The World Jewish Congress New York Office records. Series E. Culture Department

The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international organization founded by resolution of the First World jewish Congress, which took place in August 1936 in Geneva. The organization goal is to defend the political, social, and economic rights of Jews throughout the world. Its governing bodies were elected at the First World Jewish Congress: the executive committee headed by Stephen Wise (also the organization’s chairman), an administrative committee, headed by Nahum Goldman, and a central council headed by Louis Lipsky. At the first session of the executive committee, Sept. 6, 1936, it was decided to establish regional offices of the WJC in Geneva, New York, and London, and a central bureau in Paris. The central bureau coordinated the WJC’s work, collected information on the situation of Jews in various countries, published materials, and also lobbied at the League of Nations. In 1940, with the Second World War under way, the central bureau was transferred to New York, and a European office was established in London. The Series E (Culture Department) consists of correspondence of the department directors, Simon Federbush and Wolf Blattberg, together with reports, publications, and other material pertaining to the activities of the New York branch of the Culture Department. Material in the series includes correspondence of the first director, Simon Federbush (1945–circa 1950) and the second director, Wolf Blattberg (1950–1958), who joined the department in 1945. After Blattberg's death in 1958, Greta Beigel assumed his responsibilities for cultural work. Included in Blattberg's files is correspondence with the London headquarters of the Culture Department and its director, Aaron Steinberg (1946–1968). In addition to correspondence, the series contains reports, publications, and other materials pertaining to the activities of the Culture Department in New York, such as the school adoption plan, cultural delegation to Europe and South America, essay contests, relations with UNESCO, book drives, and periodicals. Other materials in the series refer to conferences on Jewish, Yiddish, or Hebrew culture.