Guide to the Records of the Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland 1912-1913, 1928-1937, RG 54

Title: Guide to the Records of the Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland 1912-1913, 1928-1937, RG 54

ID: RG 54 FA

Extent: 0.82 Linear Feet

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in one series.

Languages: Polish, German, Russian, Yiddish

The Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland was founded in 1930 in Krakow through the efforts of Bogumil Liban as a union of local deaf-mute societies and sports clubs and was active until the outbreak of war in 1939. This collection contains correspondence and other administrative records of the Association.

The collection contains predominantly correspondence of the Association’s Central Committee in Krakow with its branches in Warsaw, Lodz, Wilno, and Lublin. The language of the letters and other documents, including minutes of meetings, reports, financial records, and bulletins, is mainly Polish, although a substantial number of records are in German and a few are in Yiddish and Russian. The topics include organizational matters of the Association, the economic situation of the deaf-mutes, special education, and contacts with Jewish deaf-mute societies in other countries. There is also a file from an earlier period of correspondence relating to the school “Mesiakh Ilmim” for deaf-mute children in the Wilno province, dating from 1912-1913.

Historical Note The earliest attempt to organize the deaf-mute population in Poland took place in 1916 in Warsaw, with the founding of the Deaf-Mute Society “Spojnia” (The Union). Other local deaf-mute societies followed in Krakow and Lwow. In 1930, industrialist Bogumil Liban founded “Zwiazek Zydowskich Gluchoniemych” (Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland), with its seat in Krakow. More local branches were established in Lodz, Wilno and Bialystok. In 1936, the Association was renamed “Ogolny Zwiazek Zydowskich Gluchoniemych oraz Towarzystw Sportowych” (General Association of Jewish Deaf-Mute Societies and Sports Clubs). In the interwar period, the number of the Jewish deaf-mute population in Poland was estimated at 4,000, of which 400 were members of the Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland.

The Association endeavored to meet the needs of its members by trying to secure material aid for the needy, promoting special education, organizing cultural events, and popularizing sports competitions. Annual congresses of the Association served as an important forum for contacts. The Association maintained close ties to the Weltbund der juedischen Gehoerlosen, the World Union of Jewish Deaf-Mutes, whose seat was in Berlin. The Association was active until the outbreak of the war in 1939, at which time it ceased its activities.

Athletic Clubs, Documents - Administrative reports, Documents - Correspondence, Documents - Financial records, Documents - Minutes, Education, Poland, Public welfare, Russia, Social service, YIVO Archives, Yivo Institute for Jewish Research

Access Restrictions: Permission to use the collection must be obtained from the YIVO Archivist.

Use Restrictions:

Permission to publish part or parts of the collection must be obtained from the YIVO Archives. For more information, contact:

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

email: archives@yivo.cjh.org

Acquisition Method: The materials in this collection were originally part of the collections of YIVO in Vilna. They were found among the materials from the Offenbach archival depot, which were retrieved by the YIVO Archives in New York in 1947.

Separated Materials: There is no information about materials that are associated by provenance to the described materials that have been physically separated or removed.

Related Materials: Materials about interwar Poland, including social clubs, welfare organizations and Jewish education, can be found in various collections from the YIVO Vilna Archives, as well as in RG 116-Poland, a territorial collection.

Preferred Citation: Published citations should take the following form:Identification of item, date (if known); Records of the Association of Jewish Deaf-Mutes in Poland; RG 54; folder number; YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.