Overview of the Collection
Western Reserve Historical Society
Jewish Vocational Service
Jewish Vocational Service Records, Series II
1.80 linear feet (3 containers)
The Jewish Vocational Service (Cleveland, Ohio) was founded in 1939 as the result of a joint recommendation of the Jewish Social Service Bureau and the Council Educational Alliance for an agency which would provide vocational guidance and employment service to Cleveland's Jewish community. Particular attention was given to providing services for recently arrived refugees from Nazi Germany. During and after World War II, the agency assisted veterans and other refugees to locate employment. As a result of the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s and anti-discrimination legislation, the need for job placement shrank, and the agency then focused attention on programs in career counseling, job seeking, and the needs of recently arrived Jewish immigrants from what was then the Soviet Union. The collection consists of board of trustees minutes, agency statistical reports and summaries, descriptive profiles of the agency, files concerning programs sponsored by the agency, and papers present by staff.
MS 4629
The records are in English
closed stacks1927-1992
History of the Jewish Vocational ServiceThe Jewish Vocational Service (f. 1939), located in Cleveland, Ohio, was created as the result of a joint recommendation of the Jewish Social Service Bureau and the Council Educational Alliance. Those agencies had provided vocational guidance and job placement services but both recognized the need for one agency devoted solely to these concerns. Job placement was especially important at that time since job discrimination against Jews and other minorities was common and legal. Particular attention was given to providing services for recently arrived refugees from Nazi Germany. During and after World War II, the agency assisted veterans and other refugees to locate employment. As a result of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and the consequent legislative banning of discrimination in the workplace, the need for the job placement component of the agency shrank radically. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the agency increasingly focused attention upon creative programs in career counseling, job seeking, and the needs of recently arrived Jewish immigrants from what was then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Jewish Vocational Service
Scope and ContentThe Jewish Vocational Service Records, Series II, 1927-1992, consist primarily of board of trustees minutes, agency statistical reports and summaries, descriptive profiles of the agency, files concerning programs sponsored by the agency, and papers presented by staff.
This collection is of value to researchers interested in studying American Jewish communal response to vocational needs and, specifically, the response to these needs in Cleveland, Ohio. Since the collection covers a span of more than 60 years, the researcher can trace the changes in the Jewish community's employment needs and the response by one agency to those needs.
Statement of ArrangementThe collection is arranged in two series.
- Series I: Minutes and Statistical Reports is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
- Series II: Miscellaneous is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 3663 Jewish Vocational Service Records.
Processing InformationProcessed by Stanley Lasky in 1992
Restrictions on AccessNone.
Preferred Citation[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4629 Jewish Vocational Service Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Acquisition InformationJewish Vocational Service, 1990 and 1992.
Indexing TermsThe following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects:Jewish Vocational Service (Cleveland, Ohio)Jews -- Ohio -- Cleveland.Jews -- Employment -- Ohio -- Cleveland.Vocational guidance -- Ohio -- Cleveland.Employment agencies -- Ohio -- Cleveland.Refugees, Jewish -- Ohio -- Cleveland.Detailed Description of The CollectionSeries I: Minutes and Statistical Reports1927-198411-11Minutes, Board of Trustees1939-1984112-13Minutes, Joint Educational Loan Committee1927 1930 1935-1936 1955-1970114-16Statistical reports, monthly1939-1954217-18Statistical summaries, Jewish Occupational Council1941-1942 1946-1949Series II: Miscellaneous1939-1992 undated219Aging1953 1959219Anniversary Dinner1940-1948220-21Annual meeting1941-1945 1947 1950-1958 1960222Bellefaire vocational service referrals program1958-1962 1965222Counseling, college1962222Counseling, vocational1943-1976 undated222Guidance Digest1950-1955 1957 undated323Older worker service1967 undated323Orientation Manual: Board of Trustees1963324Rehabilitation service proposals1951-1958 undated324Sarkin, Meyer, presentations, newspaper clippings, and award1958 1962 1974 1982-1983 1985324Soviet resettlement efforts, including Ohio driver's license manual in Russian1990-1992325Staff meetings1959 1962-1963 1976 undated325Staff papers1947-1972 undated326Views and News1958-1964 undated327Miscellaneous, including Articles of Incorporation, 1939, descriptions of services and history, 1939, 1961, 1974, 1976, and undated, Jewish Community Council affiliates, listing of, 1941-1942, Occupational Classification System Revised, January, 1964, and Study Report, 1980.