http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection NORMAN BENTWICH COLLECTION (P174), 1933‐1943 2016.151.1. RG‐68.193 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW Washington, DC 20024‐2126 Tel. (202) 479‐9717 E‐mail: [email protected] Descriptive summary Title: Norman Bentwich Collection (P174) Dates: 1933-1943 Accession number: 2016.151.1 Record group number: RG‐68.193 Creator: Norman Bentwich Extent: 14,513 digital images (TIFF) Repository: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024‐2126 Languages: English, French, German Administrative Information Access: Collection is open for access. Reproduction and use: Users are required to complete a User Declaration in order to gain access to the collection. Publication and reproduction of records for commercial purposes for third parties require the written permission of the Eventov Archives, c/o Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People. Preferred citation: (Identification of item) RG‐68.193, Norman Bentwich collection (P174), 1933‐1943. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives, Washington, DC. 1 http://collections.ushmm.org http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection Acquisition information: The original collection was acquired by the CAHJP in January 1982 from the Central British Fund, London. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received this collection via the United States Holocaust Museum International Archives Project in March 2016. Existence and location of originals: The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem P.O.B. 39077 91390 Jerusalem Israel Phone: 972‐2‐6586249 Emails: [email protected] Web page: https://cahjp.huji.ac.il/content/contact The finding aid for the materials housed at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP, and can be found at: http://cahjp.huji.ac.il/webfm send/689 Accruals: Accruals may have been received since this collection was first processed, see archives catalog at collections.ushmm.org for further information. Processing history: Finding aid adapted from the inventory provided by the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem: Aleksandra Borecka July 2016 Administrative history The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) [Arkhiyon ha‐merkazi le‐toldot ha‐ʻam ha‐Yehudi] were established in 1939. They hold the archives of hundreds of Jewish communities, as well as of local, national and international Jewish organizations and the private collections of many outstanding Jewish personalities. The Archives now hold the most extensive collection of documents, pinkassim (registers) and other records of Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the Government of Israel, The Historical Society of Israel, The Jewish Agency for Israel, The Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel‐Aviv University and Bar‐Ilan University. On January 30, 2013 The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People and the National Library of Israel (NLI) signed an agreement to implement a merger between the Archives and the Library. [see: http://cahjp.huji.ac.il/] Biography Norman de Mattos Bentwich (1883‐1971) was born in London to the British Zionist leader and lawyer, Herbert Bentwich. He was educated at St. Paul's School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied classics. After qualifying in law, he entered the Egyptian Ministry of Justice in 1912 as inspector of Native Courts. In 1913 he was appointed commissioner of courts in Egypt and lecturer at the Cairo Law School. During World War I he served in the British Army on the Palestine front and was demobilized with the rank of major. In 1918 he became senior judicial officer in the British military administration in Palestine. After the establishment of a civil administration in 1920, he became attorney general, and in this capacity was active in modernizing the country's courts and introducing British law and procedure to replace those of the former Turkish regime. In 1930 an attempt was made on his life by an Arab terrorist. The Mandate government's anti‐Zionist policy led him to resign in 1931. In 1932 he was appointed professor of international relations at the Hebrew University of 2 http://collections.ushmm.org http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection Jerusalem. A lifelong Zionist, Bentwich was close to the moderate wing of the movement and advocated Arab‐Jewish rapprochement. Bentwich served as director of the League of Nations' Commission for Jewish Refugees from Germany between 1933 and 1936. During the 1930s he played an active role in welfare efforts for German Jewish refugees. Among the above mentioned activities, N. Bentwich also held the following positions: ‐ Co‐editor of the Jewish Review, 1910‐1913 and 1932‐1934 ‐ Lecturer at Hague Academy of International Law, 1929, 1934 and 1955 ‐ Vice‐President, Jewish Committee for Relief Abroad ‐ Chairman, National Peace Council, 1944‐1946 ‐ Chairman, United Restitution Office, 1948‐1971 ‐ Foreign Office Committee on Restitution in the British Zone of Germany, 1951 ‐ President, Jewish Historical Society, 1960‐1962 ‐ Chairman of Friends of the Hebrew University ‐ President of the London North‐Western Reform Synagogue, 1958‐71 ‐ Member of the "Professional Committee" of the Council for German Jewry, 1936 ‐ Vice‐Chairman of the "Jewish Committee for Relief abroad", 1946?, a sub‐committee of the Central British Fund for Jewish Relief and Rehabilitation 1946. Bentwich was the author of more than thirty books. Additional letters of Bentwich at the CAHJP can be found in the Magnes papers (P3). [Source: The Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People Jerusalem (CAHJP)] Scope and content of collection Private papers of Norman de Mattos Bentwich (1883‐1971): Correspondence with refugees from Germany and Austria including name lists (organized alphabetically), as well as correspondence with the various refugee aid organizations such as the Central British Fund, London, the Comité voor Joodsche Vluchtelingen, Amsterdam, the Comité voor Bijzondere Joodsche Belangen, Amsterdam, the American Jewish Joint Agricultural Corporation, the Comité Allemand, Paris, the Comité National Tchécoslovaque pour les réfugiés provenant d'Allemagne, Prague, the Vereeniging tot Vakopleiding van Palestina Pioniers, Deventer, Netherlands, the Comité pour la Défense des Droits des Israélites en Europe Centrale et Orientale, Paris, and many others. Most of the correspondence pertains to the Kitchener Camp and the entry of Jewish refugees into Great Britain. System of arrangement Arranged in eight series: 1. General Correspondence, 1939‐1942 (alphabetical) 2. Refugees‐General files, 1939‐1940 (alphabetical) 3. Kitchener Camp (England) files, 1938‐1941 (alphabetical) 4. Central British Fund (C.B.F.), 1936‐1958 5. Requests from the Comité voor Joodsche Vluchtelingen to Bentwich on behalf of refugees, 1939‐1940 6. Bentwich's Correspondence with Organizations and Individuals regarding Refugees,1936‐1938 (alphabetical) 7.Various Files‐organized alphabetically by subject titles, 1936‐1943 (some files are not dated) 8. Printed Matters and miscellaneous materials, 1938‐1939 (some files are not dated) Indexing terms Personal Name: Bentwich, Norman, 1883‐1971. 3 http://collections.ushmm.org http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection Corporate Name: American Jewish Joint Agricultural Corporation. American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Central British Fund for German Jewry. Comité des délégations juives (Paris, France) Hias‐Ica Emigration Association. International Federation of Trade Unions. League of Nations. United Restitution Organization. Comité voor Bijzondere Joodsche Belangen. Meeting Name Evian Conference (1938 : Evian‐les‐Bains, France) Genre/Form: Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.) Correspondence. Registers. Reports. Telegrams. Permits. Geographic name: Europe‐‐Emigration and immigration‐‐History‐‐20th century. Palestine‐‐Emigration and immigration‐‐20th century. Topical Term: World War (1939‐1945)‐‐Refugees‐‐Europe. World War, 1939‐1945‐‐Civilian relief‐‐Europe. Emigration and immigration‐‐Europe‐‐History‐‐20th century. Humanitarian assistance‐‐Europe‐‐History‐‐20th century. Jews‐‐Legal status, laws, etc.‐‐Europe‐‐History‐‐20th century. Kitchener Camp. Refugees, Jewish‐‐Europe‐‐Registers. Holocaust Jewish (1939‐1945) Holocaust survivors‐‐Europe‐‐Registers. CONTAINER LIST This inventory is based on the finding aid compiled by the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) (Holder of originals). The original finding aid is located at: http://cahjp.huji.ac.il/webfm send/689 4 http://collections.ushmm.org http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection General Correspondence 1 General correspondence, arranged alphabetically A, 1939‐1942 2 General correspondence, arranged alphabetically B‐E, 1940‐1943 3 General correspondence, arranged alphabetically F‐G, 1940‐1943 4a‐b General correspondence, arranged alphabetically H‐L, 1940‐1943 5a‐b General correspondence, arranged alphabetically M‐Q 2 1940‐1943 6 General correspondence, arranged alphabetically