Guide to the Papers of Cecilia Razovsky
(1886-1968), undated, 1913-1971
Processed by Felicia Herman (August 1995), Jason Schechter (May 2002), Tina Weiss (May 2003), Adina Anflick (August 2005)
American Jewish Historical Society
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York, N.Y. 10011
Phone: (212) 294-8350
Fax: (212) 294-6161
Email: info@ajhs.org
URL: http://www.ajhs.org
© 2006 American Jewish Historical Society, Newton Centre, MA and New York, N.Y.
Finding aid was encoded by Marvin Rusinek on March 06, 2006. Description is in English.
Descriptive Summary |
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| Creator: | Cecilia Razovsky |
|---|---|
| Title: | Papers of Cecilia Razovsky |
| Dates: | undated, 1913-1971 |
| Abstract: | The papers consist of correspondence and reports of Cecelia Razovsky (married name: Davidson), noted social worker specializing in immigration and resettlement of refugees. The collection includes information about her work with the National Council of Jewish Women in the 1920's, and with the National Refugee Service (and predecessor organizations) in the 1930's. Information is included about her work as a Resettlement Supervisor in the post-World War II Displaced Persons camps in Europe, and as a field worker in the southwestern U.S. for the United Service for New Americans in 1950. The collection contains reports and correspondence from her trips to South America, primarily Brazil: to explore possibilities of refugee settlement in 1937 and 1946; as a representative for United HIAS Service to aid in settling Egyptian and Hungarian refugees in 1957-1958; and as a pleasure trip and evaluation of the changes in the Jewish community of the country in 1963. Also included in the collection are many of Razovsky's articles, plays, and pamphlets. |
| Languages: | The collection is in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Yiddish, and Russian. |
| Quantity: | 3 linear feet + 1 Oversized folder |
| Identification: | *P-290 |
| Repository: | American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History |
Razovsky, Cecilia

Cecilia Razovsky (1886-1968)

Cecilia Razovsky (1886-1968)
Cecilia Razovsky was an immigration and refugee relief worker whose extraordinary career spanned the early 1900s to the 1960s. Her life's work began with assisting Eastern European immigrants in the early 1900's, continued with helping German refugees during World War II, working overseas in Displaced Persons Camps, aiding refugees in United States Detention Camps after the War, encouraging Jewish communities in Southwest United States to take refugee families, and culminated with organizing resettlement efforts in South America, Central America, and the West Indies. She worked for major refugee relief organizations: National Council of Jewish Women, National Refugee Service, German Jewish Children's Aid, United Service for New Americans, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service, and the Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons. Against resistant administrations, she tirelessly negotiated for admissions of German children into the United States, landing rights for the SS. St. Louis in Cuba and the SS Quanza in Mexico and the United States, and increasing immigration opportunities in the Americas and West Indies.
Born May 4, 1886 to immigrant parents Minna and Jonas Razovsky in St. Louis, MO, Razovsky sewed buttons on overalls in a factory at age 12 to contribute to her family's income. She held a variety of jobs after school, working as a salesgirl, waitress, laundress, stenographer, clerk, and secretary until she took up teaching for the Jewish Educational Alliance in St. Louis at age 18. There, she gave evening lessons in English and History to immigrants and taught Biblical literature and Hebrew to children on Saturdays and Sundays. In 1911, she became an Attendance Officer for the St. Louis Board of Education, interviewing applicants and issuing employment certificates to children who qualified under the new Child Labor Law. She oversaw the probation of delinquent girls and studied the street trade situation in St. Louis in 1912. This position led her in 1917 to become an Inspector for the Child Labor Division, Children's Bureau, in Washington, D.C. She inspected mills and factories in Alabama, Eastern Ohio, and Virginia for compliance to the Child Labor Law. She examined the physical and educational development of Southern children, studied the effect of the First World War on child labor and school attendance throughout the United States, and surveyed the administration of the Child Labor Law in the District of Columbia. Concurrently, she attended classes in social work, drama, literature, economics, law, psychology, labor problems, public relations, and Spanish in a variety of schools in St. Louis, Chicago, and New York.1 In 1918, the Supreme Court declared federal child labor laws to be unconstitutional (child labor reforms were established in the late 1930s), and the Child Labor Division ceased.2
National Council of Jewish Women, 1921-1934
Razovsky returned to her earlier inclination towards helping immigrants and in 1921 became Executive Secretary for the National Council of Jewish Women's (NCJW) Department of Immigrant Aid. As she writes, "I was always interested in the literature about immigrants, living among them in my youth, and the stories in English written about them were to me fascinating and all the authors, like Anzia Yierska [Yezierska] Kahn, were my heroes and heroines..."3
Her unusual abilities were noticed and a year later she was appointed Associate Director. She also served as Editor of the NCJW bulletin, The Immigrant, for ten years.
In 1921, President Harding signed the "Three Per Cent Immigration Law" and in 1924 a permanent Immigration Restriction Bill was put into effect. NCJW worked on legislation, oriented immigrants to their new life in the United States, and established a Bureau of International Case Work to help reunite immigrants with their families overseas. Razovsky traveled throughout the United States training local NCJW committees on how to organize English and Citizenship classes. She met immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and other ports and developed international services to relatives abroad through agencies in Europe, Asia, and South America. She lectured for students and professional groups, conducting Institutes on Education of the Foreign Born. In 1922, Razovsky authored her first book; What Every Emigrant Should Know. She wrote What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship in 1926. This book addressed the Cable Act of 1922, which required women to apply individually for citizenship versus making them automatic citizens under their husband's name. Although feminists saw the Act as a victory, it increased the hardship of many immigrant women, who were in greater danger of being deported; deserted overseas; and denied pensions, medical care, and employment. In 1938, Razovsky updated What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship with a booklet titled Making Americans. This booklet, directed at the volunteer community, gave instructions on how to set up naturalization committees and bureaus, and provided information on immigration law and procedures.4
Razovsky was sent as a NCJW delegate to the First World Congress of Jewish Women in Austria in 1923 and addressed the conference on immigration. After the conference, she toured European ports and evaluated conditions for refugees. Many refugees prevented from entering the United States were admitted into Cuba and Razovsky was sent there in 1924 to assist and evaluate the poor conditions for emigrant Jews. Razovsky served, from 1925-1935, as Secretary of the Jewish Committee for Cuba. In 1931, Razovsky visited Russia in order to study social service conditions.
During this time, she was highly involved in legislation and policy making, attending major conferences and committees on immigration and particularly on the German refugee crisis during the 1930s. She served in various capacities for the National Conference of Social Work from 1926-1929, including as Chair of Division X in 1927 and Chair of Conference on Immigration Policy in 1928. In 1929, Razovsky represented several American organizations at the International Association for the Protection of Migrants, an advisory committee to the League of Nations in Geneva. Jane Addams appointed her in 1932 as a representative at the International Conference for Social Work in Frankfurt, Germany. The same year, she served as Chair for the National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship, studying increased naturalization fees. In 1933 she chaired an advisory committee on legislation reform for the Ellis Island Committee of Forty Eight that was appointed by Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. She also served as a chair and secretary for the General Committee of Immigration Aid at Ellis Island and NY Harbor from 1933-1936.5
In between Razovsky's whirlwind of activities, she married Dr. Morris Davidson in 1927. Dr. Davidson, a certified opthamologist, accompanied Razovsky on her later trips to South America, assisting her with her work, and became an expert in Brazilian culture and history.6
National Coordinating Committee, 1934-1939
The pressure on the State Department to admit German refugees escaping the rise of Nazism in Germany did not waive restrictions on immigration quotas until late 1936, when a slight change in wording regarding public charges increased visa issuance but not to the extent needed to help the increasing wave of refugees.7 It was clear a centralized refugee relief agency was needed to assist non-Jewish and Jewish German refugees, one more comprehensive than the current Joint Clearing Bureau which was under the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The League of Nations appointed James G. McDonald as High Commissioner for Refugees in 1933. McDonald and Chairman Joseph P. Chamberlain, Professor of Public Law at Columbia University, established the National Coordinating Committee for Aid to Refugees and Emigrants Coming from Germany (NCC), a successor agency to the Joint Clearing Bureau. NCC's plans were based upon a report Razovsky wrote in January 1934 (Razovsky had also served as Secretary for the Joint Clearing Bureau). NCJW loaned Razovsky to pioneer this new organization, and a small office opened with Razovsky as Executive Director in July 1934. The staff grew to 180 by February 1939 and in June 1939, NCC merged with two other organizations to form the National Refugee Service (NRS). Affiliated with NCC was the German Jewish Children's Aid, an organization headed by Razovsky to negotiate the admission and later placement of German Jewish refugee children.8
The NCC began with approximately 20 non-Jewish and Jewish member organizations, serving as a national clearinghouse and registry. In addition, NCC dealt with affidavits, quotas, visas, and financial aid. The bureau helped refugees find employment throughout the United States and evaluated projects specifically designed for refugees with specific occupations. NCC educated the non-Jewish public on the refugee problem, urged local communities to help refugees resettle outside of New York City, and strengthened local committees to care for refugees throughout the United States. The agency cooperated with government agencies, worked with the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Coming from Germany, and coordinated the work of existing relief organizations throughout the United States and abroad.9
The NCC looked for escape avenues for refugees all over the globe. The prospects in Central and South America led Razovsky and her husband to visit São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1937 in order to evaluate conditions and anti-Semitism for German refugees. In São Paulo, Razovsky met Dr. Ludwig and Luiza Lorch for the first time. Dr. Lorch headed a committee for German refugee relief and Mrs. Lorch was involved in the women's committee. They would become important friends to the Davidsons, aiding Razovsky in many areas of social work in São Paulo, Brazil.10
In November 1938, after Kristallnacht, Razovsky described the "tense and feverish" atmosphere in her office; they received 1300 callers each day. Restricted viciously by the quota of bringing 20 refugee children per month into the United States, Razovsky writes, "We not only are not taking large groups but we are even slowing up on those whom we have ordered under the auspices of the German-Jewish Children's Aid, because of the long delays in the quota... At the end of the day we are literally in rags-physically and mentally..."11
On June 2, 1939, 930 Jewish refugees sailing from Hamburg, Germany on the SS St. Louis arrived in Mexico and were denied their visas. The ship then sailed to Cuba, and Razovsky, whose previous experience at NCJW included working in Cuba helping refugees, was one of the officials sent to help them. She reminisces in 1961, "When the offical word came through that the ship would have to leave with its passengers still on board, we were all thunderstruck and horrified. To this day it is painful to recall the grief and agony on that occasion. When the day and hour arrived for the ship to sail, we were all at the dock. Some of the American newspaper men were so broken by the news that they knelt and prayed and wept aloud; others cursed and raved; we ourselves were too crushed to do anything but weep."12
National Refugee Service, 1939-1943
Overwhelmed with work, the National Coordinating Committee merged with two other organizations (NCC Fund and the Greater New York Coordinating Committee) to form the National Refugee Service (NRS) in June 1939. The NRS centralized and expanded refugee efforts, adding additional departments. Razovsky served as Director of the new Migration Department and later as Assistant to the Executive Director.
Razovsky was among the members of the Capital Loan Committee that began operating on October 16, 1939 to evaluate loan applications from refugees, who holding only visitor visas, were often barred from accepting employment. The funds were dispersed from an inherited NCC fund, the Rosenwald Capital Outlay Fund. Each loan was intended as a one time economic adjustment. Within two and a half months, the Loan Committee approved 24 individuals' applications spanning fifteen communities throughout the United States. Additional donations came from the American Joint Reconstruction Foundation, the Refugee Economic Corporation, outside communities and other sources.13
In the Fall of 1938 in Evian-Les-Bains, France, President Franklin D. Roosevelt convened the Intergovernmental Committee on Political Refugees, whose purpose was to make a concerted effort to help German refugees. Out of all of the thirty-two nations there represented, United States included, only the representative from the Dominican Republic offered to accept large numbers of Jewish refugees. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, Dominican Republic's Dictator who, between October 2-4, 1937, murdered 20,000 poor Haitian workers, all of them black, had motives aside from benevolence. His desire to make his Republic "white" was coupled with his need to improve his image with the United States. Trujillo hoped to settle 100,000German and Austrian refugees on 24,000 acres of agricultural property, and the first six settlers arrived in Sosua in March 1940. Razovsky worked with James N. Rosenberg, President of the Dominican Republic Settlement Association (DORSA) to implement the plan, however, by 1942, due to the difficulties of wartime and refugee selection, there were only 472 settlers.14
On September 5, 1940, the National Refugee Service received a telegram from passengers escaping Nazi Germany on S.S. Quanza, who had been denied entry into Mexico, despite the fact that thirty-five of them only wished to transfer to other ships bound for South and Central America. Razovsky writes, "The only creature on board the ship, who would have been permitted to land was a little Pekinese dog who carried a certificate of entry which the Mexican Government was prepared to honor." S.S. Quanza continued onward to Norfolk, Virginia, where it was scheduled to drop off coal before heading back to Lisbon. Razovsky, now NRS Assistant to the Executive Director; Evelyn Hersey, Executive Director of the American Committee for Christian Refugees; and several attorneys were among the party who met the ship at port. The attorneys served writs of libel on the ship, preventing the ship from sailing until a hearing could take place; and with pressure by various organizations and relatives, the State Department agreed to admit children under sixteen, persons with visas for Central or South America, and political refugees. After each case was heard by the Board of Special Inquiry, all eighty three refugees, sixty-six of whom were Jewish, were allowed temporary entry and were placed under the care of the National Refugee Service and the American Committee for Christian Refugees.15
A few months before Pearl Harbor, the U.S. negotiated the seizure of Japanese, Austrians, Germans, and Italians in Panama with the Panamian Government.16 Jewish refugees, escapees from Nazi terror, were among those arrested and sent to detention camps in Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. A detainee writes, "I have been arrested in Panama in the open street by a common police man... without asking me who I am and of what nationality... Neither in Panama nor at any other country, where I lived, I had any kind of political activity or any connection with such matters..."17 Razovsky appealed to the War and Justice Departments to ease conditions for the refugees in the camps and obtain their release. She writes, "... We were able to have the men at Stringtown [Oklahoma] transferred from Camp Blanding, Fla. where their situation was desperate because they had to be with the Nazis constantly and were mistreated. At Stringtown they have separate sleeping quarters although they are still obliged to eat with the Nazis..."18 In February 1943 after State Department hearings, the Jewish detainees and their voluntarily detained relatives were transferred to Camp Algiers in New Orleans; by June approximately sixty were released on parole.19
Razovsky, at that point, was handing in her resignation letter. After changes in NRS board leadership, Razovsky's responsibilities had been downgraded, and faced with a 30% cut in salary and the title of "Consultant," Razovsky resigned from the National Refugee Service on June 15, 1943.20
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency/American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1944-1948
When the allied armies first breached Nazi lines in November 1942 liberating North Africa, plans for an international relief organization were in the works through the newly formed United Nations. While international committees were drafting the new agency's structure, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed New York Governor Herbert Lehman in charge of the Office of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations. In November 1943, 44 nations signed an agreement to establish the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRRA), with Lehman as its head.21 Razovsky applied to "Governor Lehman's organization" in April 1943.22 Having received no offers from UNRRA, Razovsky went on to work for the Common Council for American Unity, as Chief of Special Services and Editor of their publication "Interpreter Releases." The Common Council for American Unity's mission was to battle intolerance and discrimination towards foreigners living in the United States. She arranged to teach for UNRRA's Training Center in July 1944, and in September, UNRRA officially hired her to serve as a Displaced Persons Specialist for the European Missions Reserve.23
By that time, the Allies had liberated France and U.S. troops had crossed over the defense system built by Hitler, called the Siegfried Line, and entered Germany. In April 1945, the Allies liberated the concentration camp of Buchenwald. Sargent Joseph Eaton, writes, "... The spriit of these men, incarcerated for years or even decades, remains even more striking in my memory. Some, many are wrecked physically and psychically, perhaps for life. But others are preserved, ready to live, ready to inspire those of us, who never had to love life as much as they had to in order to survive..."24
The U.S. Army set up displaced persons camps as a first step in war relief, placing five to ten GI's in charge of thousands. Chaplain Aaron Kahan describes conditions as "pig stys where a thousand people live in a place unsuitable for one hundred. The food provided is of the same calibre..."25
Willing to face these conditions, Razovsky arrived in London. It was common practice for UNRRA and private agencies to share employees when needed. Therefore, when the AJDC Paris office needed emergency staff, UNRRA officers loaned Razovsky to them. Loaning UNRRA staff to private agencies in France allowed UNRRA to have a presence where none was permitted; French authorities refused to allow UNRRA to manage displaced persons within French borders.26
Razovsky worked for AJDC Paris from February 1945 until her return to the United States at the end of June. In Paris, she set up a Central Location Bureau for France, organized a Personal Service division for emergency relief, arranged the reunion of fifty displaced children with their relatives now in the United Kingdom, supervised casework for groups of displaced persons in various French camps, and arranged transit visas for children traveling through France to embarkation ports in Portugal and Spain. She was among the relief workers who accompanied the first contingent of children released from Buchenwald into temporary care in France and Switzerland. Many of these children emigrated to Palestine.27
By May 1945, Razovsky was suffering from the effects of a poor diet and living conditions and appealed to her superiors to send her home. In July, she arrived in New York where she spent the next few months speaking on behalf of UNRRA at an UNRRA luncheon, a Providence Section, NCJW meeting, and for the Margaret McDonald radio show. Still feeling the ill effects of her overseas work, she went on leave from UNRRA for three months, eventually resigning from the agency on February 1946. By then, she had accepted a position with the AJDC as Director of Emigration for Germany and Austria.
Conditions in German DP camps remained deplorable and increasingly overcrowded, as Jews fleeing anti-Semitism in their native lands infiltrated the American zone. These Jews were not considered displaced by war under the classification made by UNRRA authorities, and care for them fell solely to Jewish organizations. According to Judge Simon H. Rifkind's (advisor to General Dwight D. Eisenhower) report, issued in April 1945, there were approximately 100,000 Jews in all of the zones of Germany and Austria. Furthermore, negotiations with military authorities delayed AJDC workers from arriving in Germany and Austria until a month after VE-Day, in June 1945. Once established, the AJDC was able to supplement the DPs' basic needs provided by the UNRRA, shipping clothes, food, medical supplies, and religious and educational supplies. The 80 AJDC staff in Germany and Austria also served as a liaison between the Jews and the occasionally anti-Semitic U.S. Army, UNRRA, and local governments. American Jewish Year Book reporter Geraldine Rosenfield writes, "In this capacity the staff on numerous occasions served as trouble-shooters," thereby alleviating many difficult situations."28
Soon after her arrival in Germany, Razovsky was in an automobile accident involving an army truck that sent her to the hospital for several weeks. After she recovered, she continued setting up emigration offices in Bremen, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart in order to assist DP's immigration under President Harry Truman's directive.29 The directive, issued on December 22, 1945, reopened immigration to the United States by allowing a maximum of 39,681 refugees and displaced persons in American zones, with the highest quota coming from Germany, to enter the country each year. No other country had yet offered the refugees asylum. Due to shipping and consular personnel shortages and other technical reasons, the first immigration did not occur until May 1946, when the S.S. Marine Flasher and the S.S. Marine Perch sailed from Bremerhaven with 1,361 refugees and displaced persons.30 Razovsky describes the sailing preparations, "... After much agitation, including a threatened hunger strike by the passengers, the Army agreed to increase the rations to the American standard of 2300 calories..."31
Returning to New York in September 1946, Razovsky quickly set out again to Brazil with her husband, Dr. Morris Davidson. Having last visited Brazil in 1937 in order to evaluate German refugee conditions for the NCC, Razovsky now toured the country along with Rabbi Isaiah Rackovsky, speaking on behalf of the AJDC for its annual fundraising campaign. The Comité Auxiliar do Joint, a new Brazilian agency that had began its activities in June 1946, was now administering the $250,000 campaign, which had previously been managed by the São Paulo Jewish Congregation. Luis Lorch, Vice President of the Comité Auxiliar, remembered Razovsky from her 1937 visit and he cabled the AJDC New York, requesting a "powerful popular effective speaker Yiddish masses... preferably woman to address women maybe Razovsky who left excellent impression..."32
Jacob B. Lightman, head of the AJDC South American Office, which had formed in 1943 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, soon asked Razovsky to extend her stay in Brazil by a few months, in order to help organize a small regional AJDC office that would handle transmigrants en route to other countries and new Brazilian immigrants.33 Before leaving for New York in December 1946, Razovsky reported, "... Jewish emigration to Brasil was suspended during the war and during the dictatorship. It has now been resumed... up to about six weeks ago, and we can count upon about a thousand Jewish emigrants, new arrivals in Brasil, during 1946, of whom about one third are transits going to other Latin American countries. There has been no Jewish emigration into the Argentine. The democratic forces in these countries are weak, and liberals have very little power to cope with the administrative officials who are often anti-semitic."34
In March 1947, Razovsky began working as a consultant for the Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons, an organization that formed specifically in order to pass bills liberalizing immigration for DPs. Razovsky traveled to various communities, including Michigan and Missouri, addressing the public on the DP issue and meeting with immigration agency representatives. Unfortunately, the Citizen's Committee's lobbying efforts were not fully successful, and the most promising bill, the Stratton bill (H.R. 2910), was not passed. In lieu of the liberalized wording of the Stratton Bill, Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which intensified already existing restrictions concerning race, national origin, and occupation; and increased the waiting and red tape involved in processing applications. The DP Act of 1948, however, represented a new approach to immigration; for the first time, each immigrant needed to have his employment and housing arranged in advance.35
A year later, the Davidsons moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where Dr. Davidson worked as an opthmalogist for Veterans Administrative Hospital. In between working six months for the Family Service Association, a travelers' aid service, and volunteering for a number of local civic agencies, such as Community Chest, Jackson Juvenile Council, and Veterans Administrative Hospital, Razovsky "retired." At the same time, she arranged to speak from March to April 1948 on behalf of AJDC throughout the South, for annual fundraising campaigns. She wrote to Tilly Davis, the AJDC Speakers Bureau representative, "we are comfortable here, a cute little cottage. I am a busy housewife part of the day…and I must say it is an easy way of life, if one can forget the world."36
United Service for New Americans, 1950
Razovsky briefly came out from retirement when she was offered a temporary position as a Field Specialist for the United Service for New Americans (USNA). The USNA was the result of a 1946 merger between the NRS and the Service to Foreign Born of the NCJW. The USNA national services included port and dock reception, temporary shelter, resettlement, research for locating relatives and friends, financial aid, and vocational guidance and placement. Its affiliate was the European-Jewish Children's Aid, the successor agency to the German-Jewish Children's Aid. Razovsky worked under the USNA's Community Relations Department, and was responsible for visiting local Jewish family agencies and civic leaders in the Southwest Region, which was comprised of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennesssee, and most of Texas. As a member of the field staff, Razovsky relayed to local communities information concerning USNA policies, new developments in immigration legislation, advice on improving immigrants' services, assistance with budget planning, and mediation between local communities regarding responsibility for immigrants who made unauthorized moves to the new community. Field representatives also provided significant information regarding the local cities and Jewish communities they visited to USNA headquarters, imparting facts, resources, attitudes, and the immigrants' experiences through field reports.37
Razovsky stayed with the USNA from March until November 1950. Her position was eliminated due to budget cuts following a decrease in immigration. On July 21, 1952, the final shipload of a total of over 400,000DP's and German expellees arrived in the United States. 16 percent of the total number of DP's were Jews.38
In 1951, Razovsky accepted an invitation by the NCJW to become a member of their National Committee on Overseas Service. In 1954, when the Davidsons visited Israel and then Brazil for a medical conference, Razovsky reported to the Overseas Committee, "... Unfortunately there has been a decided split in the [Brazilian] community since the establishment of a Jewish State. The Federation of Jewish organizations, composed of perhaps forty agencies, is prhaps [sic] 80% Zionistic in their approach to all social problems of the community, the rest are either indifferent to the needs of Israel, or actually antagonistic..."39
From March until February 1956, the Davidsons were living in New York. Razovsky, a long-standing member of Hadassah, and having been the Vice President of the Jackson, Mississippi chapter, worked as assistant editor of the Hadassah Newsletter. She also helped edit Lyman Cromwell White's upcoming book, 300,000 New Americans. In 1957, Dr. Davidson retired from Veterans Administrative Hospital and the couple relocated to Austin, Texas. Razovsky assisted the Board of the American Friends of the Hebrew University, researching potential Texas cities that would host a fundraising dinner held in honor of the Jewish Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, Robert Briscoe. She also worked part time as an Executive Secretary for the Jewish Community Council of Austin and continued her speaking engagements on behalf of the UJA, Hadassah, and other organizations.40
United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service, 1957-1958
At the age of 70, when many would be enjoying an easy retirement, Razovsky undertook the demanding position of Supervisor of Resettlement and Integration of Refugees for Brazil and other countries in Latin America, working for the United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service (HIAS).
Brazil, which had absorbed more post war Jewish immigrants than any other Latin American country, was experiencing a sudden influx of Hungarian and Egyptian Jewish refugees. The Hungarian Revolt of 1956, in which thousands of Hungarians rebelled against the Hungarian Communist Government, resulted in 13 percent of the Hungarian Jewish population fleeing the country. The Revolt, lasting from October 1956 until January 1957, was crushed by massive Soviet armed intervention.41 In Egypt, rising nationalism and growing support of Communist policies led to a strengthing of ties between the Egyptian-Syrian-Saudi Arabian Defense Pact and the Soviet Bloc. Egypt's growing support of Communist regimes caused the United States to withdrawal its offer of financial support in building Egypt's Aswan Dam. EgyptianPresident Gamal Abdel Nasser retaliated by nationalizing the Suez Canal. Coupled with these events were increasing tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and on October 30, 1956, Israel invaded the Sinai desert. Great Britain and France soon joined Israel's battle, demanding an international status for the Suez Canal. Pressure from the United Nations on the three countries led to troops withdrawing from Egypt by January 1957 and the formation of a U.N. Emergency Force in the Suez Canal. Egyptian Jews, the largest Jewish community in any Arab State, were being banned from employment and threatened with arrest, detention, and exile. By the end of September 1957, more than half of Egypt's50,000 Jews fled.42
In 1956, HIAS, Brazil's sole Jewish immigration agency, sponsored 311 Jewish immigrants. This figure rose to approximately 3000 in 1957, when Brazil, the second largest Jewish community in Latin America, accepted ¾ of the total Jewish refugees immigrating to the continent.43 In a letter to Read Lewis, Executive Director of Common Council for American Unity, Razovsky wrote; "... this to me is the most important characteristic of Brasil their acceptance of people regardless of race or color is most admirable, and a solace to persons like us who so keenly felt the attitudes of the Mississippians and Texans regarding Negroes and Mexicans..."44
The Davidsons lived in São Paulo, Brazil for eleven months, beginning in May 1957. Razovsky's main duty was to supervise the Conselho de Assistencia Social, the local agency subsidized by HIAS. This task included supervising social workers, improving work efficiency, training volunteers, representing HIAS at other organizational meetings, and establishing a clearing bureau. As the large established Jewish communities in São Paulo and Rio Janeiro became overwhelmed with incoming immigrants, HIAS looked for additional, smaller Jewish Brazilian communities to direct the refugees, and Razovsky determined case distribution. In July and August 1957, Razovsky assisted in opening HIAS offices in Porte Alegre and Belo Horizonte. Immigration work was additionally conducted in Curitiba, under the auspices of the Porto Alegre office. Dr. Davidson, as an Honorary Representative, assisted Razovsky with researching settlement opportunities and reporting the information through HIAS country profile reports.45
Brazil was in the midst of an economic crisis; its rapid industrialization, which threw the rural natives off balance, gave rise to increasing inflation, low wages, and a high cost of living. Despite the economic uncertainty, Jewish refugees were generally able to find work. Egyptian Jews, who were generally upperclass, well educated and skilled, also added easily to Brazil's large Middle East population. The Hungarian Jews, who beyond losing their country and their jobs had often lost loved ones, had a more difficult time acclimating to their new life. However, as Razovsky wrote to friends; "... the Hungarian women take jobs at once, or make jobs, sewing gloves, or baking pastries and peddling them in office buildings, whereas the Egyptian women, upper middle class, never worked in their lives, (some actually never washed a dish or a pair of stockings,) find it hard to believe that it is now necessary for them to put their shoulder to the wheel..."46
In 1957, approximately 1000Hungarian and Egyptian refugees were admitted to other Latin American countries. Argentina, the largest Jewish community in Latin America, had become a haven for Nazis escaping from Europe under Dictator Juan Peron. The overthrow of Peron's government in 1955 and the resulting democracy opened up Jewish immigration, but limited settlement to areas outside of Buenos Aires and other large cities. In 1957, 300 Jews with permanent visas, mainly Egyptians, Hungarians, and North Africans, arrived in Argentina under the auspices of HIAS and Soprotimis (Sociedad de Protección a los Immigrantes Israelitas).47
Lima, Perú, home to 90% of the country's 3000-4000 Jews, assisted in the immigration of fifty Jewish families in 1957. The Davidsons visited Lima from January 17 to February 7, 1958 in order to set up a HIAS office under the auspices the local Jewish Federation, the Associacon de Sociedades Israelitas del Peru, which linked the Sephardic, Ashkenazi and German Societies. Peru's then liberal government, under President Manuel Prado, was nonetheless indifferent to promoting immigration, furthermore, the country's severe economic depression limited potential resettlement to family reunion cases. Razovsky reported, "... the entire Jewish community is sensitive to Peruvian reaction towards possible immigration, claiming there is much anti-Semitism here. Some are fearful that if many immigrants come, there will be more open anti-Semitism displayed."48
Colombia, suffering also from a poor economy and having recently elected a Liberal Party President after four years of military rule, was not interested in opening up immigration. The little immigration permitted leaned towards Catholic immigrants, due to the country's deep Spanish Catholic influence held over from its early Spanish colonial beginnings and the Conservative Party's alliance with the Church. In 1957, Colombia allowed fourteen Hungarian, Egyptian, and Polish Jewish immigrants to enter; all but one couple being family reunion cases. Colombia's total Jewish population numbered approximately 9,000; more than half of which were located in Bogotá. The Davidsons visited Bogotá from February 7 to February 13, 1958, gleaning information for the country's profile and soliciting funds for HIAS, however, they had difficulty persuading the separate factions of Jewish groups to raise funds for any other purpose besides Israel. Among the leaders Razovsky met with during her short time there was Ambassador Alberto Gonzalez Fernandez, who served as the Latin American representative for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.49
The Davidsons returned to Lima, Peru; for six days, trying to secure an allocation check, and then continued onward to Santiago, Chile, where they stayed from February 23 until March 13, 1958. Geographically isolated, and one of the smallest countries in South America, Chile had few immigrants until 1910, when the Transandean Railroad and later the Panama Canal were completed. Jews began arriving in large numbers after World War I; in 1956, the Jewish Chilean community celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Consisting of approximately 30,000 people, with 27,000 Jews living in Santiago, the Jewish community focus on Zionism was, as Razovsky reports; "so strong that 90% of the Jews have contributed continually to Israel since 1918, even though... many of the Jews have to be reminded to close their shops on Yom Kippur." Despite the Chile's high cost of living and low wages, Razovsky did not have difficulty obtaining financial support for HIAS; the 300 Hungarian Jews, out of the total 450 Hungarians that had arrived in 1957, had relied strongly on HIAS services. Razovsky writes, "The Hungarians who come here are mainly former High School teachers, professional, a few merchants, practically all intellectuals who had been accustomed to a high standard of living. An altogether different group from those who had come to São Paulo..." Few Egyptian Jews arrived in Chile, primarily due to the preferences for certain types of skilled workers required under Chile's immigration policy. Although Chile's immigration law contained no quotas or racial or religious discrimination, preferences existed for immigrants coming from Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Holland.50
Following their visit to Chile, the Davidsons made arrangements to travel to Bolivia where their adopted daughter lived. Their daughter, whose name remains unknown, warned them of an impending Bolivian revolution, and informed them that many Jews were leaving the country. The Davidsons thus went on to visit Asunción, Paraguay, where they stayed for one week in order to ascertain information for the country's profile. In 1958, Asunción, Paraguay was home to the country's 1500 Jews, many of which were either World War I immigrants or DP's who had fled to Paraguay's open borders and stayed. Thousands of other DP's went through Paraguay on towards Argentina or Brazil, where there were better wages and an organized Jewish community. The Asunción Jewish community, with no Rabbi or shochet (ritual slaughterer), traveled a thousand miles to Buenos Aires for High Holiday services and for kosher meat. Unable to subscribe funds for HIAS, the community was willing to take immigrants and pleaded for "a family -Polish or East European-where the head of the family could act as their religious leader (schochet, cantor, etc.)..." The extreme poverty in Paraguay, the result of geographic and cultural isolation, dictatorships, and wars and revolutions, nonetheless contained a kind, friendly, and warm society where as Razovsky described; "This is the first county where we were not warned to lock our doors at the hotel, or to beware of pickpockets to prevent thievery. The newspapers carried no stories of murder or violence such as we encountered in Colombia, and to a certain extent, in Perú and Chile."51
The Davidsons then returned to São Paulo, Brazil, where they stayed from March 20 until April 5, 1958. They revisited Lima, Peru;, where Razovsky discovered that "the Jewish Community had undergone a revolution. The entire Zionist Organization blew up, whether by spontaneous combustion or how, noone knows..." The completely new group of leaders however, fortunately recognized the Jewish community's former HIAS pledge.52 Leaving Lima, Peru; on April 11, 1958, the Davidsons arrived in Quito, Ecuador where they stayed for two days. Quito, Ecuador, one of the oldest cities in South America, was home for 1,000 Jews, a remnant of the 3,000 DP's that had escaped to Ecuador's open borders from Germany in the 1930s. Razovsky reported, "... Many of them send their children to the United States to be educated so there are very few adolescents and only about 100 children below the age of 14 left in Quito..." In 1957, eight immigrants, four from Israel, had come to Quito to join relatives. Since the Jewish Federation in Quito, the Beneficiencia Israelita, had already doubled each member's monthly contribution for the year in order to complete a Jewish Community Center, the Federation's President postponed funding for HIAS. The community, wishing to grow, was particularly interested in receiving Egyptian immigrants whose language and other skills would be highly employable.53
The Davidsons spent one day revisiting Jewish leaders in Bogotá, Columbia before continuing on to spend two days in Panama, where it can be assumed, the couple confirmed donation pledges for HIAS. Beno Klein, a HIAS staff member based in Brazil, had previously completed a country profile on Panama in March 1958. He writes, "Panama is a focal point of Man's migration making it a melting-pot of all races and nations - and an attraction of both adventureous and solid business..." The Jewish community, composed of approximately 1,500 members, was a mixture of descendants of the Portuguese-Spanish Inquisitions (approximately 300-400 people); Eastern Europeans and Germans that migrated between World War I and II (approximately 200 people); and Sephardic Jews from Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Mandate-Palestine and Iraq (approximately 700-800 people). In addition, Jewish Civilians and U.S. Army personnel based in the Canal-Zone numbered approximately 400 people. Despite the established Jewish communities, located mainly in Panama City, with other families in Colon and a few smaller towns, and the country's flourishing economy and liberal immigration policies, no influx of Jewish immigrants had occurred beyond a few Egyptian families arriving to join relatives. Klein writes, "This country has been overlooked as an immigration outlet, presumably, because of her dreaded climate which has a worse reputation than it really deserves..."54
The Davidsons then proceeded to their last stop, Mexico City, Mexico, where they spent two days, again the writer assumes, to solicit HIAS funding. They then returned to New York on May 3, 1958, where they spent some time in their house on Fire Island, New York before resettling in Austin, Texas. In July 1959, the Davidsons revisited Mexico, perhaps for a vacation or a medical conference, and were once again called upon by Israel Jacobson to help with HIAS business. Razovsky investigated the condition of the HIAS Representative in Mexico City who was rumored to have suicidal tendencies (she found him capable of performing his duties) and gathered information for Mexico's country profile. She also attended a meeting of voluntary Mexican Agencies regarding programming for World Refugee Year.
Razovsky found that many leaders of the Jewish Mexican community had "an obvious indifference to UHS [HIAS] and its work in Mexico. People who are interested in helping relatives join them go to one or two special attorneys who help them and who charge high fees..." From January through May 1959, an estimated fifty-six Jewish immigrants had been admitted into the country despite the fact that the political party in control for the past twenty-five years, the Partido Revolucionario Institutional, was "officially" opposed to immigration. Many of the Jewish immigrants came from Syria and about 12 were Egyptian. Mexico, poor and with a turbulent political history, had broken away from rigid Church domination with the adoption of its 1917 Constitution, and was in the midst of rapid industrialization. The members of the Jewish community (Razovsky's estimate ranged from 25,000 to 35,000) were given equal status and were mainly involved in light industry. 90% of the Jewish population lived in Mexico City, with smaller communities existing in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Taluca, Pachuca, and Puebla.55 Many of the Jewish leaders in Mexico City agreed with the government's view towards immigration, as Razovsky describes; "... They live in beautiful homes, as you know, and there does not seem to be that warm intense interest in the situation of Jews elsewhere, which is found amongst Jews in other lands."56
Last Years
The Davidsons returned to Austin, Texas in August 1959, where they took courses at the University of Texas and in January 1960, visited Venezuela to attend a medical conference. Razovsky wrote to Israel Jacobson; "We have never been to Venezuela and Morris is especially interested to round out his studies of Latin America... Morris has in mind a book; he has been encouraged to write it by editors of publications to whom he had submitted some of his material." When she returned from Venezuela, Razovsky served on the United Nations Speakers' Services for World Refugee Year and as Secretary for the Austin Committee for Refugees. The couple planned to return to Brazil in March 1960 to conduct research for Dr. Davidson's book, but it appears they postponed their trip and Dr. Davidson's book may never have been published.57
In October 1961, the Davidsons moved to El Paso, Texas, as Razovsky wrote, "a frontier town with all the zest and exhilaration of a border city with its exoticism and unexpectedness..." Dr. Davidson opened a free clinic downtown and Razovsky volunteered, first as caseworker and later as Associate Director, for the Social Service Department of the Jewish Community Councilwhere she convinced its Board to hire a social worker. She also helped create and served as Chairman for the El Paso Committee for Cuban Refugees, in anticipation that there would be an influx of refugees coming into El Paso; however, the immigration officials directed the migration into Brownsville and Houston and her committee became inactive.58
At the request of an old friend, Read Lewis, Executive Director of the American Council for Nationalities Service (ACNS), Razovsky completed a detailed report on Mexican immigration into El Paso. Between 1933 and 1934, Razovsky had worked for the Common Council for American Unity, a predecessor agency to ACNS, as editor of the Common Council's bulletin Interpreter Releases. Lewis wished to determine if ACNS should open an International Center in El Paso, and in Razovsky's usual manner, she threw herself full fledged into her work. Despite Razovsky's detailed and lengthy report, and her persistent efforts to arrange free building space in the community, the project may not have been launched.59
In 1963, the Davidsons visited South America for what would be Razovsky's last time, stopping in Mexico City, Mexico; Lima, Perú; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and other cities in Brazil. Beginning their trip in Mexico City, Mexico on May 4, 1963, where they stayed for a week, they revisited old contacts, attended special events, and talked with the local people and professional scholars in order to determine social and political changes. Although Mexico's economy was stable, the peasants were very poor, there was much political corruption, and many young people wished to learn English in order to obtain jobs in the United States. Among the individuals they visited was the HIAS representative, still in his post, that Razovsky had investigated for his state of health in 1959. The HIAS representative stated that the Mexican government was "loathe" to take Cuban refugees unless they held transit visas for the United States. They also attended a program held at the Institute of International Law of Mexico honoring Israeli Ambassador to Mexico, Mordecai Schneerson, where they heard a "purported Jewish Mexican Indian (he looked Indian) who sang in poorly pronounced Yiddish."60
Arriving in Lima, Perú on May 12, 1963, where they stayed for two weeks, the Davidsons found Limato be more developed despite the country's continuing high inflation. Razovsky learned no new Jewish immigration had occurred recently and anti-Semitism still existed in rumors such as Jewish domination of the economy. The couple had many interesting discussions with old and new contacts concerning the poverty among Indians, the differences between the Indian culture and history in Mexico and Peru, and the government's desire to combat illiteracy. They toured a nunnery involved in welfare work, the National Catholic Welfare Office that handles immigration cases, the National Library, the School of Social Work, and two Indian barrios. Upon seeing Indian women and children clad in rags, and their "wrecked miserable huts," Razovsky writes; "As we stood outside the priests house... and looked at the children many crying for food-we were heartsick and CR prayed for a Jane Addams- to arouse the women of Lima to try to improve conditions on a national scale..."61
On May 26, 1963, the couple arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina for another two-week stay, where they experienced the country in the midst of a military takeover and terrible inflation. Razovsky discovered that many of the Hungarians who had arrived in 1957 had either returned to Hungary or had immigrated to other Latin American countries. Middle class workers were leaving for Europe and the United States; the Argentine government had not paid its workers in three to four months. The Davidsons attended a seminar held at by the Sociology Congress, where speakers were "freely worrying" about the military takeover, the lack of Argentinian leadership, and the transition from a Church to a secular society. The Jewish community was deeply troubled over the neo-Nazism and anti-Semitism in some of the running political parties. Razovsky writes, "everyone is fearful and wants to get out. Very little music, dancing, cheerfulness. Everyone somber." Razovsky lectured on international social casework and internal migration for the National School of Social Work. She writes; "BA [Buenos Aires] know very little about post war experiences in Europe since they did not work with UNRRA." She also spoke to a leadership training class on Jewish international casework at the Jewish center, HEBRAICA.62
From June 9 until November 19, 1963, the Davidsons lived in Brazil. For the first two weeks, the couple stayed with their dear friends Ludwig and Luisa Lorch in São Paulo, whom they had first met in 1937 when Razovsky evaluated conditions for German refugees in Brazil for the NCC. Razovsky first stop was the HIAS office, where she was welcomed by several of her former colleagues. She also met with her good friend Susanna Franks who asked Razovsky to conduct a volunteer training course for the Liga Feminina (Brazil's NCJW). The couple then spent two weeks in Rio de Janeiro, where they met with friends, and where Razovsky visited the CIME office, attended lectures at the Academy of Letters and a seminar at the Catholic School of Social Work, and visited another school of social work and the Indian Embassy. Following, the couple spent nine days touring Bela Horizonte, Ouro Preto, Brasilia, and Salvador da Bahia before returning to Rio de Janeiro on July 23, 1963 for an additional three-week stay. There, Razovsky attended a Congress held by the International Association of Family Welfare with her friends Susanna Frank and Flora Levine. On August 13, 1963, the couple returned to São Paulo for a month's stay. Razovsky visited several welfare agencies, among which was the Confederación Evangelista, which managed immigration port reception and integration. Apparently there was little immigration into Brazil, and the social worker she spoke with was working on a colonization project to settle dispossessed squatters. The Davidsons toured the Albert Einstein Hospital, still in its construction phase, which was "to be a showplace to show Brasilians Jews are grateful for having been given refuge in Brasil." She attended seminars at the School for Social Work, and visited the Conselho de Assistencia Social that she had been in charge of in 1957. The couple spent five weeks in Campos do Jordão, where they heard news of strikes and a threat of martial law occurring in São Paulo. They left Campos do Jordão for São Paulo, relieved that no martial law was instituted, but were welcomed with a taxi strike. Razovsky writes; "As MD [Dr. Morris Davidson] put it Brasil is having a cold civil war-strikes every day-middle class fighting government and labor." On October 30, 1963, they were forced back to their hotel upon seeing 10,000 strikers marching. They returned to El Paso, Texas on November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She writes, "Shall we ever know the whole truth? Except that the organizations preaching hate are to blame!!"63
The Davidsons' return to the United States did not signal an end to their traveling. Choosing San Diego, California as a retirement site, the Davidsons moved into a studio apartment close to San Diego State College on November 30, 1963. During this time, Razovsky wrote her manuscript, "Forty Thousand New Brazilians," which tracked the Jewish community's progress in Brazil through Razovsky's visits there that occurred in 1937, 1946-1947, 1954, 1957-1958, and 1963.
She sent the manuscript to several colleagues, asking for editorial comments and suggestions for possible publishing venues, however, it does not seem that she sent the manuscript out to publishers. In June 1964 the Davidsons attended two welfare conferences in Los Angeles; they then visited San Francisco and lived for a month in Berkeley. Razovsky writes, "We are now trying to decide where to go when we leave Berkeley around the 26th--Dallas? El Paso? San Diego? Wash? Chicago? Montreal? Brazil?" They chose to visit Razovsky's brother Robert in Dallas in September 1964, then flew to El Paso for a week and returned to San Diego on October 22, 1964. They were "too sick and weary" to attend the funeral of Maury, Razovsky's brother, who died on October 25, 1964 in St. Louis, Missouri. The couple moved out of their studio into a more luxurious apartment in San Diego in December 1964.64
Both Razovsky and Dr. Davidson began to suffer from health problems. In April 1965, Razovsky had surgery, perhaps for ovarian cancer, in Los Angeles. Dr. Davidson suffered from two hemorrhages in one of his eyes. Razovsky writes, "I wish we were in Dallas so family can comfort us..." By January 1966, Dr. Davidson could no longer use his right eye and Razovsky needed to read for him.65
Razovsky still kept active in immigration affairs. In 1967, she was serving as Chairman of the International Committee for Social Work, which was formed under the San Diego branch of the National Association of Social Work. In what seems to be her last documented project, Razovsky was trying to construct an agency in San Diego to handle problems of Mexican-Americans and aliens.66
After a lifetime of service in social work and immigration relief, Razovsky succumbed to a long illness, and at the age of 81, she passed away on September 27, 1968. She was survived by her husband, two brothers (Robert Ross in Dallas, TX and Julius Razovsky in St. Louis, MO) and her sister Malcka R. Sterns in Tel Aviv, Israel. In a poignant obituary, Ralph Segalman from Austin, TX writes:
Cecilia's death is a loss to all of us, not because of her Jewishness, which was positive; not because of any extraordinary behavioral science knowledge or social work skill, but because of her heart and her concern for people, which unfortunately are all too hard to find among our professional colleagues... She was one of the last of a fast disappearing breed-namely those who are sincere in their concern for others-not just those in their clinic but those who are 'out there' and need to be helped, and even those who don't know that they can be helped..."67
Chronology |
|
| May 4, 1886 | Born in St. Louis, MO to Minna (Meyerson) and Jonas Razovsky. |
| 1904-1917 | Volunteered as a teacher and a club leader for the Jewish Educational Alliance, St. Louis, MO |
| 1909-1917 | Taught evening classes to foreigners in public school for the St. Louis Board of Education |
| 1911-1918 | Handled cases of delinquent children as an employment attendance and probation officer for St. Louis Board of Education |
| April 1918-1920 | Enforced the child labor law as an inspector for the Child Labor Division of the US Children's Bureau in Washington, D.C. |
| 1921-1932 | Hired as Executive Secretary of the National Council of Jewish Women's (NCJW) Department of Immigrant Aid |
| 1921-1930 | Edited NCJW's The Immigrant |
| 1922-1934 | Appointed Associate Director of NCJW. Publishes What Every Emigrant Should Know. |
| 1923 | Surveyed conditions for Jewish refugees in European ports. |
| September 1923 | Appointed as one of NCJW delegates to the First World Congress of Jewish Women in Austria, and chaired its session on migration |
| 1924 | Visited Cuba to study refugee conditions and plan a community center. Her report helped NCJW obtain funding to create a model refugee program in Havana. |
| 1925-1935 | Secretary, Jewish Committee for Cuba |
| 1926-1929 | Published What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship. Served in different capacities for the National Conference of Social Work: 1926 Vice chairman of Division X, 1927 Chair of Division X, 1928 Chair of Conference on Immigration Policy. |
| 1926 | Reported on Jewish refugees in ports in Juarez, Mexico and Canada. |
| 1927 | Weds Dr. Morris Davidson. |
| 1929 | Served as an official delegate to the International Association for the Protection of Migrants, an advisory committee to the League of Nationsin Geneva, Switzerland. |
| 1930 | Reported on Jewish refugees conditions in ports in Tia Juana, Mexico. |
| 1930-1937 | NCJW Representative for the Joint Legislation Committee of national organizations interested in immigrant legislation. |
| 1931 | Visited Soviet Russia to study social services. |
| 1932 | Chairman of committee to study effect of increased fees National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship; author of Handicaps in Naturalization (Congressional Record 1932), published by the National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship) that caused Congress to reduce naturalization fees; Represented NCJW at the World Conference of Jewish Women (Vienna, Austria); Member of Committee on contact with Jewish communal agencies and committee for social work for aliens at the International Conference on Social Work (Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany); appointed by Jane Addams. |
| 1933 | Chaired committee of 12 specialists appointed by Secretary of Labor Perkins to advise Committee of Forty-Eight on Ellis Island and other port conditions. |
| 1933-1936 | Served as Chair on General Committee of Immigrant Aid at Ellis Island and NY Harbor. |
| January 1934 | Created a document at NCJW citing the need for a coordinating agency (she calls it "American or Emergency Joint Bureau for German Refugees"). This agency becomes the National Coordinating Committee. |
| 1934 | Loaned to the National Coordinating Committee by NCJW, served as Executive Director. Also served as Executive Secretary of the German-Jewish Children's Aid. |
| 1937 | Accompanied by her husband on trip to various Latin American countries to study immigration possibilities. Reported on port conditions in Brazil and Argentina. Served as Secretary for the General Committee of Immigrant Aid at Ellis Island and NY Harbor. |
| 1938 | Making Americans, published by the National Council of Jewish Women. |
| June 1939 | Witnessed the debarking of S.S. St. Louis, a ship holding 930 Jewish Refugees that was denied access to Cuba. Tried to maintain the Refugees' morale and prevent suicide attempts. |
| 1939 | National Refugee Service created, Razovsky served as Director of the Migration Department. |
| 1940 | Participated in the establishment of a refugee haven in Sosua, Dominican Republic. |
| August 1940 | Promoted to Assistant to Executive Director of NRS |
| September 1940 | Negotiated, with the help of Evelyn Hersey (Executive Director, American Committee for Christian Refugees), the admission of SS Quanza into the United States, after being denied landing rights in Mexico. |
| June 15, 1943 | Resigned from NRS following a change in board leadership. |
| September 1943-October 1944 | Worked as Chief of Special Services and Editor of Interpreter Releases, Common Council for American Unity, NY. |
| October 1944-July 1945 | Appointed as a Displaced Persons Specialist for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). Loaned by UNRRA to the Paris headquarters of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC). |
| July 1945-September 1945 | Returned to New York and worked as a Consultant for the UNRRA Public Information Division, addressed various groups on behalf of the UNRRA. |
| October 1945-February 1946 | Arranged a leave without pay. Resigned from UNRRA on February 14, 1946 |
| February 1946-September 1946 | Worked as Director of Emigration Operations for Germany and Austria for the ADJC. |
| October 1946-December 1946 | Visited Brazil, Argentina, and other South American countries on behalf of AJDC. |
| March 1947-1948 | Worked as a Consultant for the Citizens Committee on Displaced Persons. |
| 1948 | Retired to join husband in Jackson, MS, where Dr. Davidson worked as an ophthalmologist at the Veterans Hospital. Spoke on behalf of AJDC annual campaign in the South. Worked temporarily at the Family Service Association and volunteered for local civic agencies such as Community Chest, Jackson Juvenile Council, Veterans Hospital (American Red Cross), and others. |
| March-November 1950 | Comes out of retirement to work as a field representative for the United Service for New Americans. Visited six southern states to encourage Jewish communities to accept family refugee quotas and to assist with problem cases. |
| 1954 | Visited Israel and Brazil. |
| February-June 1956 | Worked as Assistant Editor for the Hadassah Newsletter in New York. |
| 1957-1958 | Moved to Austin, TX. Worked as a South American Resettlement Supervisor for the United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service. Visited Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. |
| December 1960 | Studied Cuban Refugees fleeing Castro in Tampa, FL, for the United States Committee for Refugees. |
| January 1961 | Attended the conference called by the U.S. government to plan a resettlement program for Cuban refugees fleeing Castro that was held in Miami Beach, FL. Among those refugees she found several families whom she assisted in Cuba in 1924. |
| Fall 1961 | Moved to El Paso, Texas, where Dr. Davidson resumed his practice. Volunteered for Social Service Dept. of Jewish Community Council. |
| 1963 | Revisited Latin America, at invitation of friends she had worked with in her previous visits: in Mexico City, Lima, Peru, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, São Paulo, and Brazil. Led training courses in social service for volunteers, and addressed faculty members and graduate students at various schools of social work. |
| 1964 | Moved to San Diego, CA. |
| September 27, 1968 | Passed away at age 81. |
-
Memberships
- American Association of Social Workers
- Charter member, Academy of Social Workers
- American Council for Nationalities Service
- American Immigration and Naturalization Conference
- International Conference of Social Work
- El Paso County National Association of Social Workers
- National Council, U.S. Committee for Refugees
- National Council of Jewish Women
- Board of National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship
- Steering Committee of Overseas Committee of National Council of Jewish Women
- National Committee of American Joint Distribution Committee
- Chairman, Conference on Immigration Policy (1925-1929?)
- Vice President, Capitol B & PW, Jackson, MS
- First Vice President, Hadassah, Jackson, MS
- President, Hadassah, Austin, TX
- Coordinate Women's Organization for Civil Defense, Jackson, MS
- Mississippi Conference of Social Work
-
Footnotes
- 1. Biographical Sketches and Resumes, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, P-290, Box 1/Folder 2, Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, Waltham, MA, and New York, NY.
- 2. U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Policy, "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: Maximum Struggle for a Minimum Wage," http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/history/flsa1938.htm".
- 3. Statement, 1964, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 1, Folder 2.
- 4. Biographical Sketches and Resumes, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 1, Folder 2; "The Operation of the Three Per Cent Law," March 1922, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 1, Folder 6.
- 5. Biographical Sketches and Resumes, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 1, Folder 2.
- 6. Letter from Israel G. Jacobson to Razovsky, November 8, 1960, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 3.
- 7. Breitman, Richard and Alan M. Kraut. American Refugee Policy and European Jewry, 1933-1945. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987, pgs. 49-51.
- 8. White, Lyman Cromwell. 300,000 New Americans: The Epic of a Modern Immigrant-Aid Service. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957, pgs. 33-38, 47.
- 9. White, pgs. 34-42
- 10. Refugee Relief Work-Refugees to South America. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 3, Folder 5.
- 11. Letter from Razovsky to Armand Wyle, December 23, 1938. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 3, Folder 4.
- 12. Memo by Razovsky, September 1961. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 3, Folder 7.
- 13. Report, February 16, 1940. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 4, Folder 2.
- 14. Schoenhals, Kai. "An Extraordinary Migration: Jews in the Dominican Republic." Caribbean Review, Vol. XIV, No. 4, pg. 17, 41; The Brookings Institution. Refugee Settlement in the Dominican Republic: A Survey Conducted Under the Auspices of the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., 1942, pg. 281, 286-287, 296.
- 15. Report by Razovsky, September 16, 1940. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 5, Folder 1; White, pg. 61.
- 16. Friedman, Max Paul. Nazis and Good Neighbors: The United States Campaign against the Germans of Latin America in World War II. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, pg. 108
- 17. Statement, by Peter Bohm, April 22, 1943. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 4, Folder 7.
- 18. Monthly Report by Razovsky, June 1942. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 4, Folder 8.
- 19. Report to Abrahamson by Razovsky, February 4, 1943. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 4, Folder 8; Friedman, pg. 165.
- 20. Letters between Razovsky and Executive Committee, May 4 and 12, 1943. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 5, Folder 2.
- 21. Nevins, Allan. Herbert H. Lehman and His Era. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1963, pgs. 221-224, 230-234.
- 22. Letter from Razovsky to A.M. Warren, April 2, 1943, Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 5, Folder 2.
- 23. Letter from Razovksy to C.H. Kramer, September 8, 1944. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 1; Letter from Hertha Kraus to Razovsky, July 7, 1944, Box 5, Folder 2.
- 24. Report, "the Jews Surviving in the Buchenwald Concentration Camp," April 21, 1945. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 1.
- 25. Report from Chaplain Aaron Kahan to Chaplain Major Judah Nadich, April 22, 1945. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 1.
- 26. Collected Notes on Razovsky Lecture, by Sylvia Milrod, July 25, 1945. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 1.
- 27. Biographical Sketch, undated; Memo from Razovsky to T.T. Scott, February 23, 1945. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 1.
- 28. American Jewish Committee. American Jewish Yearbook 5707 (1946-47). Philadelphia, Jewish Publication Society of America, 1946, pgs. 205-207, 218-220, 309.
- 29. Resume, undated. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 1, Folder 2.
- 30. American Jewish Committee, AJYB, 1946-1947, pg. 223; 1947-1948, pg. 212; Address by Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, October 1, 1946. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 3.
- 31. Memorandum re sailing of steamers, by Razovsky, May 20, 1946. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 2.
- 32. American Jewish Committee, AYJB, 1947-1948, pg. 277; Cable from Luis Lorch to JDC New York, September 9, 1946. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 4.
- 33. American Jewish Committee, AYJB, 1945-1946, pg. 480; Letter from Lightman to JDC New York, December 2, 1946. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 4.
- 34. Report by Razovsky, December 9, 1946. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 6, Folder 4.
- 35. White, pgs. 94, 100; American Jewish Committee, AYJB, 1948-1949, pgs. 232-235.
- 36. Letter from Razovsky to Tillie, March 16, 1948. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 6, Folder 6.
- 37. Letter from Arthur Greenleigh to Razovsky, March 27, 1950. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 6, Folder 8; White, pgs. 78-81, 275-282.
- 38. Letter from Arthur Greenleigh to Razovsky, October 17, 1950. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 6, Folder 8; White, pgs. 94-95.
- 39. Report to the Overseas Committee, August 31, 1954. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 1. "Forty Thousand New Brazilians," undated. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 5.
- 40. See Hadassah Newsletter, Hadassah Archives; Biographical Sketch, Dr. Morris Davidson, November 12, 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 1, Folder 2; Letters between Frederick R. Lachman and Razovsky, February 1957. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 1.
- 41. American Jewish Committee, AJYB, 1957, pgs. 307-308; 1958, pgs. 336-339; 1959, pg. 142.
- 42. American Jewish Committee, AJYB, 1957, pgs. 393-398; 1958, pgs. 204-205, 395-398; 1959, pg. 252.
- 43. Annual Report, 1957. HIAS Collection, I-363, Box 2, Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, Waltham, MA, and New York, NY; Report on Brazil, 1957. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 1.
- 44. Letter to Read Lewis from Razovsky, June 23, 1957. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 2.
- 45. Work evaluation of Razovsky by M. Friedler, June 24, 1957; Letter from Friedler to Horwitz, July 5, 1957; Report by Jacques Diamant, August 9, 1957; Memo from I.G. Jacobson, September 17, 1957; Letter
- 46. Letter from Israel G. Jacobson to Dr. Davidson, September 19, 1957; Report on Brazil, December 14, 1957. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 2.
- 47. Report on Argentina, undated. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 2.
- 48. Reports on Lima, Peru, January 18, January 20, and April 10, 1958; Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 18.
- 49. Report on Colombia, undated; report on Bogota, February 10, 1958; memo from Razovsky to I. Jacobson, February 12, 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 12.
- 50. Report on Santiago, Chile, February 25, 1958; Report on Chile, March 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 11.
- 51. Memo from Razovsky to Israel G. Jacobson, March 12, 1958. Box 7, Folder 11; Report on Paraguay, March 19, 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 7, Folder 17.
- 52. Memo from Razovsky to Israel G. Jacobson, April 10, 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 7, Folder 18.
- 53. Report on Ecuador, April 29, 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 7, Folder 14.
- 54. Report on Panama, by Beno Klein, March 1958. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 7, Folder 16.
- 55. Letter from Israel G. Jacobson to Razovsky, July 23, 1959; Letter to Israel Jacobson from Razovsky, September 12, 1959; Report on Mexico, September 1959. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 7, Folder 15.
- 56. Letter to Israel Jacobson, September 12, 1959. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 3.
- 57. Memo to Israel Jacobson, September 10, 1959; Letter to Israel Jacobson, September 12, 1959; flyer issued by the Austin Committee for Refugees, circa May 29, 1960; Letter to Mrs. Benjamin Robinson, December 11, 1960. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 3.
- 58. Letter to Read Lewis, November 1, 1961; Report, "How Do You Like El Paso?," undated; Letters to Read Lewis, March 27 and July 10, 1962. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 5. Letter to Edward Marks, November 8, 1961. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 4.
- 59. See letter to Read Lewis, July 10, 1962, and letter from Kenneth Osman to Razovsky, July 12, 1962. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky. Box 2, Folder 5.
- 60. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6.
- 61. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6.
- 62. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6.
- 63. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6.
- 64. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6; Manuscript and correspondence, Forty Thousand New Brazilians, May 1964, July-December 1964. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 4.
- 65. Diary of Trip to South America, 1963. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 6.
- 66. Letter to Read Lewis, January 18, 1967. Collection of Cecilia Razovsky, Box 2, Folder 4.
- 67. "Fact and Opinion," by Ralph Segalman, undated. Collection of Cecillia Razovsky. Box 1, Folder 2.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Cecelia Razovsky (married name: Davidson) documents the immigration worker's involvement in immigration and refugee relief from the early 1900's to the 1960's. The collection also contains material from her personal life and published works. Among the organizations Razovsky worked for include the National Council of Jewish Women, National Refugee Service, German Jewish Children's Aid, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency, United Service for New Americans, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service, and Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons.
Significant correspondents include Jane Addams, Louis Brandeis, Carrie Chapman Catt, Joseph P. Chamberlain, Philip Cowen, Alberto Gonzales Fernandez, Israel Jacobson, Max Kohler, Herbert H. Lehman, Rosa Manus, James G. McDonald, Henry Morgenthau Jr., Frances Perkins, James Rice, Joseph S. Shubow, Edward M. Warburg, and Stephen S. Wise.
The papers are valuable to researchers studying the following aspects of Jewish immigration in the United States: Eastern European influx in the early 1900's, German refugees during World War II, U.S. detention camps and resettlement of World War II refugees, and local resettlement efforts for World War II refugees in the Southwest. The collection also pertains to the study of relief work conducted in displaced persons camps in France and Germany; and evaluations of countries for resettlement, particularly in the West Indies, Central America, and South America. Of interest is material relating to Razovsky's efforts to organize women's committees in Brazil and other South American countries, and her work with refugee children.
The papers also contain information on the SS. St. Louis, SS. Quanza, a refugee haven in Sosua, Dominican Republic, immigration activities in England, Shanghai, Greece, Philippines, and Switzerland; anti-Semitism in the United States Army personnel stationed at Displaced Persons Camps; and the Child Labor Law during 1918.
Types of material include correspondence, reports, addresses, published articles, booklets, biographical sketches and resumes, case notes, diaries, flyers, legal forms, lists, manuscript drafts, military passes, minutes, news clippings, plays, photographs, press releases, programs, registration certificates, ration cards, telegrams, transcripts, travel authorizations, and trust agreements.
The documents are mostly in English, though there are some materials in Yiddish, German, Russian, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The papers are organized into the following series: Series I: Personal; Series II: National Council of Jewish Women; Series III: National Coordinating Committee; Series IV: National Refugee Service; Series V: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee/United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency; Series VI: Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons; Series VII: United Service for New Americans; Series VIII: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service; and Series IX: Photographs.
Return to the Top of PageReturn to the Top of Page
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into nine series:
- Series I: Personal, undated, 1913, 1917-1946, 1951-1971.
- Series II: National Council of Jewish Women, 1924, 1927-1937, 1939.
- Series III: National Coordinating Committee, undated, 1930, 1937-1940, 1961, 1967.
- Series IV: National Refugee Service, undated, 1939-1945.
- Series V: American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee/United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency, undated, 1946-1950.
- Series VI: Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons, 1947-1948.
- Series VII: United Service for New Americans, 1950.
- Series VIII: United Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Service, undated, 1955, 1957-1958, 1964-1965.
- Series IX: Photographs, undated, 1953.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.
Use Restrictions
Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Executive
Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing
for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials
found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish
Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y., 10011
email:
info@ajhs.org
Related Material
- American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History (New York, NY)
- Records of the National Refugee Service (I-92)
- Records of the United Service for New Americans (I-93)
- Records of the National Council for Jewish Women, New York Section (see photographs) (I-469)
- Papers of Max James Kohler (P-7)
- Papers of Philip Cowen (P-19)
- Papers of Louis Marshall (P-24)
- Papers of Stephen S. Wise (P-134)
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (New York, NY)
- Records of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia, PA)
- Collections of Franz Boas
- http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/b/boas/boas1r.htm
- California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
- Papers of Albert Einstein (1 document)
- http://www.alberteinstein.info/db/ViewFolder.do?folder=50-2
- Columbia University, Lehman Suite (New York, NY)
- Papers of James G. McDonald
- http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/lehsuite/guides/McDonald.html
- Harvard University, Houghton Library (Cambridge, MA)
- Records of The Nation
- Electronic finding aid available (1728 KB) http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Hough:hou00189
- International Institute of Social History (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
- Archive of Angelica Balabanoff (2 documents)
- http://www.iisg.nl/archives/nl/files/b/10729041full.php
- Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.)
- Records of the National Council of Jewish Women
- http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/text/ncjw-nat.html#top
- Oregon State University, The Valley Library (Corvallis, OR)
- Papers of Ava Helen and Linus Pauling (in March calendar)
- http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/calendar/1939/03/
- Truman State University, Pickler Memorial Library (Kirksville, MO)
- Papers of Harry H. Laughlin
- http://library.truman.edu/manuscripts/laughlinc-boxes.htm
- University of Minnesota, Immigration History Research Center (Minneapolis, MN)
- Papers of the Young Men's Christian Association, International Committee
- YIVO Archives, Center for Jewish History (New York, NY)
- Records of German Jewish Children's Aid (RG 249)
- Papers of Virginia Dorsey Lightfoot (RG 715)
- Records of National Coordinating Committee for Aid to Refugees Coming from Germany (RG 247)
- Records of the National Refugee Service (RG 248)
- Papers of Ida Hoffman (RG 669)
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of
item, date (if known); Papers of Cecilia Razovsky; box number; folder number;
American Jewish Historical Society, Newton Centre, MA and New York, N.Y.
Bibliography (Incomplete)
- BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS
- Handicaps in Naturalization; A Study of the Effect of High Fees Upon the Naturalization of Aliens in the United States. New York, National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship, 1932.
- Making Americans. New York, National Council of Jewish Women, 1938.
- What Every Emigrant Should Know; A Simple Pamphlet for the Guidance and Benefit of Prospective Immigrants to the United States. New York, Department of Immigrant Aid, National Council of Jewish Women, circa 1922. Published in Yiddish and English editions.
- What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship. New York, Department of Immigrant Aid, National Council of Jewish Women, 1926. Yiddish-English edition.
- PLAYS
- "The Council Lends a Hand:" One Act sketch. New York, Department of Immigrant Aid, National Council of Jewish Women, October 9, 1926
- "Three Per Cent" or "At Ellis Island:" A Play in Two Scenes. New York, General Committee of Immigrant Aid at Ellis Island by Home Missions Council, 1922
- ARTICLES
- "Adult Immigrant Education." The Jewish Center, Vol. IV, no. 3, September 1926, p. 8-13.
- "Deportation of Alien Jews." Jewish Social Service Quarterly, Vol. VIII, No. 2, December 1931, pg. 76
- "Deportation of Aliens From the United States to Europe." Book Review, author Jane Perry Clark. Jewish Social Service Quarterly, Vol. VIII, No. 2, December 1931, pg. 79-80.
- "How The Refugee Reaches This Country." Social Work Today, Vol. VII, No. 3, December 1939, pg. 16-18.
- "How the West Doomed Fleeing Jews." Unknown publication, undated
- "Immigration and the Alien in 1936." Better Times, June 1, 1936.
- "The Jew Re-Discovers America." Jewish Social Service Quarterly, March 1929.
- "Karpf, Maurice J., Jewish Community Organizations in the United States, New York 1939 [Book Review]," Jewish Social Studies; date stamped April 25, 1940.
- "The Operation of the Three Per Cent Law." Foreign Born, a Bulletin of International Service, March 1922, pg. 69-70.
- "The Problem of the German Refugees." The Reform Advocate, December 7, 1934, pg. 329-300.
- "The Season of Love." The Survey. December 22, 1917.
- "The Stranger in Our Midst." Eve, February 1937, pg. 39 and 41
- "These Families Want a Chance." Unknown publication, circa 1924.
- "What About the McCarran Act?" Hadassah Newsletter, Vol. 36, No. 6, February 1956.
- "What is the Cable Act?" Immigrant, October 1922
Access Points
-
Subject Names:
- Addams, Jane, 1860-1935
- Brandeis, Louis Dembitz, 1856-1941
- Briscoe, Robert
- Catt, Carrie Chapman, 1859-1947
- Chamberlain, Joseph Perkins, 1873-1951
- Cowen, Philip, 1853-1943
- Davidson, Morris
- Fernandez, Alberto Gonzalez
- Frank, Susanna
- Jacobson, Israel, 1895-1975
- Kohler, Max J. (Max James), 1871-1934
- Lehman, Herbert H. (Herbert Henry), 1878-1963
- Lewis, Read, b. 1887
- Lorch, Ludwig
- Lorch, Luisa
- Manus, Rosette Suzanne, 1881-1942
- McDonald, James G. (James Grover), 1886-1964
- Morgenthau, Henry, 1891-1967
- Perkins, Frances, 1880-1965
- Rackovsky, Isaiah
- Rice, James P.
- Shubow, Joseph Shalom
- Warburg, Edward M. M.
- Wise, Stephen Samuel, 1874-1949
-
Subject Organizations:
- American Council for Nationalities Service
- American Friends of the Hebrew University
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- Citizen's Committee on Displaced Persons
- Comite Auxiliar do Joint
- Conselho de Assistencia Social
- El Paso Committee for Cuban Refugees
- German Jewish Children's Aid
- Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society of America
- Liga Feminina
- Marine Flasher (Ship)
- Marine Perch (Ship)
- National Conference of Social Work
- National Council of Jewish Women
- National Refugee Service (U.S.)
- Quanza (Ship)
- St. Louis (Ship)
- United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency
- United Service for New Americans
-
Subject Topics:
- Antisemitism
- Child labor
- Emigration and immigration
- Refugee Camps
- Refugee Children
- Refugees
- World War, 1939-1945 Refugees
-
Subject Places:
- Alabama
- Argentina
- Arkansas
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Paso (Tex.)
- England
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Louisiana
- Mexico
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Saint Louis (Mo.)
- Shanghai (China)
- Switzerland
- Tennessee
- Texas
-
Document Types:
- Articles
- Clippings
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Flyers
- Legal Documents
- Manuscripts
- Military Passes
- Minutes
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Plays
- Press Releases
- Programs
- Ration Books
- Reports
- Resumes
- Speeches
- Telegrams
Container List
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I: Personal, undated, 1913, 1917-1946, 1951-1971. |
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| English, German, Spanish, and Yiddish. | |||
| Boxes 1-2, and Oversized Folder. | |||
Arrangement:Subseries are arranged by subject |
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Scope and Content:Series I documents Razovsky's early and later years, her personal correspondence, her biographical information, and her published works. The series is subdivided into the following: Subseries 1: Early Years; Subseries 2: Personal Documents and Correspondence; Subseries 3: Written Works; and Subseries 4: Later Years. |
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Subseries 1: Early Years, undated, 1913, 1918-1919, 1923-1932. |
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| English. | |||
| Box 1, Folder 1. | |||
Arrangement:Folders are arranged chronologically. |
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Scope and Content:This subseries focuses on Razovsky's early career as Executive Secretary for the National Council of Jewish Women's Department of Immigrant Aid. Additional documentation offers a glimpse into Razovsky's prior positions as Attendance Officer for the St. Louis Board of Education and as Inspector for the U.S. Department of Labor Children's Bureau. Further material concerns her coursework, article publications, lectures, trip to Europe, and the 1932International Conference on Social Work in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. The earliest items in the collection are reports written by Razovsky as an Assistant Attendance Officer for the St. Louis Board of Education. A 1912 report investigated children's street trades in downtown St. Louis, and a 1913 report detailed the procedure for issuing employment certificates to children. Razovsky's next position, as an Inspector at the U.S. Department of Labor Children's Bureau in Washington, D.C., is documented through an undated report on the administration of Child Labor Law in D.C., as well as a 1918 business trip authorization form, allowing Razovsky to travel to Virginia to inspect child labor law conditions. During this period, she applied for other positions. Her job applications include a letter written to Helen Winkler, Chairman of the Council of Jewish Women's Department of Immigrant Aid. Razovsky also applied for a government transfer to the Director of Americanization Department of the Interior that may have been for the positions of an industrial supervisor and industrial assistant. Razovsky attended courses in various schools; her schoolwork records include two English papers with teacher's comments, probably written at the University of Chicago during the summer of 1919; a confirmation of credit transfers from the Registrar at the University of Missouri [See Box 1, Folder 3.]; and a 1930 transcript from the University of Chicago listing her courses taken during the summer of 1919. Razovsky's work as Executive Secretary and later as Associate Director at the Council of Jewish Women is documented through reports, articles, miscellaneous correspondence, and news clippings. Her reports and articles are titled "Recent Governmental Attitude Towards Migrants," circa 1922; "America's Present Immigration Policy," 1925; "National Conference of Social Work Stresses Immigration Problems," circa 1926; "A Report on the Work of the Bureau of International Service of the National Council of Jewish Women," 1927; "Humanitarian Effects of the Immigration Law," 1927; and "Jewish Settlements in the Western Republics of South America," 1930. Interesting correspondence includes a 1924 response concerning the condition of emigrants lodging in hostels in Antwerp from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency; a 1924 letter written to Mr. Joseph Bookstaver concerning the lack of opportunities for an immigrant in Canada and South America; correspondence arranging and planning a 1925 lecture Razovsky gave on "Methods of Jewish Immigrant Aid Work in America and Abroad" for the Training School for Jewish Social Work; a bibliography of sources to assist students attending her lecture; correspondence from the Seattle and Nashville sections of the Council of Jewish Women, regarding case studies in follow-up work; a third page of a 1927 letter appealing for financial assistance to Joseph Hyman of the Joint Distribution Committee; requests from Jewish Social Service Quarterly and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for articles focusing on Latin America; a 1929 confidential letter from Attorney Max Kohler to Mrs. Joseph E. Friend, President of the National Council of Jewish Women concerning a survey performed by the Jewish Bureau of Social Research; and correspondence from Jane Addams, Dr. W. Polligkeit, and Sophonisba P. Breckinridge at the University of Chicago planning the 1932International Conference on Social Work held in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. Various news clippings report on lectures Razovsky gave at the National Conference of Social Work and the Phoenix section of NCJW as well as the publication of her book What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship. Other items of interest within the subseries include a 1925 essay by Henrietta Wolff on Americanization and a undated personal letter Razovsky wrote to her sister Malcka (whom she calls Malckan), describing her trip to Europe and particularly her experiences in Riga, Latvia. See also: Series I: Personal, Box 1, Folder 3, Personal Documents and Memorabilia; and Series II: National Council of Jewish Women. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 1 | Early Years | undated, 1913, 1918-1919, 1923-1932 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 1 | Report on the method of issuing employment certificates, by Razovsky, addressed to Ben Blewett, Superintendent of the St. Louis Board of Education. | October 30, 1913 |
| 1 | 1 | Travel authorization, Department of Labor's Children's Bureau, for Razovsky to investigate conditions of Child Labor in Virginia. | September 1, 1918 |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky (probably) to Helen Winkler, Chair of the Department of Immigrant Aid. | May 23, 1919 |
|
A job application. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter to Fred Butler, Director of Americanization, Department of the Interior, from Razovsky. | May 26, 1919 |
|
Her resume. She's presently employed as an Inspector at the Children's Bureau of the Department of Labor, $2120/year. She wants to be transferred to his Division or to a state where she can do work directing and organizing in the field of immigration. |
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| 1 | 1 | "Report of the Administration of the Child Labor Law of the District of Columbia," by Razovsky. | undated |
| 21 pages. | |||
| 1 | 1 | Report on a short story: "The Man Who Understood Women," by Leonard Merrick, by Razovsky, August 12, 1919, attached to story, "The Poseur," undated, author unknown (though possibly Razovsky), with teacher's comments. | undated, August 12, 1919 |
|
[English Composition, See Item #47.] |
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| 1 | 1 | Review: "Limehouse Nights" by Thomas Burke, by Razovsky. | August 20, 1919 |
|
See Item #47. In English. 3 typed pages, with teacher's comments. |
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| 1 | 1 | "A Report of Investigations Made in the Downtown District of St. Louis During the Evening, with Reference to Street Trades," by Razovsky. | December 6, 1912 |
|
Part of an employment packet for the U.S. government? positions of Industrial Supervisor and Industrial Assistant. |
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| 1 | 1 | Copy of a letter of recommendation for Razovsky from Caroline Fleming, Assistant Chief of the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. | September 27, 1919 |
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Part of the employment packet mentioned in Item #8. |
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| 1 | 1 | Copy of a letter of recommendation for Razovsky from Julia Lathrop, Chief, Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. | October 1, 1919 |
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Part of the employment packet mentioned in #8. |
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| 1 | 1 | Answer to Question 20. | undated |
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Part of the employment packet mentioned in Item #8. |
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| 1 | 1 | Note concerning attaching the recommendation letters to the employment packet mentioned in Item #8. | undated |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Henry Gideon, Chief of Bureau of Compulsory Education, Philadelphia, to Razovsky. | October 24, 1919 |
|
He has sent a letter of reference for her to Washington. He invites her and a Mr. Quinn to the annual convention of the National League of Compulsory Education Officials. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from the Registrar at the University of Missouri to Razovsky. | November 15, 1919 |
|
She has been accepted to the University, and they'll accept credit for courses done at Missouri School of Social Economy, the University of Chicago, and the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Robert Park, Division of Immigrant Heritage Press and Theater, Study of Methods of Americanization, to Razovsky. | December 20, 1919 |
|
She proposed some kind of investigation into something by the Carnegie Corporation. He mentions her writing an autobiography, focusing on the psychology of unemployment. |
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| 1 | 1 | Press release about the praise for Razovsky's "What Every Emigrant Should Know" from Peter Wiernik. | circa 1922 |
| 1 | 1 | "Recent Governmental Attitude Towards Migrants," by Razovsky, Secretary of the Department of Immigrant Aid Council of Jewish Women. | undated |
| 1 | 1 | "Recent Governmental Attitude Towards Migrants," by Razovsky, Secretary of the Department of Immigrant Aid Council of Jewish Women. | undated |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Railways of France to Razovsky. | January 22, 1924 |
|
They can't send her the posters she has asked for. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to Etta Lasker Rosensohn, Chair, Council of Jewish Women (CJW), N.Y., acknowledging her requested investigation of conditions for 200 emigrants lodging at the Red Star Line hostels at Antwerp. | June 10, 1924 |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky to Joseph Bookstaver. | December 11, 1924 |
|
Information regarding the conditions for immigrants in Canada, Cuba, Mexico and South America. Bookstaver has asked for the information because he wants his relatives from Russia to settle in one of these countries (because it's so hard to get people into the U.S.). Canada is too restrictive, Cuba is entirely out of the question (immigrants are suffering from the heat, don't know the language, and are mostly unemployed), Mexico has very few Jews, and it's hard to find them jobs because the country is so agricultural, Argentina is almost entirely closed to immigration, Uruguay and Brazil are almost impossible to find jobs in. "I want to emphasize the fact that no matter to what country such prospective emigrants will proceed, they will have to suffer and work very hard. The peace and comfort they are seeking will only be found after years of struggle and effort." |
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| 1 | 1 | Essay by Henrietta Wolff on Americanization. | February 5, 1925 |
|
On how best to run Americanization programs, including language programs and the training of Americanization workers (whom she refers to as "she"). She includes excerpts from essays submitted by new Americans for an essay contest, including: "'Women are equal to men in America. They are regarded as partners rather than inferiors as is the custom in some foreign lands.'" 9 small typed pages. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Maurice Karpf, Director of the Training School for Jewish Social Work, N.Y.C., to Razovsky. | May 12, 1925 |
|
Asking her to give the lecture. Attached is a copy of the schedule for a course in "The Field of Jewish Social Service in the United States." |
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| 1 | 1 | Outline of the lecture "Methods of Jewish Immigrant Aid Work in America and Abroad." | undated |
|
Plus handwritten draft of it. |
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| 1 | 1 | Bibliography on Jewish Immigrant Aid Work in Europe and America. | undated |
| 1 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Karpf. | May 14, 1925 |
|
Saying that she'll give the lecture. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Maurice Karpf, Director of the Training School for Jewish Social Work, N.Y.C., to Razovsky. | June 26, 1925 |
|
Could she change the date of her lecture? |
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| 1 | 1 | "America's Present Immigration Policy," by Razovsky, Secretary of NCJW Department of Immigrant Aid. | 1925 |
| 11 incomplete typed pages. | |||
| 1 | 1 | Clipping, "Miss Razovsky Speaks Before Social Session," regarding her address at the National Conference of Social Work. | 1925 |
| 1 | 1 | "National Conference of Social Work Stresses Immigration Problems," by Razovsky. | undated |
| 5 typed pages. | |||
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Mrs. Abe K. Kreidel, Chairman, Immigrant Aid Committee, Seattle Section Council of Jewish Women, to Razovsky. | February 16, 1926 |
|
Razovsky has asked her about follow-up work. She says that it's extremely important that the women count on the NCJW women as friends, and that often they're the only ones who look after them. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Mrs. Joe Weinstein member of the Nashville, Tennessee Section of the NJCW, to Razovsky. | March 12, 1926 |
|
Attached to a case study "which I handled with gratifying results, and which proves the value of follow-up work among our immigrant girls and women" |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Rachel Caplan, of the Aurora ?? Section, NCJW, to Miss Florina Lasker, concerning Lasker's suggestion of a study group. | September 6, 1926 |
| 1 | 1 | "Cecilia [sic] Razovsky Writes on 'What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship," clipping from Jewish Exponent, Philadelphia. | November 26, 1926 |
|
Book published by the Department of Immigrant Aid of the National Council of Jewish Women. Analyzes the Cable Act, 1922, which provided for the independent citizenship of married women. "The right of any woman to become a naturalized citizen of the U.S. may not be denied or abridged by reason of her sex or marital status. The main purpose of this law was to grant women in so far as it is possible, citienship on equal terms with men." In English and Yiddish. |
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| 1 | 1 | Page 3 of a letter to Mr. Joseph Hyman, from Razovsky, Secretary of NCJW, appealing to the Joint Distribution Committee for financial assistance. | February 14, 1927 |
| 1 | 1 | "A Report on the Work of the Bureau of International Service of the National Council of Jewish Women," written by Razovsky, Secretary of NCJW. | February 15, 1927 |
|
Arranges for visas and for transportation, protect and maintain women and children who are detained at points of departure, facilitate their admission at ports of entry, meet unaccompanied Jewish women and girls at port of debarkation. Includes case studies. Includes a short description of their work in Cuba; of their work in reuniting families; their work with women and girls who are deported, sometimes arranging for them to overcome whatever it was that got them deported (illiteracy, illness, papers not in order) so that they can return to the U.S.; on their work combating white slave traders. Lists reasons why the department should continue its actions, including: "That as an organization of Jewish women, the unfortunate women of Europe turn to us for assistance in their problems, feeling that as women we can sympathize and understand them in their sufferings." 22 typed pages. |
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| 1 | 1 | "Humanitarian Effects of the Immigration Law," written by Razovsky. | May 12, 1927 |
|
Suggestions for humanizing a recent immigration law that has caused suffering. Results of a study, consisting of questionnaires sent out to various immigration organizations on the alien men living in their communities whose families are still abroad. |
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| 1 | 1 | "Statement Adopted by the Temporary Council on Immigration Policy," which held a meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. | May 18, 1927 |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from Sophonisba Breckenridge from the Office of the Dean, Graduate School of Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago to Razovsky at National Conference of Social Work in Columbus, Ohio. | August 25, 1927 |
|
Answering some questions from Razovsky about feelings in Chicago of superiority over the European immigrant - "I am afraid we are pretty much 'Nordic' in that part of the world, but we are conscious rather of our superiority over the Black than of our superiority over the European immigrant." |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from I.M Rubinow, Editor of the Jewish Social Service Quarterly, to Razovsky at the Department of Immigrant Aid, NCJW. | September 9, 1927 |
|
Saying that they'd be happy to publish an article by her, suggesting that it be about her work in Latin America. |
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| 1 | 1 | Confidential letter from Max Kohler, Counselor at Law, to Mrs. Joseph Friend, President of NCJW. | December 26, 1929 |
|
On the relationship between NCJW and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. |
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| 1 | 1 | Photocopy of a clipping, Phoenix, Arizona Republican, "Eastern Visitor Discusses Immigration Problems Before Council of Jewish Women." | January 9, 1930 |
|
Razovsky gave a speech to the local CJW on why the work of the Council is still so important. |
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| 1 | 1 | Photocopy of a clipping, Phoenix, Arizona Republican, "Cecilia Razovsky Discusses Weaknesses of Immigration and Deportation Measures." | January 12, 1930 |
| 1 | 1 | Letter from News Editor of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). | June 30, 1930 |
|
She's agreed to write on Jews in South America, not including Brazil and Argentina. Some notes in pencil on the back on various countries. |
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| 1 | 1 | Copy of a letter from Razovsky to News Editor of JTA. | July 3, 1930 |
|
She'll write the article, but there isn't much information on Jews in these countries. |
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| 1 | 1 | "Jewish Settlements in the Western Republics of South America," by Razovsky, Executive Director, Department of Service to Foreign Born, National Council of Jewish Women. | 1930 |
| 6 typed pages. | |||
| 1 | 1 | Razovsky's transcript from the University of Chicago, Summer term, 1919, printed for Razovsky. | September 26, 1930 |
|
Sociology: the Survey (grade: A), English: English Composition (grade: A) |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Thomas Crowell, Co., Publishers, to Razovsky. | May 1, 1931 |
|
Her manuscript, "Foreign-Born Children," is overdue. |
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| 1 | 1 | Telegram from Jane Addams to Razovsky. | April 25, 1932 |
|
"Can you speak Frankfurt German?", Foreign Families Section, July International Conference |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from the Secretary of Dean Abbott, University of Chicago Graduate School of Social Service Administration to Razovsky. | May 10, 1932 |
|
Attached is a copy of a 2 page translated letter from Professor W. Polligkeit to Jane Addams. Organizing details for the upcoming conference, such as who should speak and on what. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Breckenridge to Razovsky. | May 28, 1932 |
|
Planning for the conference. Attached is another copy of the translation of the letter to Addams sent in Item #50. Handwritten notes in pencil on the back of the Addams letter. |
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| 1 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Sophonisba Breckenridge. | May 31, 1932 |
|
She will attend the conference coming up, and she wants to know what her official position there will be. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Sophonisba Breckenridge, University of Chicago Graduate School of Social Service Administration. | June 9, 1932 |
|
Discussing the possibility of Razovsky attending a conference in Frankfurt. She mentions Jane Addams. |
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| 1 | 1 | "Paying Our Rent," author unknown. | undated |
|
"It is most important that our homes be of the highest standard because upon the excellence of the home depend the excellence and stability of the nation." "But the home need not, indeed it should not claim all our time and effort. We owe it to ourselves and to our families to take an active part in the civil and communal affairs of the city in which we live." Serve your community, American women must work for peace [it's possible that this was written by Razovsky, because it talks about the author's work with the Americanization committee]. Seems to be incomplete. 6 small typed pages. |
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| 1 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky to "MalckaN," on Joint stationery from Riga. | June 9, ? |
|
"MalckaN" is her sister. She's traveling around Europe, staying with various friends. |
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| 1 | 1 | Proceedings of the Meeting of the Temporary Committee on Naturalization. | July 17, (year?) |
|
Razovsky is Chair and author of the report. |
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Subseries 2: Personal Documents and Correspondence, undated, 1920, 1928, 1940-1947, 1953-1967. |
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| English, Yiddish. | |||
| Box 1, Folders 2-4. | |||
Arrangement:Folders are arranged by format. |
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Scope and Content:This subseries includes Razovsky's biographical summaries, resumes, and obituaries; her personal documents; her memorabilia; and her personal correspondence. Razovsky wrote the biographical sketches and resumes (Folder 2) between 1919 and 1967. There are several versions available; including detailed federal employment applications she completed in 1947 for a social work positions in Dallas, Texas or Mississippi. Of interest is a 1964 statement of how she first became interested in immigration. Three obituaries complete the folder. For additional obituaries, see Box 2, Folder 4. For Davidson's curriculum vitae, please see Box 1, Folder 3. Folder 3 contains personal documents such as a 1928 book contract for Stories of Foreign Born Children in America and a 1953 certificate of membership to the American Association of Social Workers. The personal effects of World War II are apparent through an affidavit Razovsky filed in 1940 for her cousin in France, Jacques Zatvan that includes a cover letter and required copy of the list of Savings Bonds she and her husband owned. Dr. Davidson completed an application for information on relatives and friends in Russia in 1944. The folder also contains letters of recommendation, one signed by Governor Herbert H. Lehman in 1942, and curriculum vitae for both Razovsky and Davidson, each dated 1960. In 1957, Razovsky applied to attend a creative writing conference at the University of Texas, and wrote to the St. Louis Board of Education and the University of Missouri for her transcripts, and in 1959 during her trip to Mexico, she attended the Academia Internacional de Espanol for Spanish and a Mexican dance class. Memorabilia encompasses passes, registration certificates, vaccination certificates, ration cards, and booklets. The earliest is a 1920 Ellis Island Visitation Committee pass. The rest of the memorabilia dates from Razovsky's work as a specialist for the Displaced Personal Division of the United National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Among the items is a registration certificate as an alien in London and a Guide to Assembly Center Administration by the Displaced Persons Branch. Folder 3 also includes two Yiddish letters written by a cousin of Dr. Davidson's in Israel, Leiv Flax. Folder 4 contains letters Razovsky wrote to her husband, describing her personal experiences helping displaced persons during her work for UNRRA. See also: Series I, Box 1, Folder 1, Early Years; Series V: AJDC/UNRRA; Series VIII: United HIAS Service, and Series IX: Photographs. Note: The records of the NCJW, New York Section, I-469 has a very good photo of Razovsky |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 2 | Biographical Sketches and Resumes | undated, 1945, 1947, 1955, 1964, 1967 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 2 | Curriculum Vitae. | post-1919 |
| 3 typed pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch. | post-1924 |
| 2 typed pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch, from the National Refugee Service, 2 copies. | post-1934 |
| 1 | 2 | Curriculum Vitae. | post-1939 |
| 3 typed pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | 1 page Summary of foreign experience. | post-1939 |
| 2 typed pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | Page 4 of a Curriculum Vitae. | post-1944 |
| 1 | 2 | 1 paragraph on her work with refugees, for UNRRA Staff Luncheon. | July 24, 1945 |
| 1 | 2 | Curriculum Vitae. | post-1941 |
| 2 typed pages, 2 copies. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch. | post-1945 |
| 1 page | |||
| 1 | 2 | Application for federal employment as a Social Worker in Dallas, Texas or Mississippi. | December 1947 |
| 2 copies. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch. | post-1948 |
| 1 page | |||
| 1 | 2 | 1 page summary. | post-1948 |
| 2 copies. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Page 4 of a Curriculum Vitae. | post-1951 |
| 1 | 2 | Nominee for Executive Committee of the Mississippi Conference of Social Work, 1 page resume. | 1955-1956 |
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch. | post-1957 |
| 1 typed page. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biography of Razovsky and her husband, and their work for refugees in South America. | November 12, 1958 |
| 1 page. | |||
| 1 | 2 | 2 page biography, 2 versions. | post-1961 |
| 1 | 2 | Curriculum Vitae. | post-1963 |
| 2 pages. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Curriculum Vitae. | post-1963 |
| 1 page. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical notes, San Diego, California. | May 1964 |
| 5 typed pages, 4 copies. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical notes, San Diego, California. | May 1964 |
| 6 typed pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | Biographical notes, plus a statement describing how she first became interested in immigration. | 1964 |
| 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch. | November 17, 1967 |
| 1 typed page. | |||
| 1 | 2 | Fact and Opinion, obituary, attached is a last paragraph of an obituary, which turns into a polemic against war. | November 17, 1967 |
| 1 | 2 | Obituary. | 1968 |
| 2 pages | |||
| 1 | 2 | Obituary. | 1968 |
| 1 page, 2 copies. | |||
| 1 | 3 | Personal Documents and Memorabilia | 1920, 1928, 1940-1946, 1953-1959, 1960, 1962 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 3 | Ellis Island pass - member Ellis Island Visitation Committee. | 1920 |
| 1 | 3 | Contract for book, Stories of Foreign Born Children in America. | 1928 |
| 1 | 3 | Affidavit of support for her cousin, Jacques Zatvan of France. | 1940 |
| 1 | 3 | Letter from the Treasury Department, listing the U.S. Savings Bonds owned by the Davidsons. | April 10, 1940 |
| 1 | 3 | Letter of recommendation/introduction from Governor Herbert Lehman, N.Y. | 1942 |
| 1 | 3 | Letters of recommendation for her to be appointed to the Governor's staff on immigration. | 1943 |
| 1 | 3 | Application for information on relatives and friends in Russia by Morris Davidson. | 1944 |
| 1 | 3 | Guide to Assembly Center [for Displaced Persons] Administration. | September 1944 |
| 1 | 3 | Passes/Cards. | 1944-1946 |
|
UNRRA pass, 1944. International certificate of vaccination, 1944. Certificate of registration as Alien, London, 1944. With photo stapled in and extra photo loose inside. Civilian pass to officers' mess, March 1945. Civilian continent card, pass to officers' mess, April 1945. Card from Ministry of Health and Dept. of Health for Scotland, June 1945. Night, Sunday and Holiday pass, Washington, July 1945. Military entry permit, Frankfurt, February 1946. Officers' mess pass, Germany, April 1946. Officers' mess pass, Regina Hotel, June 1946. Pass into Commanding General's Casino Mess (on back: "Death is so Permanent - Drive Carefully), July 1946. Ration card, Army Exchange, July 1946. Booklet: "United States Forces European Theater Currency Control Record, July 1946. Military pass, October 1946. |
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| 1 | 3 | Certificate of membership, American Association of Social Workers. | September 1953 |
| 1 | 3 | Application for Admission, University of Texas. | 1957 |
|
She wants to attend a conference on creative writing. |
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| 1 | 3 | Letters concerning her search for a high school transcript. | 1957 |
|
ncludes a letter from the St. Louis Board of Education with a note written on the back that reads "Hope you get into College - about time you got started with your college education..." |
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| 1 | 3 | Transcript of classes taken at Academia Internacional de Español, Mexico. | 1959 |
|
Spanish classes and a class in Mexican Dance. |
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| 1 | 3 | Curriculum Vitae of Razovsky. | August 1960 |
| 1 | 3 | Curriculum Vitae of Morris Davidson. | September 1960 |
| 1 | 3 | Letter in Yiddish from Leiv Flax in Israel. | 1960 |
| 1 | 3 | Aerogram from Leiv Flax in Israel. | 1962 |
| In Yiddish. | |||
| 1 | 4 | Personal Correspondence | undated, 1945-1946 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 4 | V-Mail from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | February 21, 1945 |
|
Comments about the censors, taking a French class, her exhaustion, the slowness of work there, and generalities. |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | May 13, 1945 |
|
Attached is a list of liberated areas. |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | May 23, 1945 |
|
Mentions enclosing a list of people found in Koeln. Has no time to write to any one other then him and her Mother. Will be receiving lists from Bergen Belsen, Dachau, and Buchenwald. |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Behrl. | June 4, 1945 |
|
Worked until one thirty this morning, helping recent arrivals. Describes exchange of new currency (guards in front of every bank) and the food situation. |
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| 1 | 4 | V-Mail from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | June 5, 1945 |
|
Received three of his letters today. "... We are doing wonderful helpful exciting rescue work - I am desolate at leaving it - I really feel needed here..." |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | June 12, 1945 |
|
Mentions enclosing a photo and a list from Kovno. Further generalities. |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | June 16, 1945 |
|
Writes of her busy schedule, packages sent and received, worried about not receiving her mail. |
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| 1 | 4 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | February 26, 1946 |
|
Describes her travel plans, a Dr. Dunnahoo who remembers Davidson from Ellis Island, and trying to find information regarding Davidson's nephew. She will be staying in Frankfort for a while. |
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| 1 | 4 | V-Mail from Razovsky to Dr. Davidson. | March 9, 1946 |
|
Describes problems with receiving her mail, mentions two JDC workers who died in an airplane crash, and asks him to come. |
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| 1 | 4 | Note from Jeanette to Razovsky and Davidson. | June 15, ? |
|
Thanking them for their kindness when she was ill, and hopes they are enjoying Mexico. |
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Subseries 3: Written Works, undated, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1926, 1929-1940, 1955, 1962. |
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| English and Yiddish. | |||
| Box 1, Folders 5-7, and Oversized Folder. | |||
Arrangement:Folders are arranged by format. |
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Scope and Content:This subseries contains published and unpublished articles, plays, studies and booklets authored by Razovsky. The earliest published work in this subseries, located in Folder 5, is an article titled "The Season of Love," and was published in The Survey in 1917. Folder 5 also contains published versions of "These Families Want a Chance," and a review Razovsky wrote on a Maurice Kapf book. Razovsky's manuscripts include "Soviet Children Have Their Say About Books" and "Russian Children Learn to Read" an addition to and a translation of a pamphlet she found during her trip to the U.S.S.R. in 1931, and "A Wise and Virtuous Woman" reviewing Pearl Buck's autobiography My Several Worlds. Razovsky's notes on conditions for women in South American countries is of interest and is dated circa 1947. The final item in Folder 5 is an undated manuscript is titled "Locating Relatives" that was written for her family. Folders 6 and 7 contain published works by Razovsky. A full list is available in the item description.
|
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 5 | Miscellaneous Articles | undated, 1917, 1932, 1940, 1955, 1962 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 5 | "The Season of Love". | December 22, 1917 |
|
The Survey. |
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| 1 | 5 | "These Families Want a Chance," unknown publication. | circa 1924 |
|
First hand cases of immigrants being affected by the quota law. |
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| 1 | 5 | Statement by Razovsky on a visit she and her husband took in 1931 to the U.S.S.R. | undated, 1931 |
|
Visited during a famine, illiteracy was high, found in a bookstore a pamphlet on what Soviet children read. |
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| 1 | 5 | "Soviet Children Have Their Say About Books" | September 1932 |
| 1 | 5 | "Karpf, Maurice J., Jewish Community Organization in the United States, New York 1939, [Book Review]," Jewish Social Studies, date stamped April 25, 1940. | September 1932 |
| 1 | 5 | Typewritten notes on conditions for women in South American countries. | circa 1947 |
| 1 | 5 | "A Wise and Virtuous Woman." | January 1955 |
|
Book review of Pearl Buck's autobiography My Several Worlds. |
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| 1 | 5 | "Russian Children Learn to Read," translated by Dr. Davidson, signed by Razovsky, 1962. | undated, May and June 1931, 1962 |
|
Attached is a list of children's books published by one publishing house for May and June 1931. |
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| 1 | 5 | "Locating Relatives." | undated |
|
Describes her case work with finding lost relatives. Written for her family; she writes of finding the relatives of Uncle Morris. |
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| 1 | 6 | Published Works About Immigration. | 1920, 1922, 1926 |
| Contains some Yiddish. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 6 | Fragment, "? Pilgrims". | October 30, 1920 |
|
The Survey. |
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| 1 | 6 | Three Per Cent or At Ellis Island, A Play in Two Scenes. New York: General Committee of Immigrant Aid at Ellis Island. | 1922 |
|
Tragic story of immigrants being sent back because quotas are exhausted; social workers play major parts. |
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| 1 | 6 | "The Operation of the Three Per Cent Law." Foreign-Born: A Bulletin of International Service. | March 1922 |
| 1 | 6 | "What is the Cable Act?" | October 1922 |
|
Reprint from The Immigrant. |
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| 1 | 6 | "America's Present Immigration Policy: The Visa and Quota Laws as they Affect the Clients of Social Agencies." | 1925 |
| 1 | 6 | "Adult Immigrant Education". | September 1926 |
|
The Jewish Center. Also includes review of her book What Every Woman Should Know About Citizenship. |
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| 1 | 6 | I-19, or The Council Lends a Hand, A One Act Sketch. | October 1926 |
|
From "Foreword": "Because of the new immigration law, many men in this country who are not yet American citizens are separated from their wives and children still living abroad. During the long period of separation, the husbands sometimes become indifferent and neglectful towards their families. The Department of Immigrant Aid of the National Council of Jewish Women has received many requests from agencies abroad to locate such husbands and induce them to send maintenance to their families until they may be reunited in this country. These cases are classified in the files of the office of the Department of Immigrant Aid as 'I-19' Domestic Relations cases." |
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| 1 | 6 | What Every Woman Should Know About American Citizenship, New York: National Council for Jewish Women. | 1926 |
|
Cover page signed by her. Encouraging women to become citizens, learn to read and write, vote, be "good citizens." Picture in back of a NCJW English class, with woman in sheitl in front. In Yiddish and English. |
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| 1 | 6 | What Every Immigrant Must Know, NCJW. | 1922 |
| In Yiddish. | |||
| 1 | 7 | Published Works About Immigration | 1929-1939 |
|
(See also item in oversized folder) |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 1 | 7 | "The Jew Re-Discovers America: Jewish Immigration to Latin American Countries," Jewish Social Service Quarterly. | March 1929 |
| 2 copies. | |||
| 1 | 7 | "Oi, Mein Mann!," "a ten minute sketch describing social service at the piers." | November 1929 |
| 1 | 7 | "Deportation of Alien Jews," The Jewish Social Service Quarterly. | December 1931 |
| 1 | 7 | Handicaps in Naturalization: A Study of the Effects of High Fees Upon the Naturalization of Aliens in the United States. | 1932 |
|
N.Y.: National Council on Naturalization and Citizenship. |
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| 1 | 7 | "The Problem of the German Refugees," The Reform Advocate | December 7, 1934 |
|
[Item in Oversize Folder OS1] |
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| 1 | 7 | "Immigration and the Alien in 1936," Better Times | June 1, 1936 |
| 1 | 7 | Manuscript of "The Stranger in Our Midst" | undated |
| 1 | 7 | "The Stranger in Our Midst," Eve. | February 1937 |
|
"The National Council of Jewish Women represents a social service organization rather than a national minority group... It's [sic] activities for more than forty years have been inspired by an eagerness to make a contribution to American life. It was this zest which caused the National Council of Jewish Women to undertake a program of service to foreign born men and women who have come to these shores to live, - a service designed to incorporate them into the American way of life." |
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| 1 | 7 | Making Americans, N.Y.: National Council of Jewish Women | 1938 |
|
Inscribed on title page, "With love and kisses to my b.f. and s.c., Cel" |
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| 1 | 7 | "How the Refugee Reaches This Country" | December 1939 |
|
Social Work Today |
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Subseries 4: Later Years, 1951-1971. |
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| English, German, and Spanish. | |||
| Box 2, Folders 1-6. | |||
Arrangement:Material is arranged by format and subject. |
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Scope and Content:This subseries documents Razovsky's "retirement" years, which were in many ways as busy as her professional life. Razovsky used her contacts in the United HIAS, NCJW, the American Friends of Hebrew University, and the American Council for Nationalities Service, particularly when she was planning a trip to South America, to solicit possible projects. Documented here are reports and letters from her trips to Brazil in 1954, 1958 and 1963, Argentina in 1963, and Mexico in 1959. Razovsky and Davidson were also busy changing their residences; they moved to Jackson, MS in 1948; Austin, TX in 1957; El Paso, TX in 1961; and San Diego, CA in 1964. In addition, the couple owned a house in Fire Island, N.Y. that they sold in 1962. In each community, Razovsky involved herself in local immigration matters and speaking events. Included are correspondence and programs for speaking engagements she held for the United Jewish Appeal in Jackson, MS (Folder 1); Temple Beth Israel in Austin, TX (Folder 1); Austin Chapter of Hadassah (Folder 1 and 3), and the Speakers Services for the United Nations in honor of World Refugee Year (Folder 3). Also mentioned is her work for Hungarian refugees in Texas (Folder 2); reports she wrote on the immigration situation in El Paso, Texas for Cuban refugees (Folder 4 and 5); and her work planning an immigrant service for Mexican-Americans in San Diego, CA (Folder 4). Of interest is the detailed method in which Razovsky completes a project when she helps the American Friends of the Hebrew University plan a fundraising dinner in honor of the Jewish Mayor of Dublin, Robert Briscoe (Folder 1). Razovsky's continued contacts with women involved in Liga Feminina in São Paulo, Brazil is apparent in letters she received from Luiza Klabin Lorch (Folders 1 and 2) and Susanna Frank (Folder 3). She recommended Brazilian women, one of whom was Susanna Franks, for two NCJW scholarships to bring them to the U.S. for training (Folder 2). Apparently Davidson was working on a book in 1960 about Brazil; it is unclear if his work was ever published. Razovsky also was occupied writing the manuscript "Forty Thousand Brazilians." A draft of her manuscript is included as well as her correspondence to James Rice, Executive Director of United HIAS Service and Alfred Hirschberg for their editorial comments (Folder 4). Folder 6 includes a diary of her trip to South America in 1963. Excerpts from her diary may have been used when writing her manuscript [see Box 7, Folder 5]. There are three immigration case studies Razovsky assisted with, concerning individuals from Brazil (Folders 2 and 4) and Romania (Folder 3). Additional items consist of a letter Razovsky wrote to Hon. Alberto Gonzales Fernandez, congratulating him on his appointment to the President of Columbia's cabinet (Folder 2); a memo from Israel Jacobson, United HIAS Service, writing of the urgent need for community studies for new immigrants (Folder 1); a letter to Reader's Digest enclosing an anecdote Razovsky remembered concerning Albert Einstein (Folder 4); and a form letter Razovsky wrote to her friends after her surgery in 1965. See also: Series VIII: United HIAS Service. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 1 | Correspondence | 1951-1957 |
| Contains some Yiddish. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 1 | Letter from Katherine A. Engel, National President of NCJW to Razovsky in Jackson, MS. | February 27, 1951 |
|
Invites Razovsky to become a member of the National Committee on Overseas Service. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Fred S. Weissman, Executive Secretary of Selfhelp of Emigres from Central Europe to Razovsky in Jackson, MS. | November 23, 1951 |
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Razovsky sent them a check in memory of Clothilde Feibelmann. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Luiza Klabin Lorch in São Paulo, Brazil to Razovsky and Davidson. | March 9, 1954 and November 10, 1954 |
|
Responding to a letter Razovsky sent to her from Israel. Most of the three page letter is written in German, an addition dated November 10, 1954. 3 pages |
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| 2 | 1 | "To The Overseas Committee," signed by Razovsky, Jackson, MS. | August 31, 1954 |
|
She is unable to attend their meeting and has little information concerning Brazil. Writes of her trip to Brazil; she met many of the women she had previously worked with in 1937 and 1946. She talks of the possibility of some of the women coming to the U.S. for orientation and training. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Jonah B. Wise, National Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal to Razovsky in Jackson, MS. | May 31, 1955 |
|
Thanking her for her address to the United Jewish Appeal Womens' Division luncheon. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Frederick R. Lachman, Executive Vice President of The American Friends of the Hebrew University to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | January 20, 1957 |
|
He is very happy to hear she is willing to travel and do some work for them in Texas. Wishes to negotiate with her for her work. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Frederick Lachman to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | February 5, 1957 |
|
Lachman asks for her help with arranging a fund raising dinner in honor of the Jewish Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, Robert Briscoe. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Lachman. | February 6, 1957 |
|
Responds to a letter he wrote January 30th. She is able to work for him two or three days a week. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky to Al Goldstein, Executive Director, Jewish Community Council, Houston, Texas. | February 8, 1957 |
|
Asks him if he can assist with the fund raising dinner for Robert Briscoe. |
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| 2 | 1 | Letter from Razovsky to Dr. Lachman. | February 9, 1957 |
|
Responds to his letter dated February 5th. Reports on the results of her efforts to find a city for his fund raising dinner. |
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| 2 | 1 | "Report on Visit to Houston, Texas" by Razovsky. | March 20, 1957 |
|
Houston will be the city hosting the Briscoe fund raising dinner. |
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| 2 | 1 | "Our Guest Speaker: Mrs. Celia Davidson. Theme: The Refugee is Always With Us." | April 26, 1957 |
|
Program from Temple Beth Israel [Austin, TX], Sabbath Worship Services. |
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| 2 | 1 | Memo from Israel G. Jacobson, United HIAS Service to Razovsky. | December 19, 1957 |
|
He writes of the urgent need for their overseas offices and International Red Cross to obtain profiles of general and Jewish communities that immigrants can resettle into. |
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| 2 | 1 | News clipping, unknown publication. "Hadassah to Hear Talk by Mrs. Morris Davidson." | undated |
|
Razovsky will speak on "Israel and the International Situation" at an Austin Chapter of Hadassah luncheon. Razovsky, a Hadassah member for 25 years, is currently a resident of Austin, TX. |
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| 2 | 2 | Correspondence | April 1958-May 1959 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 2 | Letter from H.S. to Razovsky in Brazil. H.S. was successful in finding a job for a woman Razovsky was helping. | April 1958 |
| 2 | 2 | Letter from Israel G. Jacobson, United HIAS Service in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | May 7, 1958 |
|
He sent the letter to Austin, since she mentioned she might be returning home in the first week of May. Writes of several HIAS matters. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Habli Adler (?) at Essex House in New York to Razovsky. | June 18, 1958 |
|
Thanking Mrs. and Dr. Davidson for their kind letter regarding the death of Mario. |
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| 2 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Irving Engel, President of American Jewish Committee. | July 11, 1958 |
|
Engel and his colleagues are planning to visit South America. She just returned from spending a year in South America and writes of the overall importance of having closer contact with Jewish communities in South America. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Irving Engel to Razovsky in Fire Island, N.Y. | July 16, 1958 |
|
Thanks her for her letter and confirms the importance of his mission. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Razovsky to Hon. Alberto Gonzales Fernandez, Secretary General to the President, Bogota, Columbia. | August 21, 1958 |
|
Congratulates him on his appointment to the President's cabinet. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Razovsky to Hortense Goldstone, Head Department of Overseas Service, NCJW. | October 5, 1958 and September 30, 1958 |
|
Responds to Goldstone's letter of September 30th. Emphasizes that Brazil should receive "first consideration" for council scholarships. Razovsky recommends two women from Brazil. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Ann Rabinowitz, United HIAS Service to Razovsky, Fire Island, N.Y. | October 13, 1958 |
|
Regarding Maria Insarova who wishes to immigrate to the US from Brazil. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from William Males, United HIAS Service to Razovsky, Fire Island, N.Y. | October 20, 1958 |
|
Regarding Maria Insarova's case. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Maria Insarova to Razovsky. | October 28, 1958 |
|
She requires an affidavit to come to the U.S. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from William Males to Razovsky, Austin, TX. | November 17, 1958 |
|
Regrets that United HIAS can be of no assistance in Insarova's case. |
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| 2 | 2 | Copies of two work references for Mrs. Insarova. | April 25, 1943 and November 8, 1947 |
| 2 | 2 | Letter from Hortense U. Goldstone, Head Department of Overseas Service NCJW to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | November 3, 1958 |
|
Thanks Razovsky for her recommendation, and informs her Mrs. Frank has been offered a fellowship. Mentions that the NCJW Austin Chapter has disbanded. |
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| 2 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Morton Friedman, Personnel Officer, United HIAS Service. Thanking him for the reimbursement check for her expenses in returning to Austin. | November 18, 1958 |
| 2 | 2 | Letter from Edward B. Marks, Executive Director of United States Committee for Refugees to Razovsky, Austin, TX. | January 7, 1959 |
|
Thanks her for her December 24th note, and will try to locate for her an article concerning Hungarian refugees in Texas. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Ruth Hutton Fred, Executive Director Jewish Family Service, Houston, TX to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | January 8, 1959 |
|
Writes concerning the Hungarian refugees. Attached is a copy of an article "Going Rough for Hungary Refugees." |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from James P. Rice, Executive Director United HIAS Service to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | February 12, 1959 |
|
He writes they have no important role currently in regards to Roumanian immigration. HIAS is having a slower year and will not be adding personnel in the near future. |
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| 2 | 2 | Letter from Luiza Klabin Lorch in São Paulo, Brazil to Razovsky and Davidson. | May 26, 1959 |
|
Gives a report on the Lorch family. |
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| 2 | 3 | Correspondence | 1959-1960 |
| Contains some Spanish. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Israel G. Jacobson, United HIAS Service in Rio de Janeiro. | September 10, 1959 |
|
For his information, she will be speaking for the Speakers Services United Nations for World Refugee Year. |
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| 2 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky in Austin, TX to Israel Jacobson. | September 12, 1959 |
|
They returned three weeks ago to Austin, and includes their profile on Mexico. Razovsky plans to take courses at the University of Texas until January, when they will go to Venezuela (their first visit) for an Ophtalmology Conference. |
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| 2 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Henry Friedman, United HIAS Service. | September 19, 1959 |
|
She encloses a bill of her expenses incurred in Mexico City. |
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| 2 | 3 | Flyer: "Hadassah Brings You a Special Treat! A Review of the Fascinating New Book "Ben Gurion" by Robert St. John, Reviewed by Dr. Morris Davidson," [Austin, TX]. | November 14, 1959 |
| 2 | 3 | Letter from Chaim Lazdeiski Comite Central Israelita de Mexico to Dr. Davidson in Austin, TX. | December 3, 1959 |
| In Spanish. | |||
| 2 | 3 | Letter from Antonia Robinson, President of the International Council of Jewish Women in Canada to Razovsky in Austin, TX. | December 19, 1959 |
|
Thanking Razovsky for her offer of help in Venezuela. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Clara V. Friedman, United HIAS Service to Razovsky in Austin TX. | September 4, 1959 and March 16, 1960 |
|
Replying to her letter to Ann Rabinowitz concerning the Zoltan Strohli case. Attached are a series of letters dating from September 4, 1959 concerning the Strohli case. Mr. Strohli from Rumania wishes to obtain visas for him and his family to immigrate to Israel. Margarita Zimmerman, Strohli's Aunt living in Mexico, is concerned for him. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Israel G. Jacobson, United HIAS Service in Rio de Janeiro to Razovsky and Davidson in Austin, TX. | May 27, 1960 |
|
A West coast regional office was recently opened. Additional general news. |
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| 2 | 3 | Flyer: "Austin Committee for Refugees" | May 29, 1960 |
|
Razovsky is Secretary. Channel 7 will present a film "Call from the Stars." Appeals for help with admitting refugees to U.S. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Susanna Frank in Brazil to Razovsky and Davidson. | September 20, 1960 |
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Writes of Razovsky's possibility of returning to Brazil, and recent Liga Feminina news. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Israel G. Jacobson to Razovsky, Fire Island, N.Y. | November 8, 1960 |
|
Morris Davidson has almost completed his book on Brazil, and additional generalities. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Leo, United HIAS Service in São Paulo, Brazil to Razovsky. | November 12, 1960 |
|
Speaks of recent HIAS Brazil news, as well as the high cost of living. |
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| 2 | 3 | Letter from Antonia Robinson, President of the International Council of Jewish Women in Canada to Razovsky in New York, N.Y. | December 7, 1960 |
|
Thanks Razovsky for her offer of help on her upcoming visit to São Paulo, Brazil. |
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| 2 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Antonia Robinson. | December 11, 1960 |
|
Their principal reason for visiting Brazil is to help with Dr. Davidson's book. Includes a resume of her past activities in Brazil. |
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| 2 | 3 | "Final Summary: From Pakistan to Paris," not signed. | 1960 |
|
Reports on women's conditions in Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, and Athens, Greece. |
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| 2 | 4 | Correspondence | undated, 1961-1965, 1967-1971 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter and report from Razovsky to Read Lewis, Executive Director of American Council for Nationalities Service. | October 25, 1961 |
|
Part one of two of her report on El Paso, Texas, concentrating on the international aspects and immigration situation there. [See Box 2, Folder 5, Items 2 and 3.] |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Shirley Bird, Program Supervisor, University of Texas. | November 28, 1961 |
|
Razovsky requests the University to schedule a one-day Institute on world refugee problems. Razovsky and her husband have just moved to El Paso, Texas. Attached is correspondence between Razovsky and Edward B. Marks, Executive Director of the United States Committee for Refugees, and correspondence from Otto W. Gobius, United National High Commissioner for Refugees and Shirley Bird, concerning scheduling a program. Razovsky writes that she is currently a volunteer for the Jewish Community Council in El Paso, managing their case work and writing for their monthly Bulletin. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Edward B. Marks, Executive Director of the United States Committee for Refugees to Razovsky and Davidson. | January 10, 1962 |
|
Outlines the programs for 1962. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Hanny Cohrsen, Assistant to Director of the American Council for Nationalities Service to Razovsky. | February 20, 1962 |
|
Wishes to know where to deliver her mail. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Hannah Stein, Executive Director NJCW to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | May 28, 1962 |
|
Writing to say hello and to point out a family connection. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Jean R. Lange, Community Coordinator KLRN-Channel 9 (San Antonio College) to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | August 1, 1962 |
|
She is planning to do a series of interviews with women from other countries and asks if Razovsky knows of any Cuban refugees she could interview. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Ruth J. Murphy, Executive Vice-President of the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference to Razovsky. | September 12, 1962 |
|
Writes of a pamphlet she enclosed. Also writes "... You have always been a source of real inspiration to me and I have never forgotten at any time the kind of stamina and courage and vision that you showed during the years when your responsibilities were so heavy." |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to United States Committee for Refugees. | October 29, 1962 |
| 2 | 4 | Letter from Ben E. Wilbur, Field Representative Of the United States Committee for Refugees to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | February 13, 1963 |
|
Thanks her for her willingness to help promote the "All Star Festival" recording. |
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| 2 | 4 | Luther H. Evans, Chairman of United States Committee for Refugees to Razovsky. | May 9, 1963 |
|
An invitation to the annual meeting and an appeal for financial assistance. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky and Davidson in São Paulo, Brazil to Read Lewis, Executive Director of American Council for Nationalities Service and Bill. | June 21, 1963 |
|
Her second report concerning Argentina and Brazil. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Molly Shapiro of Pioneers in El Paso, TX. | July 1, 1963 |
|
Razovsky asks for Shapiro's assistance with the case of Marcus Blanche, who needs surgery. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky in San Diego, CA to James Rice, Executive Director of United HIAS Service, New York. | April 26, 1964 |
|
Asks Rice for some administrative favors. Asks him also where she can publish "Forty Thousand New Brazilians." |
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| 2 | 4 | "Forty Thousand New Brazilians," by Razovsky on San Diego, CA. | May 1964 |
|
Records the progress of Jewish communities in Brazil since the migration began after World War I and II and the European revolutions. 26 page manuscript |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky in Dallas, TX to James Rice. | July 18, 1964 |
|
Asks if she he has received her manuscript. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Moses A. Leavitt, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to Razovsky in Los Angeles, CA. | July 14, 1964 |
|
Suggests possible publishing venues for her manuscript. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from James P. Rice, Executive Director of United HIAS Service, New York to Razovsky in Dallas, TX. | September 25, 1964 |
|
Suggests some changes in her manuscript. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Alfred Hirschberg to Razovsky in Dallas, TX. | November 30, 1964 |
|
Suggests several changes to her manuscript. Attached is her response. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Hannah Stein, Executive Director of the NCJW to Razovsky and Davidson in San Diego, CA. | February 4, 1965 |
|
Updates Razovsky on NCJW staff news. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of form letter from Razovsky in San Diego, CA to "my very dear friends." | June 22, 1965 |
|
Thanks her friends for their good wishes during her surgery. She is planning to write an autobiography of her immigrant and refugee work. "Neither Morris nor I are retiring, but are continuing our activities as heretofore." |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of a letter from Razovsky in San Diego, CA to the Editor of Life in These United States, Reader's Digest. | July 17, 1965 |
|
Enclosed is a short story concerning Albert Einstein. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky in San Diego, CA to Read Lewis, Executive Director of American Council for Nationalities Service. | January 18, 1967 |
|
Razovsky is Chair of an International Committee for Social work on behalf of the San Diego branch of the National Association of Social Work. She asks for his help in opening an agency in San Diego to assist Mexican-Americans. She also asks for a copy of an article she cannot obtain. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Florence Boester, Executive Director of International Institute of Los Angeles to Razovsky in San Diego, CA. | January 25, 1967 |
|
Boester responds to Razovsky's phone call to her concerning the plans for an immigrant service to help Mexican-Americans in San Diego. Attached is Read Lewis' letter to Florence Boester, introducing Razovsky. |
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| 2 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Florence Boester. | January 24, 1967 |
|
Razovsky invites Boester to an IMPACT meeting. IMPACT is an organization interested in helping Mexican-Americans. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Read Lewis to Razovsky in San Diego, CA. He wishes for Robert Goldfarb, Executive Director of the American Council for Nationalities Service, to meet her. | March 17, 1967 |
| 2 | 4 | News clipping, Southwest Jewish Press. Razovsky's obituary | October 31, 1968 |
|
Writes of Razovsky's passing. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Rabbi Perry E. Nussbaum, Beth Israel Congregation, Jackson, MS to Dr. Davidson. | November 17, 1968 |
|
Writes of Razovsky's passing. |
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| 2 | 4 | Letter from Jeannette to Dr. Davidson. | June 8, 1971 |
|
Page two of the letter; her husband Ralph wishes to write an article on Razovsky. |
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| 2 | 4 | "Brasilien." | undated |
| 2 | 5 | Survey of El Paso, Texas and Related Correspondence | 1961-1962 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 5 | Letter from Read Lewis, Executive Director of the American Council for Nationalities Service to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | October 20, 1961 |
|
Inquires after a survey of El Paso she is writing. |
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| 2 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | November 1, 1961 |
|
Enclosed is her second report on El Paso, TX that concentrates on its community resources. [See Box 2, Folder 4, Item 1.] |
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| 2 | 5 | "El Paso-The International City," by Razovsky. | October and November 1961 |
|
Includes both parts of her report. "How Do You Like El Paso?" a three page article concludes. [See Box 2, Folder 4, Item 1.] |
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| 2 | 5 | Handwritten notes. | undated |
| 2 | 5 | Copy of two letters from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | December 28 and 29, 1961 |
|
She is excited about the possibilities of opening an International Institute in El Paso. |
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| 2 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | March 27, 1962 |
|
She is very busy with her volunteer work as Associate Director of the Social Service Department of the Jewish Community Council. She asks his permission to use her report on El Paso for an article she is preparing. |
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| 2 | 5 | Letter from Read Lewis to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | March 28, 1962 |
|
He gives his permission for her to use her El Paso report, and writes about the need for an International Institute there. |
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| 2 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | April 11, 1962 |
|
She talks of her work in trying to open an International Institute in El Paso, TX. |
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| 2 | 5 | Letter from Read Lewis to Razovsky in El Paso, TX. | April 19, 1962 |
|
Further discussions regarding the opening of an International Institute in El Paso, TX. |
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| 2 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | May 3, 1962 |
|
The International Institute plans are progressing slowly. |
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| 2 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Read Lewis. | July 10, 1962 |
|
They formed an El Paso Committee for Cuban Refugees, she was Chairman. Immigration authorities are sending refugees to Brownsville and Houston, not El Paso. |
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| 2 | 5 | Letter from Kenneth Osman, Executive Director of the United Fund of El Paso and El Paso County to Razovsky. | July 12, 1962 |
|
He has not been able yet to follow up on his previous discussions concerning the International Institute; he will talk with Mr. Roderick and let her know. |
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| 2 | 6 | Diary of Trip to South America | 1963 |
| Contains some Spanish. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 6 | Diary of trip to South America, "Forty Thousand New Brazilians" | 1963 |
|
Red vinyl book, engraved "C. Razovsky". A few loose pages of notes in front. Diary entries begin for real on page labeled May 29, 1942, but the actual date of her entry was May 4, 1963, goes to January 1966. Handwritten diary. "Forty Thousand New Brazilians". Her impressions of the development of the Jewish communities in Brazil, as observed on trips in 1937, 1946-1947, 1954, 1957-1958, 1963. Typed pages #7-18 of a journal [excerpts from her diary?] [See Box 7, Folder 5.] 14 typed pages. |
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Series II: National Council of Jewish Women, 1924, 1927-1937, 1939. |
|||
| English, German, and Russian. | |||
| Box 2, Folders 7 and 8. | |||
Arrangement:Folders arranged by subject. |
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Scope and Content:This series contains correspondence, case notes, reports, press releases, a transcript of a radio broadcast and an address, and legal forms that Razovsky collected from her work at the NCJW. Additional material is available in Box 1, Folder 1. Box 2, Folder 7 consists of documents surrounding the Katznelson family case. Mrs. Katznelson, who lived in Cuba, contacted the NCJW to help her collect worker's compensation insurance upon the death of her husband, who died in a work related accident in New York. Razovsky agreed to act as guardian for the Katznelson's two children, allowing the children to keep the money in trust until they reached 21 years of age. Box 2, Folder 8 focuses on the situation that arose in Nazi Germany. Among the documents are protests by non-Jews, consisting of a copy of a resolution adopted in June 1933 by the National Conference of Social Work in Detroit, letters dated September 1933 from Rosa Manus (Dutch feminist) to Carrie Chapman Catt (suffragist and founder of the Protest Committee of non-Jewish Women Against the Persecution of Jews in Germany), and a letter dated October 1933 from Monsignor Keegan, Secretary for Charities to the Archbishop of New York to Razovsky concerning a recent meeting of the Conference of Catholic Charities. The remaining items in Folder 8 demonstrate Razovsky and NCJW's importance to German refugee relief. Reports written by Razovsky include "Field Service Committee Report on German Jewish Situation," dated October 9, 1933, that describes NCJW's role in assisting German Jewry and NCJW's collaboration with Jewish and non-Jewish agencies. The report mentions the formation of a Joint Clearing Bureau. In January 1934 Razovsky recommended an outline for an Emergency Joint Bureau, a precursor to the National Coordinating Committee. Razovsky addressed Mrs. Arthur Brin, President of NCJW with a plea to "begin to work at once" and "the life and faith of human beings are at stake" in a cover letter dated April 26, 1935. Enclosed is a report from the Triennial Convention in New Orleans, titled "Project for Adult German-Jewish Refugees [and] German-Jewish Children." Mentioned within the report is the transplanting of families, scholarships for retraining, homes for children, and a milk fund for Paris refugee children. Razovsky reports on NCJW services to the Board of Directors in November 20-22, 1935, specifically in the areas of dock service, Ellis Island assistance, follow up aid, deportation, international service, National Coordinating Committee, German-Jewish Children's Aid, and legislation. A report by the Chair of German Refugee Projects, Hilda A. Wolff, in December 23, 1937 includes short histories of nineteen urgent scholarship cases. The issue of deportation is further touched upon with a letter duplicated to Razovsky from D.W. MacCormack, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Dated May 19, 1936, the letter is a response to Heywood Broun from the New York Telegram's attack against the Kerr-Coolidge bill. MacCormack defends deportation regulation citing "the law in so far as it deals with aliens of good character was absolutely inflexible." MacCormack further addressed the National Conference on Social Work in May 26, 1936, contemplating "What Would Happen If All Aliens Were Deported?" An untitled, unauthored report dated December 14, 1936 delineates the issue of hardship cases and deportations and the need for discretion. Razovsky and NCJW worked to stimulate public interest in the German refugee situation. Razovsky gave an NBC radio broadcast on July 9, 1934 titled "The United States and the German Refugees." NCJW issued a press release "Saar Plebiscite to Increase Number of Refugees, Aid Committee Head Says," on November 27, 1934. An announcement of Razovsky's address at a meeting of the Jewish Forum Association, titled "The Migration of Jews From Germany" appeared in October 1937. Praise for Razovsky is apparent in correspondence from various sources. MJK (possibly Max J. Kohler) describes Razovsky and the NCJW as "a very important factor" in German Jewish immigrant relief and details Razovsky's committee appointments in a letter written to Eugene S. Benjamin of the Baron de Hirsch Fund, dated December 12, 1933. Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, writes on behalf of Col. Daniel MacCormack, thanking Razovsky for her work in the Ellis Island Committee, dated July 24, 1934. The most telling appreciation for Razovsky is evident in a letter from Blanche Goldman, Chair of the Executive Committee of NCJW on October 23, 1936. Ms. Goldman writes, "as you recall, you were loaned to the National Coordinating Committee and we would like to know when we may count on your return." See also: Series I: Personal, Box 1, Folder 1 Early Years; Series I: Personal, Box 1, Folder 2 Biographical Sketches and Resumes; and Series I: Subseries 3: Written Works. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 7 | Involvement in Katznelson Family Case | 1924, 1927-1932, 1939 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 7 | Involvement in Katznelson Family Case. | 1924, 1927-1932, 1939 |
|
Sara Katznelson, a woman in Cuba in July 1927, is trying to get insurance for the death of her husband, contacted New York Section of NCJW. Has a cousin in New York, Morris Nelson. Katznelson arrives in N.Y., December 1927, Razovsky as a representative of NCJW becomes the guardian for her children because she is a transient and cannot speak English. She returned to Cuba February 1928, after collecting about $9000 in insurance and Workmen's Compensation. January 1932, she and two children move permanently to N.Y. The children receive their money when they reach 21, and Razovsky is released from guardianship. The NCJW got involved because Sara K. was suspicious of her cousin Morris, and thought he would try to take the money from them. |
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| 2 | 8 | Refugee Relief Work - USA | 1932-1937 |
| Contains some German and Russian. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 2 | 8 | Letter in German from Fritz Woltmann to Dr. Wurzmann. | July 6, 1932 |
|
About Woltmann meeting Razovsky. |
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| 2 | 8 | "Resolution Adopted at a Mass Meeting Held by Social Workers at the National Conference of Social Work in Detroit". | June 16, 1933 |
|
Express their shock at the persecution of Jews in Germany. "We wholeheartedly endorse the protest of more than 1200 Christian Ministers who have recently expressed their sense of outrage and indignation." |
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| 2 | 8 | Postcard in Russian to Razovsky. | August 31, 1933 |
| 2 | 8 | Copy of a letter from Rosa Manus, Amsterdam, to Carrie Chapman Catt (suffragist). | September 15, 1933 |
|
About the condition of Jews in Germany and Holland (getting progressively worse; she relates some incidents). She has connections with German suffragists. |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of a letter from Rosa Manus, Amsterdam, to Carrie Chapman Catt. | September 22, 1933 |
|
She's organizing a clubhouse for refugees - the municipality of Amsterdam donated the building |
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| 2 | 8 | "Field Service Committee [of NCJW] Report on German Jewish Situation," written by Razovsky. | October 9, 1933 |
|
Contribution of the NCJW to the German Jewish problems with which American agencies were concerned: 1) collaboration with other national Jewish agencies in the proposal of immigration legislation, passport regulation, etc; 2) individual and personal service, including preparing documents, meeting new arrivals, etc. Collaboration with Jewish national agencies: HIAS and NCJW; Razovsky is the secretary of the Joint Clearing Bureau, a clearing committee of the Joint Distribution Committee (refers people to the proper agencies). Collaboration with non-Jewish agencies: with International Committee for Securing Employment for Refugee Professional Workers (Carrie Chapman Catt is a member of this committee); national organizations for social workers. Individual service: providing stays of deportations, etc., for people who come to them as a last resort. |
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| 2 | 8 | Letter from Monsignor Keegan, Secretary for Charities to the Archbishop of N.Y., to Razovsky. | October 13, 1933 |
|
She had attended and participated in a recent national Conference of Catholic Charities. |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of a letter from MJK (?) to Eugene S. Benjamin, Esq., of the Baron de Hirsch Fund. | December 12, 1933 |
|
About Razovsky: she is a confidential adviser to the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, chief of the technical advisers of the Committee on Ellis Island, member of a special committee on working out a plan for handling German Jewish children, "her organization has just induced Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt to form a committee of women to get prominent Christian women all over the country to urge liberal treatment of German refugees..." |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of "Suggested Set-up for American or Emergency Joint Bureau for German Refugees," by Razovsky. | January 3, 1934 |
|
A central committee to be known as the American or Emergency Joint Bureau for German Refugees should be formed immediately. Composed of Jewish organizations and non-Jewish organizations· Delineation of functions of the committee. Refugees who would be given preference for admission: 1) Children, especially boys, up to the age of 18 or 21; 2) Women under the age of 30, especially kindergarten teachers, primary school teachers, nurses, social workers, maids, etc., who could be placed in homes as governesses; 3) Specially skilled or technically trained people who could make a cultural contribution to the country or whose special knowledge would be valuable to industry or science. Duties of the committee 5 typed pages |
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| 2 | 8 | Memo from Holland: "Second Work Report Regarding the Activities of the Committee voor 'Bijzondere Joosche Belangen" | January 20, 1934 |
|
Numbers of German Refugees in Holland. Numbers of refugees helped. Numbers of refugees in various countries. Funds collected and spent. Activities of this committee, including helping intellectuals, training domestic workers, language classes, social clubs, etc. |
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| 2 | 8 | "The United States and the German Refugees," an NBC radio broadcast, by Razovsky. | July 9, 1934 |
|
About American shortcomings regarding immigration policy. About the NCJW's work with Jewish women and girls. On the problems German refugees have in America. This is an appeal to "all women in this country, Christian as well as Jewish, for their sympathetic interest and cooperation" (especially because so many of the refugees are only part-Jewish or are children of baptized parents). |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of a letter from Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor, to Razovsky. | July 24, 1934 |
|
Thanking her for a recent report of the Ellis Island Committee, which will most likely help to improve immigration and naturalization law. |
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| 2 | 8 | Press release from NCJW, about Saar Plebiscite. | November 27, 1934 |
|
Immigration regulations. |
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| 2 | 8 | Packet of information from Razovsky to Mrs. Arthur Brin, President, NCJW. | April 26, 1935 |
|
With information about the NCJW's projects for adult German-Jewish refugees and for German-Jewish children. Urging her to act on the information immediately, to have the Council cooperate with social agencies working in the same field. |
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| 2 | 8 | NCJW report of Service to Foreign Born and Migration Service to the Board of Directors, written by Razovsky, Associate Director. | November 20-22, 1935 |
|
Dock service, Ellis Island, follow-up service - immigrant aid, deportation, international service, National Coordinating Committee, German-Jewish Children's Aid, Legislation. |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of a letter from D.W. MacCormack, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, to Heywood Broun, New York World Telegram. | May 19, 1936 |
|
About the Kerr-Coolidge Bill, regulating deportation of alien criminals and other aliens. |
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| 2 | 8 | Copy of an address by Colonel Daniel MacCormack, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization at the National Conference on Social Work. | May 26, 1936 |
|
"What would happen if all aliens were deported?" Rebutting the claim that unemployment caused by the depression would be eradicated if all aliens were deported. |
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| 2 | 8 | Letter from Blanche Goldman, Chair, Executive Committee, NCJW, to Razovsky, Executive Director, National Coordinating Committee. | October 23, 1936 |
|
The Executive Committee wants her back as Associate Director - "as you recall, you were loaned to the National Coordinating Committee and we would like to know when we may count on your return." |
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| 2 | 8 | Untitled report (12/14/36 written in pencil on top) about the deportation situation and possible legislation. | December 14, 1936 |
| 2 | 8 | Cover of The Jewish Forum. | October 1937 |
|
On reverse is the program for a meeting of The Jewish Forum Association, October 26, 1937, where Razovsky will be speaking on "The Migration of Jews from Germany." |
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| 2 | 8 | Packet of information from Hilda Wolff, Chair, German-Jewish Refugee Projects, to "Chairman of German Refugee Projects" (Razovsky?). | December 23, 1937 |
|
Including "brief histories of nineteen of our most urgent scholarship cases" (6 are women). |
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Series III: National Coordinating Committee, undated, 1930, 1937-1940, 1961, 1967. |
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| English, German, and Spanish. | |||
| Box 3, and Oversized Folder. | |||
Arrangement:Folders are arranged by subject |
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Scope and Content:This series contains correspondence, reports, case notes, newspaper clippings, and blank immigration forms concerning the NCC, a coordinating agency representing approximately twenty refugee relief organizations in which Razovsky served as Executive Director. The NCC later was merged into the National Refugee Service. Box 3, folders 1-4 consist of correspondence from Razovsky and NCC staff written in response to requests or offers of help from Jewish social service agencies and individuals. Much of the correspondence concerns case files of German refugees trying to obtain affidavits and get on the quota system to secure visas. The item list below for Box 3, Folders 1-4 includes only significant letters and is not a complete item list. Among the correspondents is Louis Brandeis (Folder 1), Jack Brandon of the Joint Relief Committee in Havana, Cuba (Folders 1-4), Joseph P. Chamberlain (Folders 1, 2, and 3), Philip Cowen (Folder 4), Henry Morgenthau Jr. (Folder 3), Joseph S. Shubow (see Folder 3), Edward M. Warburg (Folder 4), A.M. Warren, Chief of the Visa Division for the U.S. State Department (see Folders 2, 3, and 4), and Stephen S. Wise (see Folders 1, 2, 3 and 6). The issues NCC managed included investigating sources of affidavits (see Folders 1 and 2), finding employment for refugee physicians and Rabbis (see Folders 1, 3 and 6), locating scholarships for German refugee students (see Folder 3), planning agricultural and farm settlements (see Folders 1 and 4) attempting to get visas for concentration camp internees (see Folders 2, 3 and 4), planning to relocate groups of elderly people (see Folder 3), and intending to set up an immigration relief system in Canada (see folders 2 and 3). The NCC was permitted to bring only 20German refugee children per month into the United States (see Folders 3 and 4). Razovsky writes in a letter dated December 23, 1938 to Armand Wyle, of the Hebrew Orphan Home in Atlanta, GA; "... There is terrific pressure here in this office. We are getting thousands of inquiries about children…" (see Folder 4). A report abstract from the Movement for the Care of Children from Germany, British Inter-Aid Committee dated May 18, 1939 is located in Folder 6. Razovsky writes to Mrs. Andrew Fried, of the District Grand Lodge No. 2 on November 21, 1938 (eleven days after Kristallnacht); "... We have had at least 1300 callers each day this past week; a thousand letters a day come in; there are many hysterical people in the office - the atmosphere is tense and feverish..."(see Folder 2). The NCC explored quota limits and refugee situations all over the globe; frequent countries discussed include Cuba, Brazil, and Argentina. A report titled "General Survey of the Refugee Situation in Cuba" was issued by Jack Brandon of the Joint Relief Committee in Havana, Cuba on November 15, 1938 (see Folder 2). Razovsky writes to the Joint Distribution Committee on November 29, 1938 "... There is no doubt that Buenos Aires needs a strong person to go down and organize the community..." (see Folder 2). Ann S. Petluck writes to Razovsky on November 18, 1938 regarding immigration procedures in Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, and Australia (see Folder 2). Folder 5 is dedicated to information on emigration to the West Indies, Central and South America and consists of correspondence, articles, and reports. Articles consist of "An Ounce of Prevention" written by Razovsky on how to prevent anti-Semitism in Latin America and "Brazilian Business" concerning immigrants helping Brazil's economy. Reports are numerous, the most voluminous are titled "The Present Status of Jewish Settlement and Jewish Migration to Brazil and the Argentine," by Razovsky in 1937; and "Summary of Information Received by the New York Agencies on Local Refugee Conditions in The West Indies, Central and South America, " unidentified author, dated May 1, 1939. Additional material on Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Peru is located in Folder 6. Folder 6 also contains correspondence and reports from various refugee relief projects. Among the items of interest include a statistical statement of NCC activities throughout the U.S. in July 1938. Emigration information is available for England, Greece, Philippines, and Switzerland. The Jewish situation in Italy is reported on by the American Joint Distribution Committee and sent to Razovsky on December 2, 1938 (see also Folder 3). An "Eye Witness Report of Rescue Activities of J.D.C. at Polish-German Border" is dated November 18, 1938. Razovsky compiled various case studies and correspondence from refugees, the latest date mentioned is November 30, 1938. Folders 7 and 8 focus on the tragedy of S.S. St. Louis, a steamer carrying 930 Jewish refugees that was turned away from Cuba and forced to return to Europe to reface the horrors of the Holocaust. Folder 7 contains undated, 1939, and 1967 news clippings and articles in German, Spanish, and English; 1939 correspondence from Joseph Chamberlain and Razovsky updating the refugees' situation; a letter in 1961 from reporter S.L. Schneiderman thanking Razovsky for her reminiscences; and several manuscript versions, including an undated news clipping, of Razovsky's retrospection of her experiences. Folder 8 consists of Spanish news clippings, dated June 1939, from various newspapers. Additional information concerning the SS St. Louis is available in Folder 4 (see list of passengers, dated June 2, 1939; and correspondence dated June 5 and 6, 1939) and Folder 6 (see letter from Joseph Chamberlain dated June 15, 1939). See also: Series IV: National Refugee Service; Series V: AJDC/UNRRA; and Series VIII: United HIAS Service for immigration to South America. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 1 | Correspondence re: National Coordinating Committee - Aid for German Refugees | November 1-November 9, 1938 |
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Correspondence concerns case studies and obtaining affidavits. Additional documents of significance are noted below. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Hannah Hirshberg, Jewish Social Service Federation, San Antonio, TX. | November 3, 1938 |
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"... there will probably be only two States in the Union who will allow physicians to take their examinations to practice before they become citizens of this country..." |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of air mail letter from Razovsky to Mrs. Isaac Swett, Oregon Émigré Committee, Portland, OR. | November 3, 1938 |
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Urges Mrs. Swett to not "work hastily" in giving out affidavits before she received reports on the people from agencies abroad. |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of memo and letter from Razovsky to Florina Lasker and Pauline Salsberg. | November 3, 1938 |
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Razovsky is responding to a complaint of inefficiency against HIAS. |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Stephen S. Wise. Case study, Thomas Sherman. | November 4, 1938 |
| 3 | 1 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Resettlement Division. | November 4, 1938 |
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A man from Wappinger Falls, N.Y. would like to resettle refugees on his farm. |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Louis Greenspan. | November 4, 1938 |
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"Rabbi Wise suggests you follow American Consul's advice." |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Professor Chamberlain. | November 7, 1938 |
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Writes about the Oregon Émigré Committee, who has sent affidavits to people without an prior investigation and are trying to pass legislation that foreign doctors will be able to practice under special license. |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Stephen S. Wise. Regarding case study, Thomas Sherman. | November 8, 1938 |
| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Rala Glaser, NCJW. | November 8, 1938 |
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Regarding case study Leo and Liese Weiss. Cuba is closed, and may require a bond of $2000 per person for those coming directly from Europe. |
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| 3 | 1 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Sol Hyman, Executive Secretary, Medical Refugee Control, Committee of the Western States, San Francisco, CA. | November 9, 1938 |
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Discusses a plan for foreign physicians to settle in small towns that need medical care, however; the towns often cannot fund them. |
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| 3 | 2 | Correspondence re: National Coordinating Committee - Aid for German Refugees | November 10-November 30, 1938 |
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Mr. Feinberg and Mr. Grunsbaum. | November 10, 1938 |
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The National Youth Administration urges their cooperation. She mentions a work project for girls. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Employment Division. | November 10, 1938 |
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Regarding case study, Leopold Stoehr, who was sent to her by Stephen Wise. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Eva Shevell, NCJW. | November 14, 1938 |
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Regarding obtaining affidavits from Berlin. Russia quote is closed; preference quotas for almost all the countries are still open. Those who have been sent for must wait a minimum of twenty months on the German quota. She should not send anyone to Cuba. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Sunny Schaefer. | November 14, 1938 |
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Razovsky asks Schaefer to investigate a man selling affidavits. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Mrs. E. L. Frankel, President of Toronto Section, League of Nations Society. | undated |
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Regarding the possibility of Canada taking refugees in the near future, planning to set up a Canadian immigrant relief system. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of a report "General Survey of the Refugee Situation in Cuba," issued by the Joint Relief Committee. | November 15, 1938 |
| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Dr. Kohs. | November 15, 1938 |
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Regarding Agudos Isroel Immigration Department, a branch of the European organization that deals with problems affecting Orthodox Jews. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo by Razovsky to all Cooperating Committees. | November 15, 1938 |
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She is investigating the Immigrants Guidance Service, operated by Gaston A. Liebert, who is writing to synagogues all over the country for notification of job opportunities. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Dr. Kohs. | November 16, 1938 |
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Regarding the Immigrants Guidance Service. She also describes the method NCC uses to investigate businesses. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Ann S. Petluck to Razovsky. | November 18, 1938 |
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Information from Consulates in Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, and Australia concerning immigration procedures. Copy of memo from Razovsky to Dr. Kohs. Regarding the Immigrants Guidance Service. She also describes the method NCC uses to investigate businesses. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of memo from Ann S. Petluck to Mrs. Hyam volunteer to Mrs. Schwartz. | November 21, 1938 |
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Requests Mrs. Hyam to visit the Nicaraguan Consul and discuss the requirements for immigration to Nicaragua. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Greta H. Schaffner, Erie, PA. | November 21, 1938 |
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Razovsky writes concerning German Jews "... There is nothing we can do to help these thousands of trapped unfortunates. They have no preference in the quota and their turns will come two years hence possibly..." |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Mrs. Andrew Fried, District Grand Lodge No. 2, B'nai B'rith. | November 21, 1938 |
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Razovsky describes the "tense and feverish" atmosphere in her office; they have received 1300 callers each day in the past week. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Rabbi Stephen Wise. | November 22, 1938 |
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Regarding Mr. Epstein, a retiree, who tries to provide affidavits with no charge. |
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| 3 | 2 | 15) Copy of letter from Razovsky to Charles Strull, Louisville, KY (fifteen days after Kristallnacht). | November 25, 1938 |
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Razovsky describes the last ten days at her office as "simply overwhelming." She recommends certain procedures for contacting individuals arrested in Germany. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Ruby Josephson, Paterson, N.J. | November 29, 1938 |
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Regarding obtaining affidavits for people in concentration camps. |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Samuel A. Goldsmith, The Jewish Charities, Chicago, IL. | November 29, 1938 |
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Razovsky refers to the Refugee Economic Corporation in Ecuador as "an old dream." |
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| 3 | 2 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Joint Distribution Committee. | November 29, 1938 |
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She urges a "strong person" to go down and organize the Buenos Aires community, to help the 1000 illegal immigrants become legalized. See also the following letter to Mr. Adolf Hirsch, Hilfaverein Deutschsprechender Juden, Buenos Aires, Brazil. |
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| 3 | 3 | Correspondence re: National Coordinating Committee - Aid for German Refugees | December 1-14, 1938 |
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Correspondence concerns case studies and obtaining affidavits. Additional documents of significance are noted below. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Walter H. Bieringer, Canton, MA. | December 2, 1938 |
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Razovsky writes about the small quota in Poland, "... I think you are perfectly correct in saying that while economically they are much worse off than the German Jews, nevertheless, they are not being put in concentration camps in numbers and are not being tortured physically..." |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Professor Chamberlain and others. | December 4, 1938 |
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Regarding Cuba, the NCC will now be the only officially recognized agency. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of open letter by the NCC. | undated |
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Describes the procedure for sponsorship of prospective immigrants. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Frederick H. Crane, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA. | December 6, 1938 |
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Razovsky writes that there are many families in Northampton who are willing to take German-Jewish children as guests; however the NCC has permission to bring only 20 children each month into the United States. Admission of large numbers of children needs to pass Congress legislation. |
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| 3 | 3 | 5) Copy of letter from Razovsky to Rabbi Joseph S. Shubow, American Jewish Congress. | December 6, 1938 |
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Shubow had telegrammed Stephen Wise, who referred him to Razovsky, concerning answering cabled requests through Hicem rather than through a Paris bank. She also refers him to the Coordinating Committee in Boston and HIAS of Boston. See following letter to Stephen Wise, enclosing telegram and copy of letter to Shubow. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to I. Edwin Goldwasser. | December 6, 1938 |
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Concerning a plan to admit a group of elderly people into the country. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to J. Brandon, Joint Relief Committee, Havana, Cuba. | December 6, 1938 |
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Regarding giving dollar a day relief for refugees. She points out "that the Jews of Germany are not the responsibility of the United States alone-Jews all over the world must do their share and are equally responsible." |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Benjamin Robinson, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Canada. | December 7, 1938 |
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Regarding the organization of a coordinating committee in Canada. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Robert Spivack, International Student Service. | November 22, 1938 |
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Enclosing a copy of letter from R. Douglas Gleason, Chairman, Refugee Scholarship Committee, University of Wichita, Kansas to Professor J.P. Chamberlain, Columbia University, New York. University of Wichita has created a scholarship for a German refugee student, funded by non-Jewish students and townspeople. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Mrs. Stephen S. Wise, Free Synagogue Child Adoption Committee. | December 8, 1938 |
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There will not be any children available for adoption in the near future due to the crowded quota. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Karen Featherman, President of Elmira Section of NCJW, Elmira, New York. | December 12, 1938 |
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Razovsky says the NCC can only send for twenty children a month; they have 398 children in the U.S. that have been placed in homes in 85 cities. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Dan S. Rosenberg, Refugee Resettlement Committee, Philadelphia, PA. | December 12, 1938 |
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Regarding finding employment for rabbis overseas. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of excerpt of immigration law sent to Dr. Farmer. | December 13, 1938 |
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Defining the term "non-quota immigrant." |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Bernard S. Gradwohl, Lincoln, NE. | December 13, 1938 |
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She writes it is impossible to secure visitor visas for persons now in concentration camps, the German government only releases those that can show they are emigrating permanently. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Rabbi Samuel Sandmel, The Temple, Atlanta, GA. | December 14, 1938 |
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Regarding two elderly people living in Rhodes. The U.S. government is negotiating with Italy to try and minimize their regulations against Jews. "It seems too dreadful to move these people in their eighties to some other country." Apologizes for her delay in response, her office is overwhelmed with work, particularly since November 10th and 11th. |
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| 3 | 3 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Fred Kowalski, Brownsville, TX. | December 14, 1938 |
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Regarding a hospital in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico that may have an opportunity for two or three doctors. |
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| 3 | 4 | Correspondence re: National Coordinating Committee - Aid for German Refugees | December 15-28, 1938, January-June 1939 |
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Correspondence concerns case studies and obtaining affidavits. Additional documents of significance are noted below. |
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| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Edward H. Littman, Humble Oil and Refining Co., Legal Department, Houston, TX. | December 20, 1938 |
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Responding to Littman's letter in which he states that he has furnished many affidavits and now believes the possibility of providing more is exhausted. He writes "further immigration into this country would be detrimental." |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to M.A. Solkin, Jewish Immigrant Aid Society, Montreal, Canada. | December 20, 1938 |
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The U.S. had ordered the withdrawal of all quotas abroad so they could be redistributed on a more equalized basis. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Mrs. R. Bram, Dickinson, North Dakota. | December 21, 1938 |
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Mrs. Bram had written that she wished to adopt a child; Razovsky writes that at present, there are homes already promised for the children coming in the next year. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Anita Henkes Weltner, Canal Zone, Panama. | December 21, 1938 |
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Razovsky follows up on a request for a survey of immigration conditions in Panama. She also responds to Weltner's questions concerning loans to refugees, and describes the Refugee Economic Corporation. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Carter Alexander, Teachers College, New York. | December 22, 1938 |
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Responding to Alexander's letter that he wrote to the German-Jewish Children's Aid, concerning sending two hundred children to a farm in Texas. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Sichel, Johannesburg, South Africa. | December 22, 1938 |
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"... persons waiting in Mexico for their turn in the quota must wait just as long as if they were in Germany..." This is due to the redistribution of quota visas by the State Department. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Rabbi Samuel R. Shillman, Coordinating Refugee Committee, Sumpter, South Carolina. | December 22, 1938 |
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Razovsky mentions which occupations can immigrate on a non-quota basis. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to Mr. Borchardt. | December 23, 1938 |
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She lists the reports she would like from him after he returns from his visit to Europe. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Armand Wyle, Hebrew Orphan Home, Atlanta, GA. | December 23, 1938 |
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Razovsky describes the emotional exhaustion her office is going through, in responding to inquiries about children who cannot come yet due to the quotas. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Walter Rothschild, Abraham and Strauss, Brooklyn, N.Y. | January 25, 1939 |
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Razovsky discusses the immigration needs in Trinidad. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Florina Lasker, NCJW. | January 31, 1939 |
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Razovsky defines the procedure for helping people in concentration camps. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to A.M. Warren, Chief, Visa Division, Department of State, Washington, D.C. | February 27, 1939 |
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Razovsky mentions the forced migration of Jews due to the demand of German police that Jewish organizations submit names of one hundred prospective emigrants daily. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Mrs. A. Herzog, Galveston, TX. | April 21, 1939 |
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Razovsky describes the possibilities of emigration for Herzog's family in Vienna. She mentions Shanghai ("starvation awaits those who go there"), Panama, and England. |
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| 3 | 4 | Copy of list of passengers aboard SS. St. Louis. | June 2, 1939 |
| 3 | 4 | Copy of open letter from Thelma K. Brown on NCC stationary. | June 5, 1939 |
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Regarding the SS. St. Louis. See also following letters dated June 5th and June 6th. |
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| 3 | 5 | Refugee Relief Work - Refugees to South America | undated, 1930, 1937-1940 |
| Contains some German. | |||
| Box | Folder | Title | Date |
| 3 | 5 | Information on Colombia. | 1930 |
| 1 page. | |||
| 3 | 5 | "An Ounce of Prevention," by Razovsky. | April 20, 1931 |
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On preventing anti-Semitism in Latin America. |
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| 3 | 5 | "The Present Status of Jewish Settlement and Jewish Migration to Brazil and the Argentine," by Razovsky. | 1937 |
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Based on a trip she and Davidson took to Brazil and Argentina. Includes information on conditions in Brazil, conditions in Argentina, anti-Jewish sentiment affecting the Jewish immigration and local situations in the two countries. 70 pages. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from Razovsky, Executive Director of NCC, to Paul Baerwald. | April 5, 1937 |
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She's working with non-Jewish groups to get people to South America. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from Ludwig Lorch to Razovsky (in Säo Paolo). | August 18, 1937 |
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About some material that he's sending her. In German. |
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| 3 | 5 | Article from "Brazilian Business," 17:8. | August 1937 |
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About the possibility of letting in immigrants who will aid Brazil's economy and industrialization. |
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| 3 | 5 | "Digest of Reports and Letters from South America from Frances Eddy," National Federation of Settlements, N.Y.C. | May 25, 1938 |
| 3 | 5 | "Authorizing the Permanency of Stay of Foreigners". | July 1938 |
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From the Official Gazette of the Ministry of Justice and Interior of Brazil. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter to the Joint, N.Y.C., from the Joint, Paris. | August 23, 1938 |
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Attached is a report concerning conditions for Jewish emigration to Mexico. |
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| 3 | 5 | Confidential report from NCC about the conditions for emigration to Brazil | October 31, 1938 |
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Written by a congregation in Brazil. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from Luiza Klabin Lorch, São Paulo Brazil, to Razovsky. | December 9, 1938 |
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She now has the immigration law in English. In German. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from George Warren, President's Advisory Committee on Political Refugees, to Razovsky and Joseph Chamberlain. | January 30, 1939 |
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About emigrating to Bolivia. Attached are letters, cables, and meeting minutes. |
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| 3 | 5 | Report of Mr. David M. Bressler on Panama. | February 11, 1939 |
| 3 | 5 | Memo from Mrs. Maurice L. Goldman, NCJW to Razovsky. | February 13, 1939 |
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Thanking Razovsky for the translation of Dr. Ludwig Lorch's letter. |
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| 3 | 5 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to staff of NCC about Bolivia. | March 2, 1939 |
| 3 | 5 | Letter from Herbert Katzki for J.C. Hyman, Executive Director of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to Razovsky. | March 30, 1939 |
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Concerning an enclosed schedule of steamers from Europe to Brazil. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from Steger, Rio Janeiro, Brazil stationary to the NCC. | March 31, 1939 |
| In German. | |||
| 3 | 5 | Packet of information on emigrating to the Bahamas. | April 3, 1939 |
| 3 | 5 | Copy of letter from Razovsky to Paul Baerwald. | April 7, 1939 |
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She writes that she is enclosing an excerpt of Steger's letter. |
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| 3 | 5 | Letter from Ludwig Lorch to Razovsky. | April 17, 1939 |
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Concerning Steger's letter. Attached is a copy of Lorch's letter to Paul Baerwald, Joint Distribution Committee. Concerning immigration into Brazil. Concerning a plan for a group immigration to Brazil for agricultural settlement. |
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| 3 | 5 | "Summary of Information Received by the New York Agencies on Local Refugee Conditions in The West Indies, Central and South America." | May 1, 1939 |
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Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, Windward Islands. 32 pages. |
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| 3 | 5 | Packet of information about Bolivia's prohibiting Jewish immigration for 6 months as of May 1939. | April 13, 1939, May 1939 |
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Includes meeting minutes for the JDC Subcommittee for Central and South America. |
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| 3 | 5 | Copy of memo from Razovsky to staff. | May 10, 1939 |
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Bolivia has prohibited Jewish immigration for six months. |
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| 3 | 5 | Memo from Robert Pipel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to Razovsky. | May 6, 1939 and May 12, 1939 |
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Enclosing the report on Peru, by Friedrich Borchardt and David Glick in Santiago, Chile. |
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| 3 | 5 | Report on Chile, by Friedrich Borchardt and David Glick. | May 15, 1939 |
| 3 | 5 | Memo from Robert Pipel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to Razovsky. | April 20, 1939 and June 30, 1939 |
