Reuniting Families
by Sarah Ganton, Reference Services Research Intern, Center for Jewish History
A few days ago, the Senate passed a major overhaul of immigration policy. The bill, should it pass in the House of Representatives, would offer a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, enhanced legal avenues for immigration, and a greater emphasis on reuniting families separated in the immigration process. The bill is widely regarded as a victory in the Jewish community, where The Jewish Daily Forward and the Jewish Community Relations Council have long advocated for an immigration policy that takes families into account, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency touts the bill’s safeguards on a visa program long used by Israeli camp counselors traveling to the US.
Most relevant to the collections at the Center for Jewish History is the bill’s emphasis on family reunification. Jews have a long history of migration, and the Center contains records of thousands of immigrants. Shown above are two examples from the records of the Industrial Removal Office. The Industrial Removal Office, or IRO, was formed in 1901 in response to a sudden influx of Romanian Jews. It resettled Jews who were struggling in New York City to new communities around the United States. The goal of these efforts was largely to create new Jewish communities across the country, and, through resettlement to communities with more opportunity, to enable self-support.
The IRO usually resettled men alone. Once these men got their feet under them, they would write back to New York asking for assistance in locating and reuniting with the rest of their families. The IRO’s records, held at the Center for Jewish History by the American Jewish Historical Society, contain hundreds of such letters, two of which are reproduced here. The first letter is from a woman in Newark, NJ hoping to receive a train ticket to meet her husband where he has been placed in Galveston, TX. The second is from a man in Albany, NY who asks that the Industrial Removal Office send his brother to meet him in Albany, where a home and a good job await him.
Jewish migration occupies long and complicated narratives, but the Center’s records can bring it to life, and the Center’s librarians and genealogists are happy to guide you through these resources. The above letters and many like them can be found by searching the collections here. The Center also provides genealogical services for those searching for a particular family member, which can be browsed through the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute by clicking here. In addition, the Center for Jewish History’s online Family History Database includes records of the Industrial Removal Office and more. It is searchable here.
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Above images:
Industrial Removal Office papers. Box 106, folder 17 (Newark, NJ 1912-1916), 1st item. American Jewish Historical Society.
Industrial Removal Office papers. Box 107, folder 1 (Albany, NY, 1905-1917), 4th item. American Jewish Historical Society.