Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives- Collection Guide

I0064

UNITED RESTITUTION ORGANIZATION (URO). - 1927, [1953]-. - 110 metres of textual records, 10 maps, 7 artefacts and 4 photographs..

Administrative History: The United Restitution Organization is a world-wide legal aid organization which assists those victims of Nazi persecution who otherwise would be unable to submit claims against the German and Austrian governments. The URO headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Nahum Goldmann, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress, led the negotiations with Dr. Konrad Adenauer, West-German Chancellor, prior to the formulation and passing of the BEG (Federal Indemnification Law). In order to assist potential claimants, the URO was established in 1953. In Canada, the URO was founded in 1953 under the aegis of the Canadian Jewish Congress, with head office in Montreal, offices in Toronto and Winnipeg, and facilities in Vancouver to assist applicants with the documentation of their claims. The URO offices in Vancouver and Winnipeg were closed in the 1970s, while the Toronto office and the Montreal head office continue to operate. The information in this collection constitutes a valuable resource for studies of the Holocaust period. Custodial History: In 1989 the URO Montreal office deposited non-current administrative records and settled cases in the National Archives of Canadian Jewish Congress. Additional non-current files were deposited in 1997, and further accruals are expected.

URO Health Claim Form

Notes:
Language: The majority of the records are in German.
Restrictions: Names of clients are restricted.
Finding Aids: There is a finding aid and computer listings.
General Note: This is a semi-active collection which is added to at intervals - most recently in 1998. The fonds also contains Jewish money from Theresienstadt concentration camp (7 bills).

I0064,SA
Settled Cases. - 74 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Settled Federal Indemnification Law (BEG) claims. Subdivided by case workers: Aa: Dr. Smulowicz; Ab: Dr. Star (Stahr); Ac and Ad: Mrs. Hiller; Ae: Dr. Saalheimer; Af: Additional files added 1997 - various cases workers; Ag: Additional Mrs. Hiller cases added 1997.

Notes:
General Note: Additions to this series were made in 1997 and 1998.

I0064,SB
Jewellery Cases. - 3.7 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Claims for jewellery and precious metals under the Federal Restitution Law (BRUEG), by Dr. Barber.

I0064,SC
Equalization of Burden Law (LAG) Cases. - 0.62 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Claims for loss of immovable property, by Dr. Barber.

I0064,SD
Slave Labour. - 0.77 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Claims against Krupp Ag, I.G. Farben, and other factories, by Mrs. Hiller.

I0064,SE
Household Goods Cases. - 0.16 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Claims for loss of household goods (BRUEG) in France, Belgium, Holland and Alsace-Lorraine, by Mrs. Hiller.

I0064,SF
Special Fund "SF" Cases. - 5.67 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
BEG-SG (Final law) claims, subdivided as: Fa: Article V, which are BEG-SG Article V claims, for residents of Eastern Europe in 1953, handled by Dr. Barber; Fb: BEG-SG paragraph (150 claims), for German language and cultural groups; Fc: Article V claims; Fd: Article II claims. These different types of claims are explained in greater detail in the Finding Aid prepared in 1992.

Notes:
General Note: Additions to this series (Fc and Fd were made in 1998.)

I0064,SG
General = Administrative files. - 1950-1989. - 6.8 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
URO correspondence, memos, statistics, reports and other general documents. Subdivided as materials from or about: Ga: Dr. Saalheimer; Gb: Dr. Stahr; Gc: Legal regulations; Gd: Mrs. Hiller. One group of files includes testimonies of witnesses regarding suspected war criminals resident in Canada (1960-1961).

Notes:
Language: This material is mostly in English.
Restrictions: Names in the witness files are restricted.

I0064,SH
Discontinued Cases. - 7.7 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
BEG claims that were discontinued, subdivided by case worker: Ha: Mrs. Hiller; Hb: Drs. Stahr and Barber; Hc: Dr. Smulowicz.

I0064,SI
Miscellaneous Cases. - 3.4 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Other BEG claims. subdivided as: Ia: Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto files; Ib: Mrs. Hiller's remaining files.

I0064,SJ
Russian Cases. - 3.4 metres of textual records.

Scope and Content:
Claims by former Russian citizens, made after 1981. (Previously the German government had refused these any eligibility, declaring any suffering the result of Russian actions). Claims by Drs. Stahr and Barber.

I0064,SK
Visual Materials.

Scope and Content:
Ka: Maps, especially of concentration camp locations, Poland, etc.; Kb: photographs; Kc: Jewish money from Theresienstadt.

I0064,SL
United Restitution Organization = Addition. - 1953c-1999. - 13 metres of textual records.

Custodial history:
This collection was stored in the URO Offices in the Canadian Jewish Congress (SBH) building. The transfer was made at the time of URO’s move to smaller quarters outside SBH.

Scope and Content:
39 additional boxes of client files and about half a dozen publications on restitution. The files include Russian, BEG, FEB, Austria and Article 2 claims.

Notes:
Alpha-Numeric Designation : P00/05.
Language: German, Russian, and English.
Restriction: Client confidentiality.

 

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