Pomocný výbor pro uprchlíky, Paříž

The Comité d'Assistance aux Refugiés was probably founded in Paris in 1936 to support foreign refugees. In addition to this committee, a special committee was established in January 1939 to assist Czechoslovak refugees. Both committees assisted refugees with financial aid, arranged passport matters for them and sought opportunities to emigrate. They cooperated with similar committees in other countries, especially with Jewish organisations in the USA and in Germany itself with the Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden. The Paris Refugee Relief Committee had branches in other French cities. Among the very agile ones was the Social Service for the Relief of Emigrants in Marseilles. The fonds provides a unique picture of the refugees who came to Paris from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. In addition to the usual correspondence, it contains cards of emigrants with birth dates, details of nationality, relatives abroad, occupation, and addresses of persons who could give a good impression or information about them. At the end of the fonds (card 332) is the correspondence of the Committee with the American Jewish Relief Headquarters in Paris, the Schutzverband deutscher Schriftsteller, and others.