YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
I.L. Peretz Yiddish Writers Union

I.L. Peretz Yiddish Writers Union

collection1903-1970sRG 701

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Held by: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research via YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — Archives guide
Creator: I.L. Peretz Yiddish Writers Union
Dates: 1903-1970s (indexed as 1903–1979)
Level: collection
Extent: 17'; 37 5"lgl; 1 bankers box; 1 wrapped package (4")
Scope & content: Minutes of meetings. Accounting records. Financial reports and correspondence. Photographs of members. Materials on the Fund for Jewish Refugee Writers. General correspondence with individuals, organizations and publishers. Correspondence relates to the Works Progress Administration, contracts, labor disputes, strikes, labor conditions. Correspondents include: Baal Makhshoves (Isidor Eliashev), Shlomo Bickel, Menahem Boraisha, Reuben Brainin, Abraham Cahan, Simon Dubnow, Ossip Dymow, Alexander Harkavy, David Ignatoff, H. Leivick, Kalman Marmor, Alexander Mukdoni, Shmuel Niger, David Pinsky, Melech Ravitch, Abraham Reisen, Zalman Reisen, Kasriel Sarasohn, Zalman Shneur, Lamed Shapiro, Jacob Shatzky, Baruch Vladeck, Max Weinreich, Chaim Zhitlowsky. Organizations include: Jewish Labor Bund, Central Yiddish Culture Organization, *The Day* (*Der tog*), *Jewish Daily Forward*, *Freie Arbeiter Stimme*, HIAS, *Keneder odler*, Jewish Labor Committee, *Morgn zhurnal*, Jewish National Workers' Alliance, *Di yidishe velt* (Philadelphia), Jewish Writers' Fund for Suffering Writers in Europe, *Kinder zhurnal*, *Morgn frayhayt*, ORT, Workmen's Circle, YIVO. This collection contains meeting minutes, financial reports 1929-1972, dues ledgers and other bookkeeping books, correspondence with individuals, organizations and publishers, salary lists, financial statements, newspaper clippings, press releases, scrapbooks, photographs of members, account statements from companies, banks and brokers, and manuscripts and questionnaires from various countries for a YWU yearbook. Some of the topics in this collection include the Fund for Jewish Refugee Writers, various Works Progress Administration projects, fundraising campaigns, requests for aid for individual refugees in Europe, Cuba, Japan, Shanghai, England, and Palestine, complaints and charges of members, contract and labor disputes, strikes, and Union reports. Among the organizations represented are the National Refugee Service, Jewish Welfare Federations, Newspaper Guild, United Jewish Appeal, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, World Federation of Journalists, New York State Department of Labor, Conference of Jewish Journalists, Jewish Labor Bund, Central Yiddish Culture Organization, Tog, Jewish Daily Forward, Freie Arbeiter Stimme, HIAS, Keneder Odler, Jewish Labor Committee, Morgn Zhurnal, Jewish National Workers’ Alliance, Yidishe Velt (Philadelphia), Fund for Jewish Refugee Writers, Kinder Zhurnal, Morgn Freiheit, ORT, Workmen’s Circle, and YIVO. Correspondents include: Baal Makhshoves (Isidor Eliashev), Shlomo Bickel, Menahem Boraisha, Reuben Brainin, Abraham Cahan, Simon Dubnow, Ossip Dymow, Alexander Harkavy, David Ignatoff, H. Leivick, Kalman Marmor, Alexander Mukdoni, Shmuel Niger, David Pinski, Melech Ravitch, Abraham Reisen, Zalman Reisen, Zalman Shneur, Lamed Shapiro, Jacob Shatzky, Baruch Vladeck, Max Weinreich, and Chaim Zhitlowsky. These papers constitute the complete archive of the Yiddish Writers Union from its founding until 1973, including a 1903 minute book of the Jewish Press Club, a predecessor organization. Also called Jewish Writers' Union. Founded in New York in 1915 as a union of Yiddish journalists. Its first president was Hillel Rogoff and its first secretary was Joseph Margoshes. The union was a member of the United Hebrew Trades. It participated in strikes and labor disputes and fought for job security, severance pay benefits and a minimum wage. A relief fund was organized for Yiddish writers in Europe as well as for members in financial need. In 1929 the union had 200 members. Although the union continued to be active in labor disputes, its membership and role declined steadily. While still in existence in the 1980s, it had relinquished much of its role as a labor union and functioned primarily as a literary association. Arrangement: The collection is arranged in 8 series: I) Minutes (folders 1-9B); II) Finances: a) Financial Reports (10-47); b) Ledgers (48-65); III) Correspondence, 1914-1940 (66-279); IV) Fund for Jewish Refugee Writers - Correspondence, 1939-1943 (280-343); V) Corres. (yellow series) 1940-1945 (344-431); VI) Corres. (blue series) 1945-1956 (432-529); VII) Corres., 1960's (530-680); VIII) Financial Corres., current matters & misc. (681-720); ADDENDA - I) Minutes (721-727); II) Finances (728-736); III) Misc. (737-748)
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Subjects: Jewish Labor Bund; Press, Jewish; Unions; United States; Writers
Genre / form: Documents - Records
Access & use: YIVO Archives collections are open to researchers only by appointment with an archivist. To inquire about papers and records, write to Chief Archivist, archives@yivo.cjh.org. To inquire about photographs and films, write to Photo and Film Archivist at Photofilm@yivo.cjh.org. To inquire about sound recordings, write to Sound Archivist, lsklamberg@yivo.cjh.org. For art works and artifacts, write to Chief Archivist at archives@yivo.cjh.org.
Harvested: 2026-10-17T06:33:23Z · source datestamp n/a · yivo

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