Nathan Schwalb papers/Hechalutz Office Geneva

The collection contains correspondence, reports and photographas related to the situation and fate of Jews in Europe during the Second World War and the rescue activities of the Hechalutz movement. Mainly includes correspondence with Hechalutz members in the Nazi-occupied territories and the JOINT; reports about the situation of Jews in various countries; reports about the concentration camps Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, and Westerbork; and miscellaneous internal records pertaining to the activities of the Hechalutz headquarters in Geneva. Nathan Schwalb (April 1,1908-March 24, 2004) was born on April 1, 1908 in Stanisławów, Poland (currently Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine). His father was a language and religion professor at the local Jewish academic high school and his mother was a private tutor. Nathan became a member of several Jewish organizations, including Makkabi Hazair, Gordonia, and Hechalutz. In 1929 he immigrated to Palestine and became a member of Kibbutz Hulda, becoming a leading member in 1935. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Nathan was sent to particiate in the Zionist Congress in Geneva in 1939. Nathan planned to return to Palestine, but while the congress was taking place, the Germans and Soviets agreed to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (Treaty of Non-aggression) and participants of the congress feared a war would soon begin. Consequently, Nathan and others decided to stay in Switzerland in order to organize relief efforts. Nathan established a new headquarters of the Hechalutz in Geneva and worked as a representative of the World Hechalutz movement, serving as a contact person and a financial welfare source. He corresponded with hundreds of people in the occupied countries and was active in many areas including the sending of parcels via the Red Cross, mainly to Poland, and transferring funds via messengers. He also worked in cooperation with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Swiss Red Cross, communicating with Saly Mayer from the Joint Distribution Committee and Dr. Abraham Silberschein from the Relief Committee for the Warstricken Jewish Population (RELICO). Additionally, he established contact with influential Swiss politicians, police personnel, and clergymen in order to assist refugees in Switzerland. His father and siblings were killed in 1941 in Stanisławów. After the war, Nathan returned to Palestine and served as a delegate of the Histadrut union and again became a leading member of Kibbuz Hulda where he lived until his death in 2004. Copyright Holder: Makhon le-ḥeḳer tenuʻat ha-ʻavodah ʻa. sh. Pinḥas Lavon