A Finding Aid to the Jewish Labour Committee of Montreal Fonds Jewish Public Library Archives, Montreal

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2 Title: Jewish Labour Committee JPL009 Extent: 0.9m of textual records Date: Institutional History: In 1934, leaders in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, the Workmen s Circle, the Jewish Daily Forward Association, the Jewish Socialist Verband and others gathered in New York s lower east side to form the Jewish Labor Committee. The formation of the JLC was in response to the ever-growing threat of fascism in Europe. The group publicly campaigned to raise awareness of the plight of European Jewry, raised funds for partisan fighters, brought over thousands of political and cultural leaders both Jews and non-jews, and immediately after the war assisted in relief efforts and provided support in bringing over refugees. Jewish Labour Committees both in the United States and Canada extended their wartime work in the 1950s by campaigning against discrimination among workers as well as human rights activism on a global scale. In Montreal, the Jewish Labour Committee actively participated in pressuring the government to adopt human rights legislation at the provincial level. In 1947, the Canadian government selected two members of the JLC, Bernard Shane and Maurice Silcoff, to travel to Europe to select skilled immigrants as refugees. Both men were temporarily named colonels of the Canadian army so that they could travel more easily across war ravaged Europe. The task of bringing over skilled garment workers to Canada was no mean feat but the efforts had far reaching implications since workers were then able to bring over family members. The Jewish Labor Committee of Canada Bulletin for 1975, on reporting the death of Bernard Shane, placed the number of families brought to Canada through the work of the JLC at over 2,000. Scope and Content: This fond consists mainly of working documents such as correspondence and financial papers, predominantly from the late 1940s to the 1970s. The documents deals with the advocacy activities of the JLC such as bringing refugees over to Montreal and later raising money to aid Pakistani refugees. Highlights of the fonds include correspondence between David Lewis, then secretary of the CCF, his father Moishe Lewis, and Kalman Kaplansky, both labour leaders in Montreal s Workmen s Circle and JLC. Arrangement Note: Arrangement of files completed during original transfer of the material. Accruals: Further accruals not expected but additional related material exists in the Jew Can Collection under Institutions Jewish Labour Committee. See the Archivist for more information. Languages: English, French, Yiddish Related fonds or collections: -Léa Roback Fonds -Workmen s Circle Fonds -CCF (Small Collections) 1

3 -JewCan Collections (Bund, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, Jewish Labour Committee, Kalman Kaplansky, Bernard Shane, Trade Unions) 2

4 CONTAINER LISTING Container 001 File 001 Biennial conference Note: Also includes photographs. File 002 Bill 22. File 003 Bill 50, response and briefs. File 004 JLC Bulletins File 005 Minutes, Canadian Labour Congress on Human Rights. File 006 Correspondence (miscellaneous) File 007 Correspondence (miscellaneous) File 008 Correspondence (Canadian Labour Congress) File 009 Finance, Joint Advisory Labour Committee File 010 Financial papers/vouchers File 011 Financial papers/vouchers File 012 Financial papers/vouchers File 013 Financial statements File 014 Green paper on immigration File 015 Joint Advisory Labour Committee bank statements File 016 Minutes, National Executive File 017 National Jewish community relations. File 018 Ontario mailing lists. File 019 Prisoners rights. File 020 Press clippings, general. File 021 Press clippings, labour. File 022 Press releases. File 023 Receipts (includes J.A.L.C. rent). File 024 Record of employment. File 025 Remittances (F.E.Q.) File 026 Remittances (Provincial) File 027 Reports. File 028 Speech, Michael Rubenstein File 029 Ryba, Ralph. File 030 Soviet Jewry. File 031 Syrian Jewry. File 032 Tax returns File 033 United Farm Workers. File 034 U.S.A. aims and objectives. File 035 Winnipeg mailing list. File 036 Workmen s Circle. 3

5 Container 002 File 037 Aid to Pakistani Refugees. File 038 Annual banquet File 039 Annual banquet File 040 Annual banquet File 041 Annual banquet File 042 Anti-discrimination. File 043 Bank statements File 044 Bill of Rights (including reports) File 045 B.Shane expenditures. File 046 Bulletins and Newsletters. 1965, 1970, File 047 Correspondence (Kalman and Lewis re: immigration/displaced persons) File 048 Correspondence (Kalman and Lewis re: immigration/displaced persons) File 049 Correspondence (Kalman and Lewis re: immigration/displaced persons) File 050 Correspondence File 051 Correspondence File 052 Correspondence (including reports) File 053 Correspondence (including reports and notices) File 054 Correspondence (government) File 055 Correspondence, Joint Advisory Labour Committee File 056 Defregger Case. File 057 Emergency meeting, File 058 Expenses, A. Borovoy File 059 Financial campaign File 060 Financial campaign File 061 Financial campaign File 062 Financial papers File 063 Financial papers File 064 Financial report File 065 Financial statements File 066 Financial statements File 067 Financial statements File 068 Fundraising File 069 Fundraising File 070 Human rights awards. File 071 Correspondence and finance, Joint Advisory Committee on Labour Relations File 072 Joint Advisory Labour Committee File 073 Joint Advisory Labour Committee File 074 Financial Statements, Joint Advisory Labour Committee

6 Container 003 File 075 Joint Advisory Labour Committee recompilation of cheques File 076 Membership lists. File 077 Munich massacre. File 078 National officers meeting File 079 Petty cash, File 080 Petty cash, File 081 Press releases File 082 Protest, Iraqi Jewry File 083 Protest, Polish restrictions against Jews File 084 Protest, Ugandan policy File 085 Reports by Mr. Ryba. File 086 Reports of the Jewish Labour Committee File 087 Soviet Jewry File 088 Soviet Jewry File 089 Conference, Soviet Jewry File 090 Demonstration, Soviet Jewry File 091 Standing Committee in Human Rights. File 092 Telegrams File 093 Toronto (conference, contributions, lists) File 094 Travel agency bills and correspondence File 095 Travel expenses File 096 United Council for Human Rights File 097 United Council for Human Rights File 098 United Council for Human Rights File 099 United Nations Association. File 100 Warsaw Ghetto memorial File 101 Warsaw Ghetto memorial File 102 Warsaw Ghetto memorial File 103 Warsaw Ghetto memorial File 104 Warsaw Ghetto memorial File 105 Winnipeg File 106 Workmen s Circle division File 107 Warsaw Ghetto memorial