From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 335.7

This collection contains mainly correspondence between staff of the JDC Landsmanshaftn Department and members of various landsmanshaftn, benevolent organizations of immigrants originally from the same communities, as well as between the Landsmanshaftn Department and the interest-free loan associations (gmilas khesed societies) and heads of the various Jewish communities, mostly in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The collection is in English and Yiddish, with some German, Polish, Russian, Spanish, French, and Arabic.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 36

Abraham Moshe Bernstein (1866, Shatzk,Byelorussia – 1932, Vilna, Poland), cantor, choir master, composer of Jewish liturgical and popular music, music teacher, musicologist and writer. Active in the S. Ansky Historical Ethnographic Society in Vilna where he headed its Music Department from the early 1920s until his death in 1932. Collector of Yiddish musical folklore and author of the Muzikalisher pinkes, an anthology of Yiddish folk musical creativity. The papers contain Bernstein’s manuscripts and published works.

Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 713

This collection contains the papers of the journalist, author, translator, and diplomat Herman Bernstein. It documents his work on behalf of Eastern European and Russian Jews and holds correspondence, memos, writings and translations by Herman Bernstein, writings by others, contracts, clippings, printed matter, and photographs.

The collection is in English, Yiddish, Russian, German, Polish, and French.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 15

Located in northern Poland, the city of Briesen (Wabrzezno in Polish) belonged to Prissia and Germany from 1772 until 1920, at which time Poland resumed control of the region. These are the records of the Jewish community of Briesen from ca. 1880 until the demise of the German Empire in 1918 and the subsequent onset of the independent Polish Republic. The bulk of the records cover the period when Briesen was in the German Empire and a small number of documents pertain to the period following the city’s return to Poland after 1918.

German and Hebrew.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 1146

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Joseph Buloff and Luba Kadison, leading actors of the Vilna Troupe and of the Yiddish and English stage, both in the United States and internationally. Most of the information concerns their theatrical careers, including play manuscripts, drawings and photographs of plays and actors, reviews, flyers, and musical scores. There is also some personal biographical information about Buloff, including his memoirs and audio cassettes of interviews. These materials show the importance and influence of Buloff and Kadison for Yiddish and English theater for over sixty years.

The collection is in English, Yiddish, German, Russian, Romanian, and Hebrew.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 1139

This collection contains correspondence between Abraham Cahan and many important literary and political figures, as well as Yiddish manuscripts sent to Cahan for consideration in the Forward and notes and drafts of Cahan's own writings. There are also several articles written about Cahan, before and after his death. These materials serve to illustrate both Cahan's importance in the literary and publishing fields as well as his involvement in the American socialist and labor movements.

The collection is in English, Yiddish, German, Russian, Polish, French, and Italian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 278

This collection contains the papers of Joseph Perkins Chamberlain, a professor of law who worked with many refugee aid organizations during the 1930s and 1940s. The papers reflect the work of Chamberlain and the organizations in rescuing and assisting refugees from Europe during this time. Although the bulk of the documents consists of correspondence, the collection also includes minutes of meetings, reports, statistical information, clippings, booklets and transcripts of speeches.

The collection is in English.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 49

Chojrev, or Centrala Organizacji Zydowsko-Religijnego Szkolnictwa (Central Committee for Religious Education), was an educational organization active in Poland from 1924 to c. 1940. Founded at an Agudas Israel conference, Chojrev supported a system of orthodox Jewish boys’ schools. In Central Poland and Galicia, Chojrev maintained elementary schools (khadorim), preparatory yeshivot (yeshivot ketanot) and yeshivot gedolot for older boys. In the five eastern provinces the yeshivot were all under the Vaad Hayeshivot, an affiliated but independent organization. The Chojrev branch of the eastern provinces maintained only khadorim. The records of Chojrev span the period 1924-1930’s. They reflect only the activities of the Vilna branch.

Yiddish and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 87

This collection consists of materials of Simon Dubnow, a historian, political thinker, educator, collector of historical and ethnographic documents in Russia and Poland, writer, and an activist. These materials include community registers (pinkasim) and other communal documents, historical documents relating to restrictions and privileges issued by governments to Jewish populations, blood libel trials and the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-1649, documents from the Russian Justice Ministry and Senate, materials on pogroms in the Russian empire, and Dubnow’s family and general correspondence. The collection demonstrates Dubnow’s importance in helping to establish the idea of Jewish ethnographic history.

Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, German, Aramaic, Latin, and French

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 312

The Educational Alliance functioned as a settlement house on New York's Lower East Side beginning in 1889, eventually evolving into a community center in the 1920s. The Educational Alliance Records most comprehensively document the aims and activities of the Educational Alliance following WWII and into the 1960s, beginning with Mordecai Kessler's tenure as Executive Director in 1945. However, meeting minutes and legal documents date back to 1879. Materials include minutes, correspondence, individual records, newsletters, photographs, announcements, deeds, clippings, reports, and financial records.

The bulk of collection is in English. A few items are in Hebrew, Yiddish and German.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 773

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of rabbi, Hebrew scholar, author, and editor Israel Elfenbein. These materials include correspondence with and relating to congregations, Hebrew periodicals, organizations, Elfenbein’s writings, personal correspondence, sermons, clippings, and manuscripts by Elfenbein and by other writers.

English, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and French

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 740

Mordecai Gebirtig was born in Kraków (Cracow), Poland on May 4, 1877. He was killed in the Kraków ghetto on June 4, 1942, during the deportation to the Belzec death camp. Gebirtig, a carpenter by trade, became world famous as the poet and composer of a wide array of Yiddish folksongs. His ballads and song-poems were performed by foremost artists of his time, as well as itinerant street singers in the Jewish courtyards of Europe. His songs were heard and admired in the prestigious Yiddish theaters of Poland. Much has been written about Gebirtig, both during his lifetime and in the aftermath of his death. Today, his music and legacy continue to flourish even in countries where Yiddish is not regularly spoken. His book, Mayne lider has been published in the United States, Poland, France, Italy, and Germany. His songs are widely recorded. The collection consists mostly of manuscripts of Mordecai Gebirtig’s songs ranging from the 1920s-1942.

The collection is in Yiddish, with some material in Polish, German, and Hebrew.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 249

The German-Jewish Children's Aid, later known as the European-Jewish Children's Aid, was involved in bringing Jewish children to the United States from Europe before, during, and after World War II. The records in this collection are comprised of correspondence, reports and case files, which may contain biographical information as well as questionnaries and correspondence concerning the cases.

The collection is in English and German.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 219

This collection contains manuscripts of some of the earliest Yiddish plays, correspondence between playwright, poet, and director Abraham Goldfaden, the father of Yiddish theater, and various actors and writers, as well as some family correspondence, newspaper clippings on Goldfaden and his impact on Yiddish theater, articles by Goldfaden on a variety of topics, and various other theater materials, such as title pages of plays, programs and song sheets. The collection illustrates Goldfaden’s great and ongoing influence on Yiddish theater.

Yiddish, Hebrew, French, Polish, Russian, German, English, Spanish

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 27

Eliyahu Guttmacher was a rabbi, Talmudic scholar, mystic, communal leader, and early Zionist. During his lifetime he was known as the Tsadik of Grätz and thousands of Jews flocked to him for blessings and advice. Guttmacher was also known for his support of Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, an early Zionist, and for his extensive collection of funds for institutions in Palestine. The bulk of the collection consists of several thousand kvitlekh (written requests to a rabbi asking for a blessing or advice). The kvitlekh were received from Jews residing in Poland and other, mostly European countries. They reflect the social history of European Jews in the mid-19th century and relate to financial, medical, and family problems. In addition, the collection contains the following: general correspondence, including inquiries relating to religious matters, family correspondence, legal documents such as court and government papers, bills, certifications by unidentified authors, discussions on Jewish law by unknown authors, an amulet, business documents, and receipts for contributions to charitable institutions in Palestine.

The collection is in Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and French.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 1259

Born in Chashnik, Vitebsk Gubernya (now part of Belarus) on March 28, 1893, Vladmir Heifetz emigrated to the USA in 1922. He died on May 3, 1970 in the middle of a concert at the Suffolk Jewish Center in Deer Park, L.I. The papers include correspondence, manuscripts, and publications by Heifetz, and publications by other composers of art, folk, and liturgical music. There are also some choral arrangements, song compilations, programs of concerts, and photographs. The collection contains both published and unpublished works, by Heifetz and by others. The bulk of the collection is devoted to his career and activities in the USA, with a few materials pertaining to his activities in Russia.

Most of the material in the collection is in Yiddish, English, Hebrew, Russian, with several musical pieces in German, French, Spanish, and Italian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 245.5

This collection, which is a sub-group of RG 245 HIAS, includes the records of the main HICEM office in Europe prior to and during World War II. There are also some records from the post-war period relating to the dissolution of HICEM, HIAS's taking over of HICEM’s operations and HIAS's work with displaced persons.

French, some English, German, Yiddish, Spanish, and Italian

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 245.10

Collection consists of records of the HICEM Office in Prague, documenting efforts to assist Jewish refugees from Czechoslovakia. Records include minutes of National Committee Meetings, correspondence from the HICEM office, including with various aid societies, and extensive individual refugee case files.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 833

This collection contains manuscripts of plays, articles and other writings, correspondence, memoirs, photographs, theater programs, and personal materials of Yiddish playwright, novelist, journalist, travel writer, and theater director Peretz Hirschbein. The collection helps to illustrate Hirschbein’s importance and lasting impact upon the revival of Yiddish theater and literature in the early twentieth century.

Yiddish, English, Polish, Russian, Hebrew, French, Japanese, Chinese, Danish, German, Spanish

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 587

This collection contains documents relating to Isaac A. Hourwich’s role as an economist, publicist, statistician, lawyer, author, and authority on immigration, as well as his involvement with the labor movement and the formation of the American Jewish Congress. There are reports, minutes of meetings, memoranda, clippings and correspondence, and manuscripts and articles about Jewish labor, Socialism, Russia, Marxism, immigration, and other subjects. These materials demonstrate Hourwich’s important role in American labor, immigration theory, and political and economic theory.

English, Russian, Yiddish, German, Italian, French

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 701

This collection contains the minutes, correspondence and financial records of the I.L. Peretz Yiddish Writers' Union from its founding in 1915 until 1973. Among the correspondence is a fair amount concerning the Fund for Jewish Refugee Writers, unions and union grievances, requests for aid from Jewish writers and activists in New York and abroad, and labor disputes and strikes.

The bulk of collection is in English and Yiddish. A few items are in Russian, German, Hebrew, Polish, and Spanish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 236

This is a partial inventory of the Records of the Jewish Colonization Association. Portion of JCA records described here pertains to JCA activities in Galicia and Russia only. Included here are reports on JCA colonies, cooperative savings and loans societies, agricultural schools, vocational and technical schools, carpentry workshops, mechanized embroidery factories and weaving factories.

The collection is in English, Russian, Yiddish, and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 317

This collection contains correspondence between Horace M. Kallen and many important individuals and organizations, as well as manuscripts, notes and other materials for speeches, financial documents, research materials, academic records, and various other assorted items. These materials serve to illustrate Kallen’s important role in philosophy, education, religion, and politics and his deep involvement with consumer rights, environmental controls, Jewish issues, and civil liberties.

English, German, French, Yiddish, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 719

The collection consists of the general, personal and professional correspondence of Moses Kligsberg, manuscripts for published and unpublished works, project proposals and outlines, research materials, printed matter and other records relating to Moses Kligsberg's involvement with the Bund and with Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe, to his functions at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and to his scholarly interests. Included are Moses Kligsberg's manuscripts on the subjects of Jewish sociology, psychology, youth, and political matters. The collection contains a great deal of YIVO administrative and publicity materials, among others editorial records of the Yedies fun yivo (YIVO News) and YIVO radio programs; materials on the Bund; records of the United Jewish Survivors of Nazi Persecution. Besides the personal documents and both personal and organizational correspondence, the collection also includes original musical compositions, acetate recordings, magnetic reels, and photographs.

The collection is mostly in Yiddish and English. Correspondence with family and some friends is in Polish. Some documents are also in French, German, Swedish, Russian, and Japanese.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 14

Located in Western Poland in the province of Poznan, the Polish town of Krotoszyn (Krotoschin in German) was annexed by Prussia following the second partition of Poland in 1793. In 1834 Krotoszyn was officially declared a Prussian city. Trade alliances between Krotoszyn and greater Poland came to a halt when Krotoszyn was annexed by Prussia and began to align itself increasingly with Germany and other nearby countries. Krotoszyn reverted to Poland after World War I. The Jewish community of Krotoszyn dates back to the 14th century. During the period leading up to World War I, the Krotoszyn Jewish population began to decline significantly. The Prussian wars of the late 19th century and World War I contributed to this decline; the depletion of the Jewish population was due to the steady stream of emigration to countries including Germany, the United States, and South America. By the eve of World War I, there were 411 Jews in Krotoszyn, and by 1919, only 119 remained. During the inter-war period, when Krotoszyn was returned to Poland, the Jewish community had dwindled to 50 members. As of 12 September 1939, only 17 Jews remained in Krotoszyn, and after the outbreak of World War II they fled to Lodz, where it may be assumed that they were forced into the ghetto. The collection is only a partial representation of the Krotoszyn Jewish community’s archives. The material focuses on the period 1828-1919, when Krotoszyn was under German rule.

German, Yiddish, and Hebrew.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 1853

This collection contains 147 photographs of the city of L'viv, Ukraine (formerly Lemberg, Austria-Hungary; Lw?w, Poland; L'vov, Russia). The photographs were taken by an unknown photographer(s) at various times during the period ca. 1890 through the 1930s. Three photographs are from the post-1945 years. The majority of the photographs were developed from glass negatives between 1987 and 1991. These negatives came to the attention of Evgenii Lendon in the 1980s, and Lendon preserved the images by making large, exhibition-quality prints from the negatives.

English and Russian annotations are on the backs of the photographs. Signs and posters in the photographs are in Yiddish and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 58

The Papers of Khaykl Lunski are comprised of Lunski’s manuscripts and correspondence and documents from the administrative files of the Strashun Library and the S. Ansky Historical Ethnographic Society in Vilna. These materials were part of the YIVO Archives in Vilna before 1941, which were recovered by YIVO in New York in 1947. The papers were reassembled in the YIVO Archives in New York circa 1950.

Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, Lithuanian, Polish, German, English, and French

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 110

This collection contains mainly contest submissions from the 1945-1946 YIVO essay contest for Jewish soldiers and veterans of World War II as well as additional materials sent in by the contestants and administrative information about the contest compiled by YIVO staff members.

The collection is in English and Yiddish, with some German, Hebrew, Arabic, and Dutch.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 280

The collection of Jacob Mestel consists of the general, professional and personal correspondence of Jacob Mestel, manuscripts of plays by other authors, manuscripts of poetry, essays and plays by Jacob Mestel, translations of plays into Yiddish, production material, clippings, theater programs, personal documents, and theater photographs.

The collection is in Yiddish, English, German, and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 12

Part of the Lithuanian Kingdom from the beginning of the fourteenth century, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the mid-sixteenth century, Minsk was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1793, following the second partition of Poland. Under tsarist rule, the city became the capital of the Minsk province. From 1920 to 1991, it was the capital of the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR). At present, Minsk is the capital of the Republic of Belarus. The Records of the Minsk Jewish Community Council, or Kahal, are a fragment of the original archives of the Minsk Jewish community, which dates back to the sixteenth century. Most of the documents in this collection, which covers the tsarist period from the 1820s to the 1917 Russian Revolution, were assembled between the last decade of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. The collection is of fragmentary nature, and consists of miscellaneous materials that relate to the role and activities of the Minsk Kahal in Jewish life; the relation between the Jewish body politic and local authorities; and between the Jewish body politic and the Jewish residents in the Minsk province. The collection is arranged thematically and comprised of 63 folders. Materials are in Russian, with a small number of documents in Polish, Hebrew and Yiddish.

The collection is in Russian with some material in Polish, Hebrew, and Yiddish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 360

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Shmuel Niger, including correspondence with many important literary figures, as well as manuscripts by Niger, writings about Niger written by others, Niger's speeches and lectures, selections from his published writings, and biographical materials. These materials serve to illustrate Niger's great importance to Yiddish literary criticism and Jewish historical writing as well as his role as a writer on contemporary themes, a teacher and lecturer, editor and communal leader.

The collection is in Yiddishand English with some Hebrew, German, Russian, Spanish, and French.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 1247

This collection contains documents of journalist and left-wing political activist Paul Novick, consisting mainly of correspondence, subject files, manuscripts, photographs, and newspaper clippings. These materials relate to Novick’s career as long-time editor of the Morning Freiheit (Morning Freedom), his important role in the worldwide Communist movement, the history of the Freiheit itself, and Jewish and general politics. These materials demonstrate Novick’s important, and changing, role in the history of Communism, as well as his career as a Yiddish journalist and author.

Yiddish, English, Russian, French, Hebrew, Polish, Spanish, German and Romanian

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 21

ORT Jewish Vocational School (Technicum) in Vilna was founded in 1921 to train young people who were unable to get into government-run schools, in the fields of mechanics and electronics. It was subsidized by ORT, Vilna Kehilla and the Vilna City Administration. The school possesed a technical library and published its own material for use by students. it was liquidated in 1939.

Yiddish and Polish with some Russian, German, Lithuanian, and French.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 725

This collection contains correspondence between Mendel Osherowitch and many important literary and political figures, as well as Yiddish manuscripts by Osherowitch, clippings, photos, and obituaries and letters written to his family after his death. These materials illustrate Osherowitch?s importance in the Yiddish literary field as well as his role in various Jewish organizations.

The bulk of collection is in Yiddish, with some English, Hebrew, Russian, Ukrainian, German, Polish, and French.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 13

The Jewish community of Ostrowo, which dates back to 1724, became thoroughly Germanized in time. During the period leading up to World War I, Ostrowo’s Jewish population began a downward decline, which lasted beyond 1918. The depletion of the Jewish population was due to the steady stream of emigration to countries including Germany, the United States, and Palestine. In early October 1939 the Nazi Reich annexed the western part of Poland, including the province of Poznan. By this time, the Jewish community of Ostrowo had dwindled to 17 members. According to Pinkas Hakehilot, in December 1939 these last remaining Jews fled to some unknown destination site. The collection is only a fragment of the original Ostrowo Jewish community’s archives. The records of the Ostrowo Jewish community cover the German period. The vast majority of the material focuses on the years 1834-1919, although a few documents are older.

The collection is in German with some material in Hebrew and Yiddish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 681

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Abbo Ostrowsky, including correspondence with many important figures from the art world, several of whom had been students of Ostrowsky at the Educational Alliance Art School. There is also information about Ostrowsky's career as an artist, including some original artwork, exhibition catalogues, and photographs. These materials show Ostrowsky's significant influence on modern Jewish art and on the success of the Educational Alliance as an institution.

The collection is in English, Yiddish, German, and Russian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 53

Established in 1912 in St. Petersburg by a group of Jewish doctors, lawyers and prominent public figures, OZE sought to create an All-Russian Jewish welfare system with the goal of promoting the study and knowledge of medical and sanitary practices, detecting and curing diseases among Jews, preventing epidemics, and creating living conditions conducive to the normal physical and mental development of Jewish children. Established in Poland, in 1921, TOZ remained closely associated with OZE, sharing the same program of activities. Because of World War I and its disarraying consequences, especially in the eastern regions of the Polish state, TOZ concentrated its relief efforts primarily on battling contagious diseases and epidemics caused by poverty, malnourishment and the deplorable sanitary conditions of the Jewish population. The OZE-TOZ Collection is comprised of documents that were assembled at the YIVO Archives in New York City. The Collection is of mixed provenance and fragmentary nature, and consists of miscellaneous materials that relate to the activities of OZE and TOZ in Eastern Europe, and to some extent, in Western Europe.

Yiddish, Russian, Polish, and French with some German, Latvian and English.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 28

The Poland (Vilna Archives) Collection is comprised of documents that were amassed at the YIVO in Vilna, mainly as a result of collecting work by the volunteer YIVO “zamlers” (collectors). The bulk of the collection relates to Jewish communities in over 260 cities and towns in interwar Poland (1919-1939). Documents of earlier years are also included.

Yiddish, Polish, Hebrew, Russian, and German

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 24

The Rabbinical School and Teachers’ Seminary in Vilna was one of two Jewish state schools established in the Russian Empire in 1847 to train state appointed (kazionnye) rabbis and teachers for Jewish elementary state schools in the Pale of Settlement. The purpose of these schools was to undermine and replace the traditional *kheyder* system of education. The other such school was in Zhitomir. The state schools were unpopular because of their assimilationist policies. The Vilna Rabbinical School was closed in 1873, but the Teachers' Seminary remained in existence until 1914.

Russian with some Hebrew.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 358

Joseph A. Rosen was an agronomist and official of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. In the 1920s and 1930s he organized and coordinated relief activities for impoverished Jews in the Soviet Union. Joseph A. Rosen was a director of the American Jewish Joint Agricultural Corporation (Agro-Joint) that tried to develop Jewish settlements and assisted with organization of Jewish factories, cooperatives, schools, and health care facilities. All these subjects are covered in this collection. These are the papers of Joseph A. Rosen in his official capacity as a Director of the Agro-Joint. The collection contains agreements between Agro-Joint and the Soviet government, reports, and field observations of the agronomists and officials of the relief organizations, particularly of the Agro-Joint, technical reports and documentation necessary for development and financial sustainability of the Jewish settlements. Maps and landscape plans are also part of this collection.

The collection is in Russian, English, German, Ukrainian, Yiddish, French, and Spanish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 431

This collection consists of the general, professional and personal correspondence of the labor poet Morris Rosenfeld, whose works were originally in Yiddish but eventually became translated into other languages. The papers mainly describe his literary work, and include not only his poetry, but also his essays and articles. The collection contains personal papers and documents, printed works (books, articles, poems), unpublished manuscripts, translations of Rosenfeld's poems into English and other languages, sheet music, and reviews of Rosenfeld's work.

The collection is in Yiddish, English, and German.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 85

Shalom Schwarzbard was a Russian Jewish revolutionary and activist in the Jewish self-defence movement. In May 1926 in Paris Shalom Schwarzbard assassinated the exiled Ukrainian leader, Symon Petliura, whom Shalom Schwarzbard held responsible for pogroms against Jews in the years 1918-1920. The trial of Shalom Schwarzbard that followed drew worldwide attention. The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts of Shalom Schwarzbard's autobiographical works, personal documents, poems, and newspaper clippings. Materials in this collection mostly relate to Shalom Schwarzbard's writings and his efforts on behalf of the Jewish war victims and Jewish war veterans of the First World War.

The collection is primarily in Yiddish and French. Some documents are in English, German, and Russian. Polish, Hebrew, and Danish are occasionally used as well.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 243

The collection relates to the life of Jewish refugees, mostly of German and Austrian origin, in Shanghai primarily between the years 1939-1948. It covers many aspects of their experience, including political and cultural events, relief and charity activities, and self-help. The collection originated from the YIVO exhibition that was organized and displayed in 1947 in Shanghai and later in New York. The collection consists of manuscripts, minutes of meetings, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and printed materials.

The collection is primarily in German, English, and Russian. Some documents are in French, Yiddish, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, and Lithuanian. Some items are annotated in Yiddish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 356

Jacob Shatzky (1893-1956) was an historian, literary and theater critic, editor, bibliographer, lexicographer, lecturer, teacher and librarian. The Papers of Jacob Shatzky cover the period of 1910-1960's and reflect to different degrees all aspects of his activities. Some papers of Jacob Shatzky's wife, Ida, consist for the most part of materials relating to his death. Manuscript and other materials relating to memorial books published posthumously in commemoration of Jacob Shatzky, such as the Shatzky Book, (Buenos Aires, 1957) and Yakov Shatzki in Ondenk, (New York, 1957) constitute another significant part of the collection.

Yiddish, English, Polish, German, Hebrew and Spanish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 57

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Nokhem Shtif, a Jewish linguist, publisher, translator, literary historian, Yiddish philologist, and one of the founders of the YIVO Institute. Materials include correspondence, teaching materials, reports, meeting minutes, course lectures, manuscripts, transcripts, memoirs of writers, newspaper clippings, and research works by other scholars. The bulk of the materials pertain to Yiddish language, philology, and literature.

Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, Ukrainian, German, and Polish

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 51

This collection contains the most significant internal records of the Sofia M. Gurevitch gymnasium’s early years, including the official documents giving permission for the founding and expansion of the school. There are also pedagogical materials, including student work and lesson plans, dating primarily from the later period of the school’s existence. These materials illustrate a Jewish school’s relationship with the Russian government before WWI, and the transformation of its pedagogy, as it shifted focus to become a Yiddish-language secular school in the 1930s.

The collection is in Russian and Yiddish, with the earlier materials being primarily in Russian while the later materials are primarily in Yiddish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 279

This collection is made up of Moshe Starkman's correspondence with many well-known literary and political figures, as well as with various New York and international organizations. There are also biographical sketches written by several of the authors that Starkman included in the Anthology of American-Jewish Poetry and the Lexicon of Modern Yiddish Literature, of which he was an editor.

The collection is in Yiddish, with some English, Hebrew, German, and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 23

The Tarbut Hebrew Teachers Seminary was founded in 1921. The school was part of a network of educational institutions established by the Tarbut movement in Poland. Teachers' seminaries were created to train Tarbut teachers for the Hebrew elementary school system. The collection contains records of the seminary in Vilna, Poland. It holds administrative records as well as correspondence. Correspondence is with the Tarbut Central Office in Warsaw, the Vilna School District, the Keren Kayemet L'Israel, the Vilna Jewish Community Council, branches of Tarbut throughout Poland, organizations, bookstores, and publishers. Other documents included in the collection are by-laws, financial documents, contracts, statistical materials, and printed and mimeographed materials. Academic records are also found in this collection. These types of records include correspondence with students and teachers, applications for admission to the seminary, teachers' files, student grades, and diplomas. There are also minutes of the Pedagogical Council, curriculum outlines for various subjects, teaching schedules, and lessons prepared by student teachers.

The collection is in Yiddish and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 116-Poland 1

The Territorial Collection Poland 1 is comprised of documents that were amassed at the YIVO in New York City. The Collection is of a mixed provenance and fragmentary nature. The commonality between the documents contained within this collection is that they all pertain to Jews in Poland prior to 1939. Documents of earlier years are also included. Collection consists of letters, essays, reports, correspondence, and clippings which pertain to the political situation, economic conditions, and cultural activities of Polish Jews.

The collection is in Yiddish, Polish, English with some material in German, Russian, and Ukrainian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 116-Poland 2

The Territorial Collection, Poland 2 is comprised of documents that were amassed at the YIVO in New York City. The collection is of mixed provenance and is fragmentary in nature, consisting of miscellaneous materials dating back to World War II and its immediate aftermath. The Territorial Collection Poland 2 is a portion of the greater Territorial Collection (RG 116), which incorporates materials that are relevant to over 42 different countries and geographical regions. The overarching theme of the collection Poland 2 is the annihilation of the Jewish life in Poland under the Nazi rule. Chronologically, the Territorial Collection Poland 2 follows the Territorial Collection Poland 1, which pertains to pre-World War II Poland; and precedes the Territorial Collection Poland 3, which pertains to post-World War II Poland.

The collection is in Polish, Russian, Yiddish, German, English, French, Hebrew, Swedish, and Danish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 487

This collection contains correspondence between painter, poet, and essayist Jennings Yehudah Tofel and various artists and writers, as well as family correspondence, diaries, journals, manuscripts relating to Tofel’s artistic career, newspaper clippings on Tofel and his art, and manuscripts of Tofel’s essays, poems, dramas, and autobiographical works. The collection illustrates Tofel’s wide range of artistic and literary activities and his role in American modern art.

English, Yiddish and French

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 235

This collection contains materials collected by David Trotsky relating to the Jewish community of Belgium in the inter-war period. Materials include printed documents, posters, reports, meeting minutes, and newspaper clippings, mainly pertaining to the Jews of Brussels and Antwerp.

French, Belgian Dutch, Yiddish, Czech, German, Hungarian, and Polish

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 48

The TSYSHO, Tsentrale Yidishe Shul Organizatsye (Central Yiddish School Organization) was a secular Yiddish school system active in Poland from 1921 to circa 1940. Based in Warsaw, the TSYSHO maintained a network of elementary schools, high schools, and teachers' seminaries. An important branch office existed in Vilna, the Tsentraler Bildungs Komitet (Central Education Committee) or TSBK. Most of the records of this collection relate to the TSBK in Vilna and its schools. A much smaller quantity relates to the central office in Warsaw, to the YSHO (Yidishe Shul Organizatsye - Yiddish School Organization), Vilna province, and to TSYSHO schools throughout Poland.

The collection is in Yiddish and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 55

The Yiddish Writers and Journalists Union (Yid. Fareyn fun Yidishe Literatn un Zhurnalistn in Vilne) was active in Vilna from 1916 until ca.1940. Its membership rose over the years to 47 persons. Union members were employed in a variety of Yiddish dailies and periodicals, and in publishing houses. The Union was dissolved during the Soviet occupation of Vilna, 1939-1941.

The collection is in Yiddish and Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 25

The Vaad Hayeshivot (Council of Yeshivot) was an organization whose central office was in Vilna, Poland and which was active from 1924 to 1939. It was authorized by the Polish government to provide spiritual and financial support to Orthodox yeshivot in the 5 eastern provinces of Poland, namely, Bialystok, Nowogrodek, Polesie, Vilna and Wohlynia. During its existence the Vaad Hayeshivot supported a network of about 70 yeshivot which had a total of about 6,000 students. Its supporting membership included the rabbinate and the local populations of over 350 Jewish communities. The records of the Vaad Hayeshivot span the period 1920-1940. They reflect, to different degrees, all activities of the organization.

The collection is in Yiddish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 11

VILBIG was organized in Vilna, Poland, in September 1924 to promote secular education among the Yiddish-speaking population. The collection holds the records of the VILBIG administration and of its educational programs. Included here are minutes of committee meetings, records of elections, financial reports, and documents about legalizing VILBIG and its provincial branches. Other documents found in this collection are correspondence with Jewish educational and cultural institutions in Poland, the Vilna Kehillah, and various government and municiipal agencies. In addition, there is also correspondence with 17 local branches of VILBIG, mainly in the province of Vilna, and materials relating to educational courses, various artistic groups, and the scout club "Bin."

The collection is in Yiddish with some Polish.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 29, Series 2

This collection consists of correspondence, reports, minutes of meetings, financial records, statistical surveys, election materials, announcements, flyers, and other materials related to Jewish life in Vilna during the inter-war period. Documents of earlier years are also included.

Yiddish, Polish, Hebrew, German, Russian, some Lithuanian, English, Latin

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 10

From the 16th century onward the Jewish community of Vilna was governed by an autonomous administrative body, called the Kehillah (or Kahal). Under the Russian domination (from 1794) the Kehillah steadily declined in power until the institution of Kahal was altogether abolished in 1844 by an imperial edict throughout the Russian empire. The Tsedakah Gedolah which replaced the former Kehillah in Vilna was limited to charitable and religious functions. In 1919, as Vilna became part of Poland, the Tsedakah Gedolah was replaced by an elected New Kehillah (Yid. Naye kehile). This institution was eventually dissolved in 1940 by the Soviet authorities. These are incomplete records of the Kehillah covering mainly the period of the Tzedakah Gedolah, 1844-1918, and the New Kehillah, 1919-1940. Some pre?1844 records are included. Originally part of the YIVO Archives in Vilna, only a third of the collection was recovered after World War II. Additional records of the Vilna Kehillah are in the custody of the Central Historical Archives in Vilnius, Lithuania. The collection relates to all three administrations, although records of the first "kahal" period cover only the years1800?1844 and these are very sparse. The collection also includes numerous documents of the Jewish Refugee Relief Committee, established at the beginning of World War II under the auspices of the Kehillah. That committee functioned from 1939-1940.

The collection is in Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, Polish, and German.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 348

Lucien Wolf (1857-1930) was a diplomat, foreign affairs expert, journalist, and historian. As the secretary of the Joint Foreign Committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Anglo-Jewish Association (earlier the Conjoint Foreign Committee), Lucien Wolf took a leading role in the efforts of Western Jewry to aid persecuted Jews in Eastern Europe. He was also a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference (1919), where he helped to draft the minorities treaties guaranteeing the rights of Jews and other ethnic and religious minority groups. David Mowshowitch (1887-1957) was Lucien Wolf's secretary and aide at the Joint Foreign Committee for many years and continued to work for the Joint Foreign Committee until the 1950s. The collection consists of the papers of Lucien Wolf and David Mowshowitch, as well as fragmentary records of the Joint Foreign Committee. The material includes personal papers, correspondence, reports, memoranda, minutes of meetings, copies of articles, and press clippings. The documents pertain to the situation of persecuted Jews throughout the world, most notably the efforts of the Joint Foreign Committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Anglo-Jewish Association to aid the Jews of Eastern Europe, and to the Peace Conference at Paris in 1919 and the minorities treaties. There is also material on Lucien Wolf's and David Mowshowitch's other activities, most importantly Lucien Wolf's career as a journalist and as a historian of the Jewish community in Britain.

The collection is in English, French, German, Russian, Yiddish, Polish, Hebrew, and Hungarian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 50

The Yidisher lerer fareyn (Yiddish Teachers Union) in Vilna was a professional association of secular Yiddish teachers, which supported the ideology of the TSYSHO school system. The union engaged in a wide range of activities in order to promote the interests of its member teachers. Its membership, although composed primarily of Yiddish teachers expanded gradually to include teachers from religious and Hebrew schools. Founded in 1915 the union lasted until c. 1940. The records of the Yiddish Teachers’ Union reflect its activities from 1910-1940.

The collection is in Yiddish and Polish with some Lithuanian and Russian.

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 208

This collection contains correspondence between Chaim Zhitlowsky and many important political figures and organizations, as well as manuscripts and other writings, some written by Zhitlowsky and some written by others. There are also notes and other materials from speeches and lectures that Zhitlowsky gave, financial documents, articles written about Zhitlowsky, newspaper clippings of articles by Zhitlowsky, materials from celebrations held in Zhitlowsky’s honor, photographs, excerpts from his works, and various other assorted items. These materials serve to illustrate both Zhitlowsky’s importance in the Yiddish and Russian literary field and his deep involvement in the American and Russian-Jewish Socialist, Territorialist and Diaspora Nationalism movements.

Yiddish, Russian, German, English, French, Latin (university certificates), Hebrew, Dutch

From the collections of YIVO

Identification number: RG 241

The collection documents life inside the Lódz Jewish ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland. It consists predominantly of the records of the Eldest of the Jews in the Lódz ghetto, Chaim Mordechai Rumkowski, and of his administration. Included are original correspondence, announcements, circulars, charts, publications, reports, essays, albums and photographs.

The collection is in Polish, German, and Yiddish.