Cornell University Library Digital Collections

Letter from Rubin Saltzman to Shimen in Reaction to Elections in Poland

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Title:
Letter from Rubin Saltzman to Shimen in Reaction to Elections in Poland
Collection:
International Workers’ Order (IWO) and Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO)
Set:
Cold War
Poland
Postwar Reconstruction and Relief
Creator:
Zaltsman, R. (Reʾuven) (Rubin Saltzman, Reuben Zaltzman)
Creator (Yiddish):
זאלצמאן, ר
Date:
1947-02-24
Site:
Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland
New York, New York, United States
Address (Creator):
80 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
Identifier:
5276b53f18_03
Recipient:
Shimon, Chaver
Organization:
Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order of the I.W.O. (U.S.)
Language:
Yiddish
Work Type:
business letters
historical figures
political ideologies and attitudes
communism
world wars
financial aid
political campaigns
repatriation
emigration
publishing
fund raising
propaganda
elections
antisemitism
political ideologies and attitudes
Subject:
Communism
Postwar Reconstruction and Relief Work
Poland
War Refugees and Rescue
Antisemitism
World War II Holocaust
Political
Postwar Jewish Culture- U.S., Abroad
Soviet Union
Cold War
Jewish Left
Postwar Jewish Unity
Intelligentsia
Description:
Translated Summary: Rubin Saltzman begins, "Just now received your letters to me and to Yosl Vinogradski [?]. Very happy. Will publish the news of your great victory of Jan 19th [Polish parliamentary elections] in our press..." Reflects on how the reactionaries in the US, above all at the "tsatskediker" Forverts will take the news. Expresses gratification that the elections were peaceful. Had worried 'your underground' would use the day as a pretext to try for a repeat of Kielce [pogrom]. He hopes that the election will help provide broader propaganda against the solution of the ‘Exodus from Europe’ and particularly ‘Exodus from Poland’, and that will help their efforts to get American Jews to donate towards rebuilding the Jewish community in Poland faster. Promises to meet with the “Joint” [Joint Distribution Committee] and ask them not to cut their Polish budget and will also meet with the leaders of the Polish Federation about this, asking them to answer your call for help soon, and not set it aside. Please send acknowledgement of the aid you’ve received. Please also respond to our request for your opinion about our resolution. Regards to Bitter, [Pawel] Zelicki (Zelitsky), Lazebnik."
Note:
The Jewish People’s Fraternal Order was the largest ‘national’ section of the International Workers Order (IWO) which focused on cultural awareness and celebration, mutual support especially in health insurance coverage, and anti-fascist activities. The IWO also gave particular emphasis to supporting the rights and interests of African Americans. Documents include language and representations which comprise the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that Cornell University or its staff endorse or approve of negative representations or stereotypes presented.
Cite As:
International Workers Order (IWO) Records #5276. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University
Archival Collection:
International Workers Order (IWO) Records, 1915-2002 (KCL05276)
Box:
53
Folder:
18
Rights:
The copyright status and copyright owners of most of the images in the International Workers Order (IWO) Records Collection (Kheel Center #5276) are unknown. This material was digitized from physical holdings by Cornell University Library in 2016, with funding from an Arts and Sciences Grant to Jonathan Boyarin. Documents include language and representations which comprise the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that Cornell University or its staff endorse or approve of negative representations or stereotypes presented. Cornell is providing access to the materials as a digital aggregate under an assertion of fair use for non-commercial educational use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Cornell would like to learn more about items in the collection and to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information as to rights holders. Please contact the Kheel Center at kheel_center@cornell.edu

About the collection

This bilingual project conserves, digitizes, and curates a portion of Cornell's International Workers Order (IWO) archives and most especially those of its Jewish division, known as the Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO). The IWO was founded in 1930 as an immigrant fraternal order that provided high-quality, low-cost health and burial insurance and other benefits for members. The origins of the IWO / JPFO arise from a decade of splits (1920-1930) concerning the U.S.S.R., the Bolshevik Revolution and Communism that consumed the Jewish Federation of Socialists and the Arbeter Ring (Workmens' Circle) groups associated with Eugene V. Debs' Socialist Party. While the vast majority of the IWO's members--200,000 at its peak right after World War II--did not belong to the Communist Party of the United States of America, the IWO's politics and leadership were largely aligned with those of the Party. The IWO was legally disbanded in 1953 due to the Cold War "Red Scare." This closure followed on a famous and unprecedented court case: its insurance funds and records were seized by New York State's Insurance Department. The presence of a goodly portion of the IWO's archives in the Kheel Center's 5276 Catherwood Library collection at Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School is a direct result of that seizure.