The response of Orthodox Jewry in the United States to the Holocaust

Based largely on archives and supplemented by interviews, examines the role of the Vaad ha-Hatzalah (established in November 1939 by Agudas ha-Rabbonim) in attempting to aid religious scholars and institutions that were endangered by the Nazi onslaught. The Vaad first focused its efforts on rabbis and yeshivah students, especially in Lithuania, and then aided such refugees in the USSR, Shanghai, etc. rather than trying to help more Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. Contrasts the Vaad's philosophy (saving religious leaders, both actual and potential) and its modus operandi (willingness to disregard U.S. regulations in relation to dealing with Nazi Germany) with those of the Joint Distribution Committee. When news of the Final Solution reached American Jews, the Vaad and non-religious Jewish groups attempted to work together, but differences remained regarding fundraising, political tactics, and goals. The afterword (pp. 273-287) deals with developments from January 1943, when significant changes occurred in American policy and, hence, in the activities of the Vaad. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)