Archival Materials - Department of Jewish Studies

Two sub-fonds of archival records are deposited at the Jewish Studies library:

Records of the Provincial Committee of Polish Jews in Lower Silesia,
Records of the Jewish Social-Cultural Society in Poland, Wrocław Branch.

The records are accessible in the Department’s reading room of the Department upon request.

Introduction to the index of the Fond of the Provincial Committee of Polish Jews in Lower Silesia

By Miłosz Gudra

History

The Provincial Committee of Polish Jews in Lower Silesia (WKŻ) was established in June 1945 in Rychbach (now Dzierżoniów). Jakub Egit was named head of the Committee and Ignacy Kuczynski served as its first secretary general. Its founding resolution stated its purpose as “the restoration of the surviving Jewish population to life within the Polish state”. The purpose of the WKŻ was to deal with the entire range of problems connected with the settlement of the Jewish population, from social care, employment, education as well as health care.

Local Jewish committees were formed as the process of settlement progressed, mainly in the southern and least destroyed areas of Lower Silesia. There were seven such committees in July 1945, twenty-one by the beginning of 1946, and forty-three 1 July 1946, made up of only 13 county and 30 local committees located in small towns and settlements.

The organizational structure of the WKŻ changed frequently. In July 1945 it consisted of the following departments:

Department for Productivization
Department for Social Care
Department for Youth and Children Care
Department for Culture and Propaganda
Department of Health
Records Department

At the beginning of 1946, as the result of a mass influx of “repatriates,” the Repatriation Department, the Emigration Department, and the Department of Homeland Associations /ziomkostwo/ were created; the Department for Youth and Children Care was divided into three departments, and the administrative and financial cells were expanded.

In April 1946, the Committee moved its headquarters to ul. Włodkowica 5 in Wrocław. The scope of its activities also expanded. In the second half of 1946, the organizational structure of the WKŻ was at its most extensive and was divided into the following departments:

Head Department
Department for Social Care
Department for Repatriation
Department for Productivization
Financial Department
Department for Child Care
Department for Education
Department for Youth
Department for Culture and Propaganda
Department for Organization and Supervision
Department for Order and Security
Department for Emigration
Economic Department

The activities of the Provincial Committee of Polish Jews in Lower Silesia were greatly reduced at the end of 1947 due to mass re-settlement of Jews to Israel/Palestine. In 1950 the communist authorities, on the wave of an anti-Semitic campaign against Zionism in Jewish political and social life, unified all Jewish organizations and committees (including the WKŻ) into one institution, the Jewish Social-Cultural Society (TSKŻ) in Poland. Jakub Egit had already been removed from his position as chairman of the WKŻ a year earlier. He was accused of building a Jewish settlement in Lower Silesia in the spirit of nationalism. Jakub Wasersztrum was made chairman of the newly established TSKŻ.

The Archival Material

The documentation of the WKŻ was handed over by Henryk Robak, secretary of the Wrocław Branch of the TSKŻ, for research purposes.

Archival and Organizational Characteristics of the Fond

The existing organizational structure of the archival material was preserved as far as possible. The organizational structure for the year 1946 (or 1947), i.e. the period during which the Provincial Jewish Committee was most active, was adopted as the basis of the archival structure. The records within each sub-fond were assigned to a topical category in chronological order beginning with the earliest dates in 1945. The WKŻ main office was run on a daily log system, but no index was found relating to the records. The files in which the documents were, were actually produced for the National Socialist Workers’ Party (NSDAP). In addition, they were not in good condition; rusted metal components had caused a significant amount of damage. Over all, the state of the fond left much to be desired. A large part of the letters were written on onion skin paper and many of them were destroyed. Therefore, after straightening the documents (with an iron), I glued the damaged paper with liquid glue and onion skin paper. I also got rid of various metal elements, such as paper clips, staples, etc. The files (many of which are manuscripts in both Polish and Yiddish) were not chronologically arranged, nor were they numbered.

The Content of the Fond

Despite considerable deterioration, the Records of the Provincial Committee for Jews in Lower Silesia, (part of the WKŻ documentation is located in the State Archive in Wrocław) are the primary source for the study of the history of post-war Jewish settlement in the years 1945-1950. These documents enable us to conduct detailed research on the beginnings of the Jewish post-war settlement movement in Lower Silesia, and to analyze the participation of the Jewish community in the development of Lower Silesian towns.

The files of the Head Department contain an incomplete set of the minutes of the meetings of the Board and the Presidium of the WKŻ, as well as an incomplete set of the Committee’s activity reports. Reports and minutes of the meetings of district and local committees are much better preserved. Included in the reports are statistical materials concerning different sections of the committees.

The records of the Department of Records and Statistics include settlement statistics and lists of registered settlers. It also holds files of the homeland associations, i.e. lists of Polish Jews according to their pre-war places of residence. The records also contain information about the tragic fate of the Jewish population during World War II.

The files from the Department for Child Care are for the most part the records regarding distribution of food, clothing, and money. The amount of funds expended on assistance to the Jewish population could be compiled from the balance sheet found in the files of the Finance Department.

The Child Care records also contain materials regarding the care provided to both pre-school and school-aged children. Due to incompleteness of the statistical data compiled, the files of recorded documents were collected and grouped together in individual committee files.

The files of the Productivization Department contain basic information about the employment of the Jewish population.

The sub-fond consists of:

Protocols and reports on the activities of the Jewish Regional Committee in Rychbach (Dzierżoniów) (1945)
Circulars sent by the Central Committee of Polish Jews in Warsaw to the Jewish Regional Committee in Rychbach (Dzierżoniów) and District Committees in Lower Silesia (1945)
Circulars sent by the Central Committee of Polish Jews in Warsaw to the Provincial Jewish Committee in Lower Silesia (1946)
Protocols and reports on the inspections carried out in Jewish Committees in Lower Silesia by the activists of the Provincial Jewish Committee (1946)
Lists of Jewish Committees employees. List of employees of the Regional Health Care Society in Dzierżoniów and its subdivisions (1946)
The structure and personnel of the Regional Jewish Committee. A list of cooperatives in Lower Silesia organized by the Regional Jewish Committee (1946)
A list of employees of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław (1946)
A list of teachers residing in Rychbach (Dzierżoniów) in May 1946. Budget estimates for June for the Jewish Vocational School at the Jewish County Committee in Dzierżoniów (1946)
Protocols and reports on the activities of the Jewish Committee in Puszczykowo (1946)
Accounts sent by the Department of Social Welfare of the Jewish County Committee in Wałbrzych concerning the activities of the District Clinic for Women’s Diseases in Wałbrzych, the State Rehabilitation Center in Jary and the Bracka Nursing Home in Wałbrzych (1946)
Report on the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław for the month of August 1946 (1946)
Report on the activity of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław for September 1946 (1946)
Report on the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław for December 1946 (1946-1947)
Report on the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław for 1946 (1946-1947)
Notices concerning the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław (1946-1947)
Reports on the activities of the Homeland Association office of the Regional Jewish Committee. A register of pre-war places of residence of Jews living in Wrocław prepared for the Joint Distribution Committee (1946-1947)
Reports on the activities of the Education Office of the Municipal Jewish Committee in the town of Swiebodzice (1946-1947)
Correspondence received. Minutes of meetings of the Municipal Jewish Committee (MKŻ) in Swiebodzice as well as reports on the activities of the MKŻ in Świebodzice (1946-1947)
Courses for teachers: Winter, December-January 1946/47, held in Wrocław. Summer, July-August 1947, held in Duszniki Zdrój (1946-1947)
Correspondence sent to the County Jewish Committee in Świdnica and to the administration of the Szolem Alejchem Jewish School in Świdnica (1946-1947)
Correspondence received regarding the activities of the Education Office of the Regional Jewish Committee in Jelenia Góra. Monthly reports on the activities of the Jewish Primary School and the Boarding School (1946-1947)
Correspondence sent to the County Jewish Committee in Złotoryja and to the Jewish Committee in Żary (1946-1947)
Reports on the activities of the Municipal Jewish Committee in Bolków (1946-1948)
Minutes of meetings of the Municipal Jewish Committee in Bolków (1946-1947)
Register of names of employees of the Jewish Committee in Ludwikowice Kłodzkie and its subordinate institutions (1946-1947)
Monthly reports of the Department of Records and Statistics concerning the activities of the Municipal Jewish Committee in Wrocław. List of registered “repatriates” in the local Jewish Committee in Wrocław (1946-1947)
Preliminary budgets and payroll for the staff of the Middle School run by the Regional Jewish Committee and the Public Jewish High School in Wrocław (1946-1948)
Minutes of the meetings and reports on the activities of the Jewish Committee in Duszniki Zdrój (1946-1948)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Szolem Alejchem Primary Jewish School in Wrocław (1946-1950)
Report of the inspection carried out at the sanatorium in Jary (Wałbrzych county) by an inspector from the Regional Jewish Committee in Rychbach (Dzierżoniów). Documents sent by the Jewish Committee in Jary to the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław. List of employees of the Jewish Committee in Frydlant (Mieroszów) (1946-1948)
Circulars issued by the Central Committee of Polish Jews in Warsaw to the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław (1947)
Telegrams sent to the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław (1947)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław and the Regional Jewish Committees in Lower Silesia (1947).
Statistical tables for April, May, October 1947 (1947)
Report on the activities of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław for September 1947 (1947)
Reports on the activities of the Education Office of the County Jewish Committee in Kamienna Góra (1946-1947).
Correspondence sent to the Departments of the Regional Jewish Committee in Wrocław concerning individual requests for food aid (1947-1948)
Reports on educational material covered in the first and second semesters of the school year 1947-1948 (1947-1948)
Correspondence received concerning the activities of the Education Office of the Jewish Committee in Ząbkowice Sląskie, and correspondence sent to the Department of Education of the Regional Jewish Committee from the Primary School of the County Jewish Committee in Ząbkowice Śląskie (1947-1948)
Correspondence received regarding the activity of the I.L. Perec Jewish Public School and the J. Korczak boarding school in Wałbrzych (1947-1948)
Correspondence received concerning the activities of the Public Jewish School in Strzegom (1948-1949)

Introduction to the inventory of the Fond of the Jewish Social-Cultural Society in Poland, Wrocław Branch

By Miłosz Gudra

History of the Records

The Jewish Social-Cultural Society in Poland (TSKŻ) was created in 1950 as a result of the merger of the Jewish Committees and the Jewish Society for Culture and Art. The founding conference took place on 29 October, 1950, in Warsaw and was in fact the first national congress of the TSKŻ. The founding meetings of the local branches took place in 34 cities soon afterwards; some 20,000 members attended.[1] The unification conference was conducted in strict accordance with the new communist rules. The overwhelming majority of the conference delegates were members of the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR), many of whom repeatedly cheered their support for Comrades Stalin and Bierut[2].

The aim of the Society was to “include the Jewish population in socialist construction in Poland, and in the general struggle of the Polish nation for peace and for the building of socialism, in popularizing in the Jewish environment the powerful might of the world peace camp, the leading role of the USSR and the Countries of People’s Democracy in the victorious fight for peace and progress and for the gratification of the cultural needs of the Jewish population through the promotion of Jewish culture, national in form and socialist in content.”[3]

Jakub Egit was dismissed and Jakub Wasersztrum was made head of the Regional Jewish Committee. He had been responsible for the Propaganda Department in the WKŻ. From the end of 1948 until the beginning of 1953, in addition to being active in the Jewish community, he was also employed as an instructor of the Polish United Workers’ Party Committee. He was also a member of the Regional Party Control Committee. In 1953 he moved to Warsaw, where he was responsible for supervising propaganda activities and organizing ideological trainings[4].

The headquarters of the TSKŻ in Wrocław were located at ul. Świdnicka 28. In 1968, at the height of anti-Semitic campaign unleashed by the communist authorities, the National Council of Wrocław decided to confiscate the TSKŻ building and leased it out to a third party. The building was never returned to the Jewish community.

The Social-Cultural Society was a secular organization heavily imbued with communist ideology during the Polish People’s Republic. It was largely reduced to combating Jewish traditions, especially religious ones. Nevertheless, this institution played a significant role in promoting secular Yiddish culture.

The TSKŻ organized numerous activities in Wrocław and in many other Lower Silesian towns, including: distribution of publications in Yiddish, organization of performances by the Jewish State Theater, artistic and literary events, celebrations of state holidays, important events in the workers’ movement and secular life of the Jewish community, amateur bands, meetings with representatives of foreign Jewish communities. These events were intended for adults, children and young people, and were held in the Esther Rachel Kamińska Culture Center and the Józef Lewartowski People’s Culture Center.[5]

The number of events was significant. Visitors to the Club could also play chess, checkers, domino, bridge, watch televisions program and use the reading room, which was quite well stocked with both domestic and foreign newspapers. The club also had a branch of the City Library with 9,000 volumes and about 1,200 registered readers.[6] The club was open every day of the week, except for Fridays, when special “Friday Evenings” were held. The average daily attendance at the Club was 100-150 people. The Society also published Yiddish language publications such as “Femme Sztyme,” “Yiddish Szriftn,” and “Yiddish Buch.”

History of the Archival Materials

All the documents were forwarded to the Wrocław branch of the TSKŻ by its secretary, Henryk Robak. The documents were deposited for research purposes.

Archival and Organizational Characteristics of the Fond

When organizing the sub-fond (having assigned it to the non-archival category “B,” without significant historical value), I preserved the chronological order, starting with the first case files that began in 1957 (“Copies of employment records for the Wrocław Section of the Socialist Party” ), and ending in 1971. The TSKŻ files were better preserved than those of the WKŻ.

The documents were stored in folders, which by and large did not have title pages, marked with short descriptions and the relevant year. The folders were then bound in marked binders. Removing the papers from the folders, I removed metal elements, i.e., paper clips, staples, etc., and then inserted the documents into new folders with appropriate titles. As in the case of the WKŻ sub-fond, I ironed the documents as necessary and applied patches with glue to damaged areas.

The Content of the Fond

As I mentioned earlier, I assigned documentation the Wrocław branch of the Jewish Social-Cultural Society in Poland to non-archival category “B” in light of the fact that the bulk of the files deals with financial correspondence, accounting records, administration of buildings and personnel records, records with the date of commencement or expiry of employment contract for employees of the Society. Of greater archival value is correspondence regarding the cultural sphere of the TSKŻ, including correspondence regarding the activities of the Esther Rachel Kamińska Cultural Center or the Karol Lewartowski People’s Culture Center.

Also important from the point of view of researchers of the history of the TSKŻ in Wrocław are the protocols and reports of the Boards of the Women’s Union, including Board meeting attendance lists. Lists of first names and surnames are a valuable source from the point of view of genealogy and further search for individuals (e.g., lists of activists of the Wrocław branch of the Socialistic Youth Party, list of members of the vocal ensemble at the TSKŻ in Wrocław or lists of choirs members of the Amateur Group of the TSKŻ, who performed during the 25th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising).

The sub-fond consists of:

Copies of employee contracts of the Wrocław section of the Social-Cultural Society (1957-1968)
Minutes of the meetings of the Book and Press Commission of the Wrocław branch of the Jewish Social-Cultural Society (1963-1965)
Minutes of the meetings of the Party Commission of the Polish United Workers’ Party of the Wrocław branch of the TSKŻ (1963-1968)
Correspondence received from the Ukrainian Social-Cultural Society in Wrocław. Minutes of the collective council of the National Minorities Associations in Wrocław (1965)
Correspondence sent by the Presidium of the National Council of the city of Wrocław to the Board of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1965-1966)
Incoming and outgoing correspondence. Miscellaneous (1965-1966)
Correspondence concerning the activity of th
e Coordination Commission at the Wrocław TSKŻ (1965-1966)
Correspondence received and sent to the Executive Board of the TSKŻ in Warsaw (1965-1966)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Commission for Books and Labor of the Wrocław TSKŻ (1966)
Correspondence regarding the activities of the Youth Study and Work Club of the Wrocław TSKŻ (1966)
Correspondence regarding the activities of Amateur Artistic Groups of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Correspondence concerning administration of buildings at Świdnicka 28 and Włodkowica (1966)
Correspondence regarding the activities of the Youth and Children’s Club of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Correspondence regarding “Friday Evenings” organized at Esther Rachel Kamińska Center of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Protocols and reports on the activities of the Board of the Women’s Union of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Correspondence regarding requests for intervention to the Board of the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Jozef Lewartowski People’s Culture Center and the Esther Rachel Kamińska Culture Center affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966)
Correspondence regarding the activities of the Culture Commission and the Book and Press Commission affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1966-1967)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Social Commissions of the TSKŻ Branches. Organizational matters (1966-1967)
Correspondence concerning the activity of the Education Commission affiliated with the TSKŻ (1966-1968)
Correspondence concerning the Boards of the National Minorities Associations in the People’s Republic of Poland. Guidelines for Cultural and Educational Work among Minorities (1966-1968)
Correspondence concerning the activity of the Coordination Commission and the Colonial Commission affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1967)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Esther Rachel Kamińska Culture Center (1967)
Correspondence concerning administration of buildings in Świdnicka and Włodkowica streets (1967)
Correspondence concerning the Children and Youth Club affiliated with the TSKŻ (1967)
Correspondence concerning the activities of the Karol Lewartowski People’s Culture Center affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1967)
Protocols and reports on the activities of the Women’s Union affiliated with the TSKŻ (1967)
Correspondence concerning “Friday Evening” organized by the Esther Rachel Kamińska Culture Center affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1967)
Incoming and outgoing correspondence. Miscellaneous (1967)
Correspondence received and sent to the Executive Board of the TSKŻ in Warsaw (1967-1968)
Protocols and reports on the activities of the board of the Women’s Union affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław.
Accounting correspondence (1967-1968)
Correspondence concerning personnel matters of employees of the Wrocław branch of the TSKŻ (1967-1968)
Correspondence sent by the TSKŻ, Wrocław branch to the Presidium of the National Council of the City of Wrocław (1968)
Correspondence concerning the activities of Artistic Amateur Groups affiliated with the TSKŻ, Wrocław branch (1968)
Correspondence concerning the activity of the Board of TSKŻ, Wrocław branch. Work schedule of the TSKŻ branch in the Year of Culture 1968/69 (1968)
Correspondence concerning “Friday Evenings” organized by the Esther Rachel Kamińska Culture Center affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1968)
Correspondence concerning the activities Jozef Lewartowski Culture Center affiliated with the TSKŻ in Wrocław (1968)
Correspondence concerning administration of buildings in Świdnicka 28 and Włodkowica streets (1968)
Correspondence of the Subsistence Commission. Budget estimates. Registers of workers of Jewish co-operatives located in Wrocław (1968)
Correspondence concerning requests for intervention sent to the TSKŻ Board in Wrocław (1968)
Correspondence concerning administration of buildings in Włodkowica street (1969)
Correspondence received and sent to the Executive Board of the TSKŻ in Warsaw (1969)
Correspondence. Miscellaneous (1969)
Correspondence. Miscellaneous (1970)
Correspondence. Miscellaneous (1971)

Footnotes

G. Berendt, Życie żydowskie w Polsce w latach 1950–1956. Z dziejów Towarzystwa Społeczno-Kulturalnego Żydów w Polsce, Gdańsk 2006, s. 143.
B. Szaynok, Osadnictwo żydowskie na Dolnym Śląsku 1945–1950, Wrocław 2000, s. 190.
G. Berendt, Życie żydowskie w Polsce w latach 1950–1956, s. 143.
Ibid., s. 150.
S. Bronsztejn, Z dziejów ludności żydowskiej na Dolnym Śląsku po II wojnie światowej, Wrocław 1993, s. 77.
Ibid., s. 79.