Women’s American Organization for Rehabilitation through Training reporter Women's American ORT reporter (New York, New York) [Newspaper]

Louis Joseph Walinsky was born on April 19, 1908, in London, England, to a Jewish couple, Joseph (Ossip) and Rosa (Rose) Newman Walinsky. Louis had two sisters: Anna (1906-1997), and Emma (1921-2006). Louis’ mother Rosa (ca. 1885-1953) was born in Russia and was a poet and artist. His father Ossip (1886-1973) was born Joseph Melechinsky in Grodno, Lithuania. He was a labor leader and a Socialist. He was arrested for his political activity in 1904 but escaped to London. Ossip immigrated to New York in 1914. He moved to Toronto for work and was joined by Louis, Rosa, and Anna. The family settled in New York City in 1915. Louis attended Cornell University and received a degree in economics in 1929. He taught high school economics in New York. In 1932, he studied at the University of Berlin. In January 1933, Hitler came into power in Germany. Louis left Germany that March because of rising anti-Semitism. He resumed teaching in New York. In August 1933, Louis wrote the anti-Nazi play “Heil Hitler.” It was published in 1936 and banned in Nazi Germany by Heinrich Himmler in June 1937. Louis married Michele Benson (1912-2003). The couple had a son, Adam, born in 1937, but later divorced. Following the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. In 1943, Louis left his teaching job for a position at the War Production Board in Washington, DC. He worked for the program committee in the pulp and paper area and later became head of the Research and Analysis group. From 1944 to 1945, he was the executive secretary of the Combined Pulp and Paper Commission of the Combined Raw Materials Board. The war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, with the surrender of Germany, and in Asia on September 2, 1945, with the surrender of Japan. Louis then worked for the Civilian Production Administration. In 1947, Louis began working for the American ORT Federation. ORT was an aid organization that since 1880 had assisted impoverished or persecuted Jews by instructing them in trades and agriculture, including farming, sewing, and mechanics. They were active in many Jewish ghettos during the Holocaust and during and after the war provided services to displaced persons and refugees. Louis was sent to Munich, Germany, to take over ORT operations in Germany and Austria in the American and British zones of occupation. He served as Director of ORT vocational training schools, which were established in displaced persons camps in Europe to rehabilitate and train Holocaust survivors. Students learned practical skills, such as metalworking, dress making, mechanics, and carpentry, which could help them establish themselves after they emigrated. Louis worked with the American Joint Distribution Committee (AJDC) to get supplementary rations for the students. They bought cigarettes and gave them to the students as inducements and to the instructors as part of their compensation. Louis standardized ORT courses and improved supplies. In 1948, Louis was designated Secretary-General for ORT. Louis married Dorothy Monie (1913-1987). They had two daughters, Marian and Louisa. After leaving ORT in 1949, Louis worked as an economist. From 1953 to 1958, Louis served as Chief Economic Advisor for Burma. After 1963, he worked as a consultant for the World Bank. He wrote several books on economic development. From 1979 to 1980, he was the Executive Director of the International Commission of the World Jewish Congress. Louis, 93, died on December 24, 2001, in Washington, DC.

The periodical was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1988 by Louis J. Walinsky.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Louis J. Walinsky

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.