Out of the Archives: “File Problems” in Tunis (1983)
by Kevin Schlottmann, Levy Processing Archivist, Center for Jewish History

This letter from the Tunis office of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC, or “the Joint”) is in response to a records management survey questionnaire. It describes the “file problems” encountered by the office staff there: A swift kick, a few choice words in Arabic, and a firm “poch” were required to open a recalcitrant filing cabinet drawer.  

The document was found in the Colonel Seymour J. Pomrenze Papers (P-933), held by the American Jewish Historical Society here at the Center for Jewish History. The Colonel, as everyone knew him, was among other things a records manager and archivist for many American Jewish organizations, from the Joint and the various federations to the American Jewish Committee and AIPAC. Some special materials from this collection will soon be digitized, and we will be sure to share them with you on this blog.

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