The American Federation of Jews from Central Europe was established in New York City in 1939 to coordinate services to German-speaking Jewish refugees entering the United States.Teifer, Hermann. “History of the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe.” American Federation of Jews from Central Europe. 50th Anniversary Luncheon. 24 November 1991. It was incorporated in 1941. The Federation offered social services, assistance with immigration paperwork, and support with education and job placement. It also put on cultural activities. The Federation focused on issues of immigration between 1939 and the end of World War II, after which it shifted towards issues of

restitution The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery, in which a court orders the defendant to ''give up'' their gains to the claimant. It should be contrasted with the law of compensation, the law of loss-based recovery, in which a court o ...

. The first branch of the

United Restitution Organization The United Restitution Organization (URO) was established in 1948 as a legal aid service to assist victims of Nazi persecution living outside Germany in making restitution and indemnification claims against Germany and Austria. The URO has served ov ...

was founded in 1948 as part of the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe,Grossmann, Kurt. Ten years : American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, Inc.: 1941-1951. New York: American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, 1952. and the federation helped distribute funds from the

Jewish Restitution Successor Organization The Jewish Restitution Successor Organization Inc. (JRSO, also IRSO) was founded in 1947 in New York by various American and international Jewish organizations. Originally, it was incorporated on May 15, 1947, as the Jewish Restitution Commission, b ...

and the

Jewish Trust Corporation The Jewish Trust Corporation (JTC) was established in 1950 in the former British zone of occupation in northwest Germany as a Jewish body to pursue claims for the restitution of heirless property of murdered persons and dissolved organizations that ...

. Dr. Hermann Müller was the federation's executive director from 1941 to 1963, followed by

Curt Silberman Curt C. Silberman (May 23, 1908 – September 9, 2002) was a German-Jewish and American attorney, community leader, and member of Jewish organizations in both Germany and the United States. Born Kurt Leo Silbermann in Würzburg, Germany, he and ...

References

External links

Guide to the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe Collection
at the

Leo Baeck Institute The Leo Baeck Institute, established in 1955, is an international research institute with centres in New York City, London, and Jerusalem that are devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. Baeck was its first intern ...

, New York, NY. *Yeshiva University Libraries hold a collection of similar materials
American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, Inc. Collection, 1933-1956.Archive of the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe
at the Center for Anti-Semitic Research in Berlin {{Authority control Aftermath of the Holocaust German-Jewish culture in New York City Jewish organizations Organizations established in 1948 Politics of Nazi Germany Refugees in the United States Restitution Refugee aid organizations in the United States