Aid Association of German Jews (Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden)
Established in Germany in 1901 to assist Jews in Eastern Europe and in Asia
The main beneficiaries were Jewish communities that were victims of pogroms and wars, but the Association also helped Jews emigrate to overseas destinations and supported the development of Jewish education in the East. In the wake of the Nazism, the Aid Association began providing assistance to emigrating German Jews, with the exception of those emigrating to Palestine, who were served by the Palestine Office. After the Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935, the number of Jews who turned to the Hilfsverein for emigration increased significantly. Potential emigrants were offered vocational training and language instruction. The Association co-operated with world wide Jewish organisations such as the Joint Distribution Committee and HICEM. In early 1939, the Association was shut down and its activities were taken over by the emigration department of the Reich Association.
