Jewish philanthropic institutions (JDC, Keren Hayesod, OSIA)

The great modern Jewish philanthropic institutions were born to respond to the crises that struck communities in the twentieth century. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC, or 'the Joint'), founded in 1914 to aid Jews in Europe and Palestine afflicted by the First World War, became the principal international relief organization, intervening during famines, persecutions, the rescue of Shoah survivors, and refugee assistance. The Keren Hayesod (Foundation Fund), created in 1920, mobilized the resources of the diaspora in service of the development of the Jewish national home in Palestine, complementing the Keren Kayemet (Jewish National Fund) charged with land acquisition. These institutions embody the traditional value of diasporic solidarity (klal Yisrael) and charity (tsedaka), elevated into organized collective action. They have profoundly shaped the structure of Jewish communities in the twentieth century and continue to serve vulnerable Jewish populations throughout the world.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗