JEPH TENENBAUM PAPERS, 1908-1990 RG-21/1987.081 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW Washington, DC 20024-2126 Tel. (202) 479-9717 e-mail: reference@ushmm.org Descriptive summary Title: Joseph Tenenbaum papers Dates: 1908-1990 Accession number: RG-21/1987.081 Creator: Tenenbaum, Joseph, 1887-1961. Extent: 14.78 linear feet (13 boxes, 8 oversize boxes, 8 oversize folders) Repository: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126 Abstract: The collection documents the career of urologist, author, and activist Joseph Tenenbaum, originally of Saso w, Poland. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, writings, subject files, photographs, and scrapbooks that document his medical career; his writings on medical topics, Judaism, and the Holocaust; his involvement in Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Zionist Organization of America; and his work as the founder and chairman of the Joint Boycott Council of the American Jewish Congress (1933-1941), an organization that promoted the boycott of German materials in the United States in the years leading up to World War II. Languages: English, Hebrew, German Administrative Information Access: Collection is open for use, but is stored offsite. Please contact the Reference Desk more than seven days prior to visit in order to request access. Reproduction and use: Collection is available for use. Material may be protected by copyright. Please contact reference staff for further information. 1
Preferred citation: (Identification of item), Joseph Tenenbaum papers (RG-21/1987.081), United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives, Washington, DC Acquisition information: The collection was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum by Sheila Tenenbaum in 1986, with an accretion in 1992. Publications originally cataloged as RG-21: 004.01 have been merged into this collection and are in oversize folder 8 ( 8). Related archival materials: Microfiche, Dr. Joseph and Sheila Tenenbaum collection (RG 21/1987.081). The Edward and Joseph Tenenbaum collection (IRN# 766588), United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Related archival collections at other institutions include The Joseph L. Tenenbaum papers, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Joint Boycott Council of the American Jewish Congress and Jewish Labor Committee records, New York Public Library. Accruals: Accruals may have been received since this collection was first processed, see archives catalog at collections.ushmm.org for further information. Processing history: Adam Fielding, November 2016-January 2017 Biographical note Joseph Leib Tenenbaum (1887-1961) was born on 22 May 1887 in Saso w, Poland, (now Sasiv, Ukraine). He had at least one brother, Samuel. During his years as a student, he became involved in the Hashahar student youth organization. He studied at the University of Vienna, graduating in 1911; and the University of Lviv, graduating in 1914 with a degree in medicine. He served as a military doctor with the rank of captain in the Austrian Army during World War I. in 1919, he was a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference. Joseph immigrated to New York in 1920 and practiced medicine as an urologist. He was active in numerous Jewish organizations, and was the founder and chairman of the Joint Boycott Council of the American Jewish Congress (1933-1941), an organization that promoted the boycott of German materials in the U.S. As president of the American and World Federation of Polish Jews, Tenenbaum visited Poland after the war to bring aid to Jewish survivors. He was also an active member of several other organizations including the World Jewish Congress, the Workmen s Circle, and the Zionist Organization of America. Tenenbaum was also a prolific author. He authored numerous articles, essays, speeches, and books on medical topics, Jewish issues, and the Holocaust. Some of his books include The Riddle of Sex (1929), Races, Nations, and Jews (1934), Peace for Jews (1945), In Search of a Lost People (1948) and Race and Reich (1956). He had completed a manuscript on Jewish rescue operations during the Holocaust at the time of his death in 1961, but it was never published. He was married to Otilia Jon (also spelled John), and they had three sons, Edward (1921-1975), Bertrand, and Robert. Joseph later married Sheila Schwartz. His son Edward served in the United States Army, and was the first American officer to enter the Buchenwald concentration camp after liberation. He coauthored the Preliminary Buchenwald Report (1945) with Egon Fleck. Scope and content of collection 2
The collection documents the career of urologist, author, and activist Joseph Tenenbaum, originally of Saso w, Poland. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, writings, subject files, photographs, and scrapbooks that document his medical career; his writings on medical topics, Judaism, and the Holocaust; his involvement in Jewish organizations such as the World Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Zionist Organization of America; and his work as the founder and chairman of the Joint Boycott Council of the American Jewish Congress (1933-1941), an organization that promoted the boycott of German materials in the United States in the years leading up to World War II. Series 1: Biographical material contains identification papers, diplomas, papers related to Tenenbaum s medical career, and passports. There are also documents related to his death in 1961, which are primarily obituaries and tributes. Series 2: Correspondence contains Tenenbaum s professional correspondence. Topics include the medical profession and his research, his publishing career, and his involvement with various advisory boards and Jewish organizations. His correspondence with his wife, Sheila Tenenbaum, from 1946 discusses his humanitarian trip to Poland. There is also related correspondence regarding his work with the Joint Boycott Council and other organizations in his scrapbooks organized in Series 6. Series 3: Writings contains Tenenbaum s published articles and essays, manuscripts, speeches, and writings by others. There is a significant amount of material related to an unpublished manuscript he was working on at the time of his death in 1961. The manuscript was about rescue operations during the Holocaust, and was tentatively titled Condemned to Die but also referred to as Ruin and Rescue. There are multiple drafts, partial drafts and fragments, and chapters of the book. The chapters are organized based on the table of contents accompanying the complete manuscript from 1961. There are also research notebooks and correspondence of Sheila Tenenbaum regarding her efforts to get the manuscript published. Writings by others include Folk und Velt, Jewish Spectator, Yad Washem Bulletin, a 1954 issue of the Russian-language newspaper "Meta"; a 02 November 1967 special issue of "The Jerusalem post"; a 06 November 1958 issue of "The day-jewish journal" (in Hebrew); and fragments of the 28 February 1965 issue of the "New York times magazine" concerning war crimes trials. Series 4: Subject files contains newsletters, pamphlets, conference materials, event invitations and other materials relevant to organizations Tenenbaum was involved in. Some material was acquired by his wife Sheila after his death. Series 5: Photographs contains a small amount of photographs of Tenenbaum. Photographs include portraits, Tenenbaum in his World War I uniform, and organization events. Series 6: Scrapbooks contains scrapbooks assembled by Tenenbaum. They are organized chronologically, and include clippings, correspondence, photographs, and event flyers and invitations. System of arrangement The Joseph Tenenbaum papers are arranged as six series. Series 1: Biographical material, 1908-1986 Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1962 Series 3: Writings, 1930-1990 Series 4: Subject files, 1942-1986 3
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1914-circa 1950s Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1927-1961 Each series is arranged alphabetically by folder title, except for series 3, which is arranged chronologically by publishing date. Indexing terms Person: Tenenbaum, Joseph, 1887- Corporate: American Jewish Congress. Joint Boycott Council (U.S.) World Jewish Congress. Workmen s Circle (U.S.) Federation of Polish Jews in America. World Federation of Polish Jews. Beth Israel Medical Center (New York, N.Y.) Zionist Organization of America. American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Topical Subject: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jews United States. Jewish physicians--united States. Boycotts. Authors. Zionism. Anti-German Boycotts. Anti-Nazi movement. Geography: New York (N.Y.) Genre/Form: Photographs. Correspondence. Publications. Scrapbooks. Series 1: Biographical material, 1908-1986 1 1 1908-1962 1 2 1-2 Certificates, 1934-1946 CONTAINER LIST 4
1 3 Death, 1961-1986 1 4 Passports, 1919-1959 Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1962 General correspondence: 1 5 1929-1932 1 6 1933-1940 1 7 1941-1947 1 8 1948-1950 1 9 1951-1958 1 10 1959-1962 1 11 Undated 1 12 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1930-1931 1 13 American Federation for Polish Jews, 1929-1948 2 1 American Jewish Congress, 1930-1955 2 2 American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1945-1946 2 3 Medical profession, 1922-1961 2 4 Tenenbaum, Sheila, 1946 2 5 Workmen s Circle, 1929-1949 2 6 World Federation for Polish Jews, 1946-1954 2 7 World Jewish Congress, 1938-1960 2 8 Zionist Organization of America, 1950-1961 Series 3: Writings, 1930-1990 Subseries 3.1: Published articles and essays, 1930-1959 2 9 The Jews in Poland, 1930 2 10 Economic Antisemitism, 1931 2 11 The Nazi Menace in the United States, 1934 2 12 Can Hitler be Stopped?, 1938 2 13 The Crucial Year, 1938, 1958 2 14 Das Dritte Reich in Zahlen, 1938 2 15 The Road to Pan-Americanism, 1941 2 16 Postwar Problems of the Jews, 1943 2 17 The Jews Face Their Destine, 1944 2 18 The Road to Nowhere, 1947 2 19 The Angel of Death and the Angel of Redemption, 1952 2 20 Auschwitz in Retrospect, 1953 2 21 They Might Have Been Rescued, 1953 3 1 Hitler s Jewish State in Madagascar, 1954 3 2 The Einsatzgruppen, 1955 3 3 Judios Del Renacimiento, 1956 5
3 4 The Anti-Nazi Boycott Movement in the United States, 1959 3 5 Book reviews, 1945-1954 and undated Subseries 3.2: Manuscripts, circa 1938-circa 1955 3 6 Refuge Barter, circa 1938 3 7 The Boycott in the Light of War Experiences, circa 1942 3 8 Nazi Economy, circa 1955 3 9 Hitler s Final Solution of the Jewish Question, circa 1950s 3 10 The Jewish Partisan in World War I, undated 3 11 The Message and Mission of Hasidism, undated 3 12 A Modern Concept of Hasidism, undated 3 13 The Struggle for Jewish Rights at the Peace Conference, Paris, 1919, undated 3 14 The Zionist State at the Peace Conference, Paris 1919, undated 3 15-16 Untitled manuscript, undated (2 folders) 3 17 Manuscript fragments, undated 3 18-19 Manuscripts in Hebrew, circa 1940s-circa 1950s 4 1 Manuscript notes, circa 1940s-circa 1950s Subseries 3.3: Condemned to Die manuscript, circa 1958-1974 Chapters: 4 2 Table of Contents 4 3 Introduction 4 4 The First Four Years of the Nazi Regime, (1933-1937) 4 5 Hitler s Rise to Power 4 6 International Action 4 7 The Crucial Year of 1938 4 8 The Plot and the Seeds 4 9 Gestapo-Driven Exodus 4 10 The Policy of Closed Doors 4 11 America and the Americas 4 12 Latin America 4 13 The Forgotten Ostjuden 4 14 The Forgotten Ostjuden and the Invasion of Poland 4 15 The Invasion of Poland 4 16 The Invasion of Poland and Escape to the East 4 17 Poland on the Eve of Invasion 4 18 The Reich s Dumping Grounds 5 1 The Government General Chosen as the Reich s Dumping Grounds 5 2 The Ghetto and Its Appendages 5 3 A Jewish State in Madagascar 5 4 The Hangman s Noose 5 5 A Dead Silent World 5 6 The Rescue Cavalcade in 1943 5 7 The Final Solution Campaign 6
5 8 Slovakia 5 9 Hungarian Jewry in the Nazi Vise 5 10 Jews for Sale 5 11 Rumania Had Many Jews to Sell 5 12 The Slim Threads of Survival 5 13-14 Aryan Papers 6 1 Foreign Passport Jews 6 2 The Allied Team 6 3 Twilight of the Nazi Gods 6 4 France 6 5 Italy 6 6 Holland 6 7 The Miracle of Denmark 6 8 The Balkans 6 9 The Jewish Fate in the Light of the Faiths 6 10 The Protestant Church in War 6 11 Mixed Faiths 6 12 Red Cross to the Rescue 6 13 Nazi-Occupied Soviet Territory 6 14 The Ukraine 6 15 Exchanges of Germans for Jews 6 16 Rescue in 1944-Spring 1945 Manuscript drafts: 6 17-18 Early version with additions, part I circa 1958 (2 folders) 7 1-4 Early version with additions, part II circa 1958 (4 folders) 7 5-12 Manuscript, 1961 (8 folders) 8 1 Fragments 8 2-4 Incomplete draft 1 (3 folders) 8 5-8 Incomplete draft 2 (4 folders) Related material: 8 9 Correspondence, 1965-1974 9 1-5 Notebooks, circa 1950s (5 folders) 9 6 Research notes, circa 1950s Subseries 3.4: Speeches, 1933-1961 9 7 Address delivered at dinner in honor of General Roman Gorecki of Poland, 1933 9 8 Address delivered at mass demonstration against atrocities in Germany, 1933 9 9 The Tragedy of a People, 1933 9 10 The Nazi Menace to the Americas, 1939 9 11 Six Years Hitlerism, 1939 9 12 The Great Emergency, 1942 9 13 United Jewish War Efforts, 1942 9 14 World Jewish Congress speeches, 1944-1959 9 15 Zionist Organization of America speeches, 1961 and undated 7
Subseries 3.5: Writings by others, 1937-1990 9 16 Contact, 1952 9 17 Clippings, 1937-1955 3 9 18 Folk und Velt, 1953-1959 (5 folders) 10 1-4 10 5 Jewish Spectator, 1957 10 6 La Vie Juive, 1953 10 7 Miscellaneous, 1940-1990 8 10 8 Review of Race and Reich, 1957 10 9 Second World Congress of Jewish Studies: Jewish History, 1957 10 10-11 Yad Washem Bulletin, 1957-1960 (2 folders) Series 4: Subject files, 1942-1986 11 1 Aliyah, 1968-1985 4.1-4.2 11 2 American Federation for Polish Jews, 1944-1949 11 3 American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, 1984-1986 4.3 11 4 American Israel Public Affairs Committee, 1985 11 5 American Jewish Conference, circa 1944 11 6 American Jewish Historical Society, 1955-1958 11 7 American Jewish World Service, 1985 11 8 American Zionist Federation, 1975 11 9 Anti-Defamation League of B nai B rith, circa 1985 11 10 Conference on Jewish Relations, 1955 11 11 Elie Wiesel Holocaust Museum Endowment Fund, 1985 11 12 Foundation for Judaism, 1967 11 13 Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, 1980 11 14 Histadruth Ivrith of America, 1956-1958 11 15 Holocaust Survivors Memorial Foundation, circa 1984 11 16 Jewish Labor Committee, 1973 11 17 Jewish Museum, 1985-1986 11 18 New York Association for New Americans, 1981 11 19 New York Board of Rabbis, 1986 11 20 Rabbinical Advisory Council, circa 1985 11 21 Theodor Herzl Institute, 1956-1959 11 22 United Jewish War Effort, 1942-1943 11 23 5.1-5.2 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1972-1986 8
11 24 Woodrow Wilson Foundation, 1944 11 25 Workman s Circle, 1944-1973 11 26 World Federation of Bergen-Belsen Survivors, circa 1967-1974 11 27 World Federation of Polish Jews, 1979 11 28 World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, 1981 12 1-2 World Jewish Congress, 1944-1986 (2 folders) 5.3 12 3 World Zionist Organization, 1981-1982 12 4 YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 1956-1983 12 5.4 5-7 6 Zionist Organization of America, 1961-1984 Series 5: Photographs, circa 1914-circa 1950s 12 8 7 Circa 1914-circa 1950s Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1927-1961 13 1 1927-1934 14 1 1934-1937 14 2 1931-1937 15 1 1937 October-1939 December 16 1 1940 January-1941 April 16 2 1941 May-1942 December 17 1 1942 December-1944 July 17 2 1944 August-1945 November 18 1 1945 December-1946 December 18 2 1947 January-1951 August 19 1 1951 September-1954 February 20 1-3 1954 February-1957 July (3 folders) 21 1-2 1957 July-1961 (2 folders) 9