Bloch Brothers (Fond 293)

Contains correspondence and other documents relating to Jewish emigration and Jewish refugee help.The correspondence refers often to the Dutch Comité voor Joodsche Vluchtelingen (Committee for Jewish refugees). Max, Lippmann, and Albert Bloch, Jewish businessmen were born in Breslau, now Wroclaw, where they owned a large company until 1933. Forced by the Nazis, they emigrated to Amsterdam with their company. More or less immediately after their emigration to Amsterdam the Bloch brothers started helping other Jewish refugees who tried to leave Germany or other countries and looked for refuge in Latin America or the United States. The Blochs transferred hundreds of thousands in providing financial support, but also visa and paperwork to many of such refugees throughout the years. Their operations seem to have been successful in many cases, seen the correspondences which are part of the collection, but also documents how Dutch emigration policies often hindered escape. The correspondence refers often to the Dutch Comité voor Joodsche Vluchtelingen (Committee for Jewish refugees). The Bloch family escaped in 1940 to New York and Brazil.