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Collection Guide: National Jewish Welfare Board

Overview of the individual archival collections and library materials found at the Center relating to the NJWB and their activities.

Lighting the Hanukah candles in Korea, 1951. (I-337, AJHS)

National Jewish Welfare Board, 1889-1995 (I-337)

To view this collection's finding aid, please click HERE.

This collection documents the National Jewish Welfare Board's (JWB) evolution from an organization founded in 1917 to provide support for soldiers in times of war, to an agency involved in all aspects of Jewish life both in the U.S. and abroad. Most material falls between 1921 and 1988. (In 1990, JWB recreated itself as the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America.)

The collection has 4 main groups, each reflecting a different function of JWB. Subgroup I, Governance, details the inner workings and operations of JWB. Subgroup II, Jewish Community Centers, offers information on the various activities JCCs provided for their members, as well as a look at the services and assistance which JWB supplied to the centers itself. Subgroup III, Veterans' Affairs, describes JWB's efforts in support of soldiers, veterans, and their families. Subgroup IV, Affiliated Organizations documents JWB's sponsorship of and partnership with other national Jewish organizations. (Please note: considerable overlap exists between subgroups.) Subgroups V and VI consist of audio-visual and oversized materials which were removed from the first four subgroups.

Preparing to supply American soldiers of the Jewish faith..., 1945. (I-337, AJHS)

Arrangement

Subgroup I: Governance
This subgroup documents the internal operations of JWB, including review of JWB's financial situation. Material on JWB's efforts to provide guidance to JCC's is also included. JWB was concerned with maintaining an accurate record of its history and operations and so created its Central Records Center, the contents of which are also included here.
Governing Body
Central Records Center
 
Subgroup II: Jewish Community Centers
This subgroup documents how the Jewish Community Centers functioned as part of JWB and as individual facilities. JWB offered many services to the Centers, and in return the Centers helped support JWB's mission to enrich the Jewish Community throughout the United States and the World.
Program Services
Field Services
Public Relations
Personnel Recruitment and Training
Administrative and Management Services
Files and Reports
 
Subgroup III: Veterans' Affairs
This subgroup documents JWB's efforts on behalf of servicemen and veterans. Approximately a third of the subgroup consists of files on individual rabbis who served as chaplains in times of both war and peace. Material on JWB's involvement with the USO is also included, as are files documenting women's organizations' activities on behalf of chaplains, soldiers, and veterans.
Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy
 
Subgroup IV: Affiliated Organizations
The Affiliated Organizations subgroup documents JWB's sponsorship and partnership of other national Jewish organizations, most notably are the YMHA, B'nai B'rith, American Jewish Historical Society, and World Federation of YM & YWHAs and JCCs. This subgroup reflects the difficulties faced by these organizations both during and after both World Wars. Also partly documented is the growth of the Jewish Center movement within the country and Canada. Material related to the affiliated organizations can also be found in the Jewish Community Center subgroup.
Young Men's Hebrew Associations
 
Subgroup V: Audio and Visual Material
This subgroup consists of photographs and other audio-visual materials removed from the earlier subgroups. Contact Reference Librarians for access to photographic materials, inquiries@cjh.org. Audio-visual materials not yet available for research.
Governance
Jewish Community Centers
Veterans' Affairs
Affiliated Organizations
 
Subgroup VI: Oversized Materials
This subgroup consists of oversized materials removed from the other series. Materials of note include architectural plans and drawings for JCCs and YM-YWHAs throughout the U.S.A. and overseas. (These include plans for the Jerusalem Y.) Also located here are posters promoting events sponsored by the Lecture Bureau, several newspapers reporting on the 1972 flood of the Susquehanna River, and bound volumes of the JWB Circle. Other materials include maps, charts, blueprints, spreadsheets, certificates, and census tracts.