gb-003350-ms 237 41
type: RecordSet
biographical history: The Institute of Jewish Affairs was established in New York under the auspices of the American Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Congress on 1 February 1941, based on proposals made by Dr Jacob Robinson to the American Jewish Congress in 1939 and 1940. Its aims were to conduct a thorough investigation of Jewish life over the preceding 25 years, to establish the facts of the position of the Jews during World War II, to determine their causes and to suggest how Jewish rights might be claimed in a post-war settlement. In pursuing this last, it was to focus on the rehabilitation of the Jewish population in Europe where it was possible and they were willing to remain in their homes. Where that was impossible and on the question of emigration, it was to take as its premise that `the National Home in Palestine is the primary solution of the problem of Jewish migration'. Its research initially focused on political science and law, economics, migration and colonisation, and post-war reconstruction, encompassing a watching brief on events affecting the Jews in all countries. As well as its programme of research, the Institute was established to collect documentation and to index holdings of other institutions, particularly on aliens, anti-Jewish measures, recent aspects of anti-Semitism, autonomy, colonisation, exchanges of population, migrations, minorities, nationalism, nationality and citizenship, plebiscites, race hatred, refugees, relief, self-determination, small states, the territorial questions of World War I, war and peace aims, and war and post-war changes. The Institute moved to London in 1965, maintaining its programme of research and publications into contemporary issues affecting Jewish communities across the world. Among its regular publications are ANTI-SEMITISM WORLD REPORT, EAST EUROPEAN JEWISH AFFAIRS, and PATTERNS OF PREJUDICE, along with series of research reports, and analysis and intelligence reports. The Institute was renamed the Institute for Jewis…
other finding aids: Lists
related material: There are further papers for the London office in the papers of A.Z.Steinberg, MS 262; other parts of the World Jewish Congress archive can be found in the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem (GUIDE TO THE ARCHIVAL RECORD GROUPS AND COLLECTIONS (Jerusalem, 1998) p. 24) and in the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati.
conditions of access: Open for consultation
has beginning date: 1913-01-01
has end date: 1991-12-31
has or had holder: gb-003350
has or had some members with language: eng
has record set type: Fonds
identifier: MS 237-41
record resource extent: 2210 boxes
scope and content: The records of the Institute of Jewish Affairs have been divided into five main sections, as MSS 237-41, maintaining the subject arrangement that the Institute used for its documentation collections. The records of the London office and British section of the World Jewish Congress are distributed in several places in this arrangement. The archive contains: MS 237: information from the press and other sources MS 238: minute books, together with correspondence files of the London office of the World Jewish Congress, largely for 1933-53, but principally 1942-53 MS 239: correspondence files of the London office of the World Jewish Congress, 1951-74, but with some files from 1934 onwards, the sequence continuing into the files of the Institute of Jewish Affairs MS 240: information from press and public information sources relating to the World Jewish Congress; material relating to Russia, including Israeli embassy translations and transcriptions from the Russian press and media, 1968-80; and press cuttings on Jewish affairs, anti-Semitism, propaganda and refugees,1942-8 MS 241: more recent collections of information from the press and other sources, correspondence files of the London office of the World Jewish Congress, for 1941-55, and notes for literary works MS 237: This section contains information gathered from press and other public information sources, arranged by the IJA on a subject basis. It is now grouped in nine sequences. Further related material is in MS 241. SEQUENCE 1: World Jewish Congress, 1932-84, including its world executive and governing council, plenary assemblies, the North American Branch, the South American Branch, the European Executive, European Branch and national executives and sections (African, Australian, Belgian, British, Czechoslovak, Danish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese, Swedish, Swiss, Yugoslav): newscuttings, reports, typescripts and correspondence, press releases, notes and accounts of meeting…
title: Papers of the Institute of Jewish Affairs