The Jewish Transmigration Bureau was a relief agency created by the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) in the early years of
World War II to provide funds for the emigration of
Jews from
European countries where they faced persecution. From 1940-56, the Bureau received donations from tens of thousands of
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
donors to cover the travel costs of prospective emigrants. These funds allowed Jewish beneficiaries from
Germany,
Austria,
Czechoslovakia, the
Netherlands,
Belgium and
Luxembourg to settle in over 40 countries in Western Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. "Deposit cards," thousands of which are extant and publicly searchable, link the names of emigrants with the depositor who provided the funds to cover the cost of their relocation.
History
Due to increasingly violent
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
in Europe in the 1930s and the rise of
Nazism, which codified it in the
Nuremberg Laws of 1935, Jews were forced to consider fleeing their own countries in order to avoid persecution, imprisonment, and death. A leading force in assisting persecuted Jews was the
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), which provided relief in the form of programs for health, nutrition, and education. The JDC also supported early relocation efforts. From 1933-1939, JDC affiliates helped 110,000 Jews emigrate from Germany alone. Relocation efforts launched either by or in conjunction with the JDC, and to which the Transmigration Bureau was a successor, included the Service de Transmigration of the Comité d’Assistance aux Réfugiés Juifs (CARJ) (Committee for the Assistance of Jewish Refugees) in Brussels in 1938 and the Comité d’Aide et d’Assistance aux Victimes de l’Antisémitisme en Allemagne (Committee for Aid and Assistance of Victims of Antisemitism in Germany) in 1932.
Building upon the success of these efforts, the Transmigration Bureau was established in
New York City on June 21, 1940. Around this time, the JDC moved its European headquarters from
Nazi-occupied Paris to
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, which served as the port of embarkation for the majority of Transmigration Bureau beneficiaries. The mechanism used by the Bureau was simple but effective. American "depositors" would donate funds to the Bureau, which would then hold the funds in escrow until the "beneficiary" could make the necessary travel arrangements (reservations, permits, visas, etc.). A year after its founding, the Bureau had received over $3.7 million in contributions to support the migration of 29,000 Jews, and over 50,000 by the end of 1941.
See also
*
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
*
The Holocaust
*
Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust
During World War II, some individuals and groups helped Jews and others escape the Holocaust conducted by Nazi Germany. Since 1953, Israel's Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, has recognized 26,973 persons as Righteous among the Nations. Yad Vashe ...
References
{{reflist
External links
JDC Names Index- A searchable database that includes, among other records, images of the original "deposit cards" issued by the Transmigration Bureau for approximately 60,000 individuals.
Organizations established in 1940
Jewish refugee aid organizations
Jewish-American political organizations
The Holocaust and the United States
Jewish community organizations
Organizations based in New York City
Charities based in New York (state)