From the Pages of Yedies

Aug 23, 2013

by ROBERTA NEWMAN

As the end of World War II drew near, attention began to shift to what might immediately follow in the postwar era. While the full magnitude of the destruction of Jewish life in Europe was still beyond the grasp of most observers, it was clear to those who were planning for the future that massive resources would need to be marshaled to care for survivors of Nazi genocide.

The following article from the September 1944 issue of Yedies reveals that YIVO was searching for ways to be part of this effort in ways that went beyond the provision of cultural and educational resources for survivors. Here, YIVO reports that it is cooperating on a special project with the National Planning Association, a nonpartisan research institution founded by prominent business and labor leaders who believed that the private sector should actively participate in the formulation of public policy. (See the papers of this now defunct organization at the Walter P. Reuther Library.) This project took advantage of YIVO’s intimate knowledge of everyday Jewish life, its visceral connection with European Jewish survivors, and its long experience in creating networks for the purpose of information-gathering to help plan for the provision of food to Jewish refugees after the war.

The Yiddish version of the article lists some of the questions that were sent out to Jewish immigrant housewives in the U.S. about what their families ate in Europe before emigration. They include:

Was all your food store-bought or was some of it grown or raised by your family?
Please provide examples of a typical breakfast, lunch, dinner, and of Sabbath and holiday meals.
How much milk, cheese, butter, eggs, shmalts, oil, fish, margarine, cabbage, onions, carrots, bread, potatoes, tea, cocoa [many other foods listed] did your family consume each week?
Please provide a menu for a family of 4-5 people in a given week. The food should be as nourishing as possible, not contravene the laws of kashrut, and should include some favorite Jewish foods.