Nathan Schwalb collection

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. The Nathan Schwalb collection includes correspondence, receipts, reports, and telegrams relating to Nathan Schwalb’s work as a union leader and delegate of the Hechalutz movement during World War II and his efforts to arrange rescue and aid operations. Correspondence and telegrams include letters and messages between Nathan and contacts, partners, and organizations regarding requests for aid, discussions of the ongoing operations, and updates on the war. Included in the correspondence are letters to Abraham Silberschein, representative of the Relief Committee for the War Stricken Jewish Population, and Roswell McClelland of the War Refugee Board. Receipts and reports record receipt of payments and funds including a financial report sent from Nathan to Saly Mayer of the Joint Distribution Committee and lists of donors and where funds are being distributed. Among those listed on the receipts are Rezső Israel Kasztner, Alexander Klein, Abraham Silberschein, and Yechiel Dobekirer.