Papers of Jacob Pat (Fond WAG 127)

Includes correspondence, essays and writings, and other material pertaining to Pat's work with the Jewish Labor Committee. Correspondence (1937-1971) includes one file of obituary and memorial articles, and thirty-two files of correspondence, arranged chronologically. The correspondence includes both incoming and outgoing letters, reflecting Pat's involvement with a wide range of Jewish political and cultural organizations, and personal correspondence with friends from many countries. Of special note is a file of correspondence related to the publication of his conversations with Jewish Writers, 1959-1960. Also included is a small number of letters addressed to or written by other Jewish Labor Committee and Jewish Labor Bund officers and staff, which came into Pat's possession in the course of his work. Subject files (1935-1978), arranged alphabetically by topic, include a substantial number of material illustrating Pat's work with the Jewish Labor Committee, manuscript and printed reports and essays on a variety of topics related to the Holocaust and Jewish survival, and records of his travels. A small number of documents dating from the years after Jacob Pat's death in 1966 were preserved by his widow, Frieda. Copyright Holder: Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Jacob Pat was a journalist, writer and activist born in Bialystok, Russian Empire, in 1890. He served as the General Secretary of the Jewish Labor Bund's Central Association of Yiddish Schools in Warsaw, Poland in the years preceding World War II. A fund-raising trip in the fall of 1938 brought Jacob Pat to the United States where he was compelled to remain due to the war. He then devoted his efforts to anti-Nazi activity and rescue work and became the Executive Secretary of the Jewish Labor Committee, a position he held until his retirement in 1963. He also served as a member of the Delegation of the Jewish Labor Bund to the U.S., and as a chairman of the Congress of Jewish Culture.