Historical Portrait
Jewish War Orphans Arrive in the United States.
Archive record
This photograph from 1921 shows a group of children orphaned as a result of World War I, newly arrived in New York harbor and about to begin a new life, posing with American flags. The war brought devastation to communities across Europe, leaving behind needy populations, including hundreds of thousands of orphans. In Central and Eastern Europe, the collapse of empires and onset of revolution prolonged the disorder, famine, and disease that began during the war. For Jews, there was the added danger of pogroms. The Joint Distribution Committee of American Funds for the Relief of Jewish War Sufferers (later the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, both names abbreviated as the JDC), founded in 1914 to provide relief during the war, continued its work in Poland and neighboring regions after the war. In 1920 it created the War Orphans Bureau, which played a crucial role in facilitating the emigration of Jewish children from Eastern Europe to the United States and elsewhere. The image is from the archives of the JDC, which contain documents, photographs, film, video, oral histories, and artifacts recording the work of the organization from World War I to the present. The JDC has provided food, clothing, medicine, child care, job training, and refugee assistance in more than 90 countries since 1914.
About this photograph
This 1921 photograph shows children orphaned by World War I and its aftermath, newly arrived in New York harbor. The children hold American flags as they prepare to begin new lives in the United States.
The Joint Distribution Committee of American Funds for the Relief of Jewish War Sufferers, founded in 1914, had continued its relief work in Poland and neighboring regions after the war ended. Communities across Central and Eastern Europe faced prolonged famine, disease, and disorder following the collapse of empires and the onset of revolution. Jewish populations faced the additional threat of pogroms.
In 1920 the organization created the War Orphans Bureau, which facilitated the emigration of Jewish children from Eastern Europe to America and other destinations. The photograph comes from the JDC archives, which document the organization's work from World War I onward through photographs, documents, film, and other records.
Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.
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