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World War II -- Holocaust agencies and institutions
The Holocaust: Rescue and Assistances Agencies -- Vaad Hatzalah
Figure 1.--Heer we see a Vaad group with a group of French Jewish children after the liberation of France. The press caption read, " Children Saved from German Wrath: Dr. Isaac Levine of New York (third form left) and Dr. Sam Schmidt, of Cincinnati, two representatives of Vaad Hatsala, are shown with some of the tots saved during the war through ingenious mehtods. The picture was taken at Villejuif, France. These are only a few of the thousands hidden away in non-Jewish homes to protect them from the Germans. Nearly all have lost their parents. They were sheltered by Catholic Clergymen in German Occupied lands and later turned back to Jewish Representatives." The photographn is dated January 6, 1945, but this is more likely when the photograph appeared in the American press. It was more likely take about September 1944. This was before the full extent of NAZI barbarity was being reported in the press.
After th NAZI and Soviet invasion of Poland launching World War II (September 1939). It quickly became apparaent what was happening to Jews. The Vaad Hatzalah (Rescue Ccommittee) was formed by Orthodox American Jews to asssist Polish Jews targetted by the NAZIs and Soviets (mid-November 1939). The Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, the most important association of Orthodox rabbis in North America, formed Vaad Hatzalah (November 1939). Rabbis Aharon Kotler and Irving Bunim played important roles in organizing the group. The NAZIs targeted all Jews. The Soviets targeted relgious Jews and Jewish religious intitutions. The organization was founded to rescue help rabbis and yeshivah students in Poland who were fleeing the German and Soviet invasions of Poland. The Vaad did not have the sesources to rescue Polish Jews, but could help at least some of the rabbis and yeshiva students, most notably the rashei yeshivah and students of leading talmudic academies such as Mir, Kletsk, Radin, Kamenets, and Baranowitz. This amounted to some 2,600 people. The Vaad was initially caslled the 'Emergency Committee for War-Torn Yeshivot'. It was difficuklt to help Jews trapped in Poland by the NAZI and Soviet armies, but the Vaad did attemot to negotiate with the NAZIs. They were abkle to aid the Jews that escaped to neighboring Lithunaia. The inituial idea was to move the refugees to Palestinr or the United States. This prived fifficult and much of the funds collected was just to support Jewish refugees in Lithuania.
Some of whom managed to flee to Japan and Shanghai.
The Vaad received reports through Switzerland describing the scope of the German killing operations. The Vaad began to play a more active role politically to rescue Jews in German-occupied Europe. They were more than willing to takev onn Government restruiions that other Jewish grouos. Vaad cooperated with American Agudat Israel. Vaad tried to promote a united effort by American Jewish groups to make rescue the priority. Given the priority Hitler attached tom murdering Jews. escue was impssible. Only battlefioeld success would save Jews. Rabbi Israel Rosenberg, a key Vaad leader, was among the Jewish leaders who met with President Roosevelt (December 8, 1942)., The Vaad leadership joined attempts to establish the American Jewish Conference as an umbrella organization for American Jews.
The Vaad after the War took on a more general effort to aid Jewish refugees. The Vaad provided spiritual and physical rehabilitation for the survivors of the Holocause in Displaced Prsions camps. They provided religious articles, kosher food, and funded Jewish educational facilities. The Vaad also assisted in arranging visas for refugee rabbis and religious students to the United States.
