I Seek My Brethren: Ralph Goldman and "The Joint"; Rescue, Relief, and Reconstruction-The Work of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

Shachtman, Tom

ISBN 10: 1557044953 / ISBN 13: 9781557044952

Published by Newmarket Press, New York, 2001

About this Item

xxii, 265, [1] pages. 30 b/w photos. Bibliography. Index. Mikhail Gorbachev wrote the Introduction). David S. Wyman wrote a Foreword. Teddy Kollek wrote a second Foreword. Epilogue by Gideon Taylor. Ephemera from The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee laid in. Tom Shachtman (born February 15, 1942) is an American author, journalist, filmmaker, and educator. He has published more than 30 books across a variety of topics, including histories, and biographies. Shachtman and the British filmmaker David Dugan won the 2009 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award for their two-part Nova documentary Absolute Zero. The biography of a remarkable man driven by a simple mission to help those in need, wherever they are found and the story of an organization, which has, since 1914, sponsored rescue, relief and reconstruction programs throughout the world. Founded over 85 years ago as a response to the plight of Palestinian Jews caught up in the agony of World War I, the American Joint Distribution Committee (alternately known as the "JDC" or "The Joint") is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, apolitical, humanitarian relief agency whose work is deliberately low-profile because so much of it depends on secret negotiations with foreign governments. Its mission has taken its representatives to Western Europe after World War II ("the Jewish Marshall Plan"), to the establishment of the state of Israel, to the former Soviet Union, and to Africa and India. As an activist and leader in the organization since the 1960s, Ralph Goldman is the heart and soul of the JDC. He played a key role in Israel's formative years, and has been on the front lines of the JDC's humanitarian efforts worldwide. Currently the Honorary Executive Vice President of the JDC, Goldman still plays an active role in the organization today. Following Goldman's career, we get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the post-WWII political and social landscape, and a picture of how one man's compassion can profoundly affect the lives of many. "Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose family was one of thousands aided by humanitarian relief, once said: "I can still feel the warmth of the blanket I received from The Joint." "Established in 1914 to aid Palestinian Jews caught up in the agony of World War I, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (known as the JDC or "The Joint") has brought aid to people all over the world - including Europe after World War II ("the Jewish Marshall Plan"), the State of Israel in the early days of its inception, and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The JDC has a simple mission: to help those in need, whoever they are and wherever they are found." "An activist and leader in Jewish affairs all his life, Ralph Goldman is the heart and soul of the JDC. From the 1940s through the 1960s, he assisted David Ben-Gurion during the founding of the State of Israel, and went on to serve as Executive Vice President of the JDC during the 1970s and 1980s. Under Goldman's leadership, the JDC established schools and community centers in Israel, brought aid to Jews trapped behind the Iron Curtain, and improved the lives of people around the world. Called "the ultimate insider" by former mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek, Goldman is a vital part of Jewish life and an inspiration to people all over the world."--BOOK JACKET. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated].

Seller Inventory # 91429

Bibliographic Details

• Title: I Seek My Brethren: Ralph Goldman and "The Joint"; Rescue, Relief, and Reconstruction-The Work of The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
• Publisher: Newmarket Press, New York
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1557044953
• ISBN 13: 9781557044952
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Israel
  • Palestine
  • Russia

About this title

Synopsis

The biography of a remarkable man driven by a simple missionto help those in need, wherever they are foundand the story of an organization, which has, since 1914, sponsored rescue, relief and reconstruction programs throughout the world. Founded over 85 years ago as a response to the plight of Palestinian Jews caught up in the agony of World War I, the American Joint Distribution Committee (alternately known as the "JDC" or "The Joint") is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, apolitical, humanitarian relief agency whose work is deliberately low-profile because so much of it depends on secret negotiations with foreign governments. Its mission has taken its representatives to Western Europe after World War II ("the Jewish Marshall Plan"), to the establishment of the state of Israel, to the former Soviet Union, and to Africa and India. As an activist and leader in the organization since the 1960s, Ralph Goldman is the heart and soul of the JDC. He played a key role in Israel's formative years, and has been on the front lines of the JDC's humanitarian efforts worldwide. Currently the Honorary Executive Vice President of the JDC, Goldman still plays an active role in the organization today. Following Goldman's career, we get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the post-WWII political and social landscape, and a picture of how one man's compassion can profoundly affect the lives of many. 30 b/w photos.

About the Author

Tom Shachtman is the author of thirty books, including Decade of Shocks, 1963-1974; Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold; and Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish. He lives in Connecticut.