“Pioneers in the Raising of Funds for the Relief of Jews Suffering through the War”

Chart of major Jewish philanthropists, including Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) chairman, Felix Warburg, and important JDC leaders, Jacob Schiff, Leon Kamaiky, Harry Fischel, Morris Engelman, Albert Lucas, and Louis Marshall. Responding to pleas for help from Jews in Europe and Ottoman Palestine at the outbreak of World War I, JDC was formed by Jewish relief groups representing the spectrum of Jews in America: the American Jewish Relief Committee (mostly German Jews); the (Orthodox) Central Relief Committee; and the People’s Relief Committee (labor groups). A major fund-raising campaign was initiated. Contributions to JDC came from American Jews and non-Jews of all backgrounds, from well-established philanthropists to new immigrants to the U.S. from across the country.