Cornell University Library Digital Collections

Statement on Second Session of World Jewish Congress

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Title:
Statement on Second Session of World Jewish Congress
Collection:
International Workers’ Order (IWO) and Jewish People's Fraternal Order (JPFO)
Set:
Postwar Reconstruction and Relief
Cold War
Conferences, Conventions, Meetings
Creator:
Zaltsman, R. (Reʾuven) (Rubin Saltzman, Reuben Zaltzman)
Kahn, Albert Eugene, 1912-1979 (Albert E. Kahn)
Date:
1948-08
Site:
New York, New York, United States
Address (Creator):
80 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York
Identifier:
5276b29f01_07
Organization:
Jewish Peoples Fraternal Order of the I.W.O. (U.S.)
Transcription:
Bx 29 ff. 1 [pencilled in]
Language:
English
Work Type:
antisemitism
conferences
historical figures
refugees
communism
violence
international organizations
organization files
Zionists
Subject:
World Jewish Congress
World War II Holocaust
Nazism and Fascism
Soviet Union
Postwar Jewish Unity
Postwar Reconstruction and Relief Work
Antisemitism
Postwar Jewish Culture- U.S., Abroad
Communism
Poland
Americanization
Postwar Order and Social Contract
Cold War- Red Scare
Jewish Lodges
American Jewish Congress
Description:
3 pages. JPFO statement on the June 1948 Second Session of the World Jewish Congress held in Montreux, Switzerland, attended by JPFO President Albert E. Kahn. Agenda included "aiding the beleagured Jewish people in Israel," antisemitism and "the resurgence of fascism," postwar restitution and rehabilitation, and the democratic functioning of the Congress itself. "World Jewry can help the Yishuv only if it begins to wage an unremitting struggle against those American and British policies which have prevented the implementation of the UN partition decision of November 29, 1947." Discusses fascism, arms embargo, and the need for legislation banning antisemitism. Critiicizes the Congress for refusing to put a JPFO representative on its Executive Committee.
Note:
See correspondence between Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and Rubin Saltzman.
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:
29
Folder:
1
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.