The Blue Card, Inc. Records

The Blue Card was established by the Jewish community in Germany in 1934, as a means of helping Jews in Germany who were being persecuted by the Nazi regime through the loss of jobs, the confiscation of Jewish-owned businesses, and other measures. In 1939 The Blue Card was re-established in the United States, with the aim of assisting Jewish refugees who had fled Europe due to Nazi persecution. In 1943 the organization was formally incorporated in the state of New York as a charitable organization. The collection contains correspondence, minutes of meetings, brochures, news clippings, and printed material, documenting the history of The Blue Card, Inc., in particular its role as a New York-based charity that aided Jewish-German emigres who had fled Europe during the Holocaust. The collection includes minutes, by-laws and articles of incorporation from its inaugural meeting in September 1943; minutes of membership, board of directors, and executive committee meetings; newspaper and magazine clippings about the organization; correspondence, chiefly related to donations to the organization; microfilmed records of donations to the organization; and publicity and promotional material created by the organization, including holiday calendars, postcards, brochures, and the examples of the namesake "blue card" that donors received following their contributions, among other materials.