WO/1/4: Strategic Planning & Monitoring, 1949-1977
WO/1/5: Director General's Speeches & Reports
WO/1/6: Director General's Correspondence
WO/1/1 and WO1/2 includes a copy of the registration document for The Society for Handicrafts and Agricultural Work Among the Jews of Russia, which was registered in Soviet Russia under the acronym ORT on 9 December 1919; ORT's constitution and bye-laws between 1955 and 1972 including Women's American ORT constitution 1972; World ORTUnion constitution and bylaws: minutes and correspondence, 1970-1974, includes minutes and draft-minutes of the Ad-Hoc Statutes Committee (1970-74) [French & English], Statutes adopted by the 1970 Congress, Report by the Statutes Committee to the 1970 Congress [French] and correspondence with members of the committee (arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name); WOU Constitution and Bylaws: minutes and correspondence, 1971-1974, includes: summary of the proposals of the Ad Hoc Statutes Committee 1971-1973, minutes of the Ad Hoc Statutes Committee 1972, Constitution and Bylaws 1974, Director General correspondence relating to constitution and bylaws 1974, Correspondence and reports of the By-Laws/Statutes Committee, 1973-1974; WOU Constitution, 1974, and Bylaws, 1977; WOU Constitution: drafts and amendments, 1980; WOU Constitution and Bylaws 1984-1986, 1984 [English, French, Spanish] and 1986 [Spanish]; WOU Constitution and Bylaws: correspondence, proposals, drafts and papers, 1992-1993; and World ORTConstitution, 2023.
WO/1/3 series includes minutes & reports of the Provisional Committee of ORT, 1882-1905, includes minutes and reports of the ORT Provisional Committee in St Petersburg, which predate the formation of the World ORTUnion, later World ORT, in 1921; Minutes & Reports of the Society for Handicraft and Agricultural Work among Jews in Russia, ORT, includes minutes and reports of ORT in St Petersburg, which predate the formation of the World ORTUnion, later World ORT, in 1921; Governing Bodies: minutes and proceedings, including minutes and reports of the World ORTUnion early Congresses, Minutes and Reports of the World ORTUnion Central Board, 1921-1937, Minutes of the World ORTUnion Central Council, 1921-1937, Minutes of the Emergency Committee for World ORTAffairs, Minutes of the World ORTUnion Executive Committee, Minutes of the World ORTUnion Administrative Committee, 1939-1956, Minutes of the World ORTUnion Central Board & congress, 1922, Minutes of the World ORTUnion Executive Committee, Minutes of the World ORTExecutive Committee, World ORTBoard of Directors, World ORTBoard of Trustees, World ORTBoard of Representatives, Minutes, and proceedings of the World ORTGeneral Assembly World ORT(please note: minutes from the last 20 years are closed for general reference); audio recordings; reports submitted to governing bodies; reports submitted by ORT member organisations; reports submitted to governing bodies by World ORTdepartments; reports submitted to governing bodies by special commissions; reports submitted by governing bodies; governing bodies meetings, administration and associated papers, 1992-1994; governing bodies photographs, 1952-1991; governing bodies special commissions, 1982 onwards; governing bodies meetings with other organisations, 1921 onwards; and governing bodies correspondence, 1921 onwards.
WO/1/4 series includes Control Commission, correspondence, and reports, 1949-1977; Long Term Planning Commission, 1976-1977; Control Commission correspondence and reports, 1949-1976 (mostly in French; Long Term Planning Committee report and correspondence, 1977; and Long-Term Planning Committee minutes, 1977.
WO/1/5 series includes various speeches, writings, and reports including from Dr Syngalowski, 1949-1977; and Director General Joseph Harmatz's speeches and various correspondence, 1979-1987.
WO/1/6 series includes files created by several Director Generals (DG). It is limited to files relating to overall governance of World ORT(1921 onwards). These include correspondence with the President of the organisation and chairs of governing bodies. For other DG correspondence, see WO/2.
- Archival history:
- These records were received through an initial deposit from World ORTHQ administrative office in London.
- Administrative/biographical history:
-
ORT (initials of Russian Obshestvo Remeslennogo i Zemledelcheskogo Truda sredi evreev v Rossii, meaning The Society for Trades and Agriculture among the Jews in Russia) was established in Russia in 1880 by a group of prominent St Petersburg Jews. Between 1880 and 1906 the Provisional Committee for the Establishment of the Society for Trades and Agriculture among the Jews in Russia operated with an uncertain legal status. Its stated aim was "to collect a fund for a philanthropic purpose... to support and develop the existing vocational schools for Jews, to help open new schools, to help the Jewish agricultural colonies, model farms, and agricultural schools". It received regular legal authorisation and was registered as the Society for Trades and Agriculture among the Jews in Russia on 5 September 1906.
In July-August 1921 ORT was established in Berlin as an international organisation with the name World ORTUnion. Subsequently it was active in the areas formerly within the Russian Empire - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Bessarabia - as well as in Germany, France, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. In the Soviet Union ORT continued to operate under special agreement with the Soviet authorities (approval by the Soviet government given on 25 March 1926; supplementary agreement 24 May 1928). In 1930 Soviet ORT amalgamated with OZET, a voluntary Soviet agency for agricultural settlement. ORT activities in the Soviet Union were disbanded in 1938 when the agreement with the authorities was not renewed.
During the 1920s and 1930s ORT organisations were established in Britain (1920), the United States (1922), South Africa (1936), Canada (1925), South America (1935) and other European countries. These were mostly concerned with fundraising for the organisation's activities in Central and Eastern Europe, with the exception of South America, where various operational activities were formed. In the 1930s and 1940s World ORTUnion's headquarters moved from Germany to France (1933) and then several times within France during the Second World War, finally settling in Geneva (Switzerland) in 1943. World ORTUnion continued its operations in war-torn Europe wherever possible, with some programmes operating within ghettos and camps in Poland, Lithuania and occupied France. After the war ORT was active in providing vocational skills to Jewish displaced persons and refugees throughout Europe. In the 1950s and 60s its operational focus shifted to vocational and technical education programmes in Israel, North Africa and Asia. World ORTUnion's Technical Assistance department (renamed International Cooperation 1984) was set up to provide technical training programmes to disadvantaged communities outside the Jewish world in 1960. In 1979 ORT moved its administrative office to London, but the headquarters remain in Geneva. In 1991 ORT resumed operations in Russia. Programmes were also established in other countries of the CIS and Baltic States during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2000 World ORTUnion changed its name to World ORT.
- System of arrangement:
- The collection is arranged thematically.
- Access, restrictions:
- Open. Although some restrictions apply to consultation of governing bodies' and Director General's records (20 year closure period on governing bodies minutes). Records containing personal information may be subject to closure periods.
- Yerusha Network member:
- World ORT
- Author of the description:
- Jennifer Brunton, World ORT, 2024
