Children preparing for evacuation, some giving Spanish Republican salute (raised fist)
| |
| Formation | 1941 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Edward K. Barsky |
| Founded at | New York City |
| Dissolved | 1955 |
| Merger of | North American Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy, American Medical Bureau |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 40°44′42″N 73°58′51″W / 40.745054°N 73.980882°W / 40.745054; -73.980882 |
| Services | Humanitarian aid for Spanish Civil War refugees |
National Honorary Chairman | Walter Rautensrauch |
National Chairman | Edward K. Barsky |
Secretary | Helen R. Bryan |
Treasurer | Lyman R. Bradley |
| Website | Official website |
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee (JAFRC) was a nonprofit organization to provide humanitarian aid to refugees of the Spanish Civil War.[1][2]
In 1941, the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee was formed by Lincoln Battalion veterans of the Spanish Civil War to provide aid to refugees Who were Spanish Loyalists from Francoist Spain.[2] It superseded previous groups, including the North American Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy and the American Medical Bureau, the latter of which Barsky had founded in 1936.[1] Specifically, the JAFRC was "dedicated to the rescue and relief of thousands of anti-fascist fighters trapped in Vichy, France, and North Africa' so that they might "return to the active fight against the Axis."
The JAFRC established a fundraising organization, the Spanish Refugee Appeal of the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee.[1][3] Dorothy Parker took charge of the fundraising of the committee, which soon attracted the support of Leonard Bernstein, Albert Einstein, Lillian Hellman, Langston Hughes, and Orson Welles.[4]
In 1942, the committee was licensed to do so in Vichy France by President Franklin Roosevelt's wartime administration and was then granted tax-exempt status.[5]: 70
In 1946, the committee began to face relentless criticism and scrutiny from federal government organizations. In 1948, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (now known as the Internal Revenue Service) revoked the JAFRC's tax-exempt status. Following this, the Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB) attempted to compel the JAFRC to register as a communist front organization.n.[1]
In April 1951, Allan Rosenberg successfully argued for the committee in Anti-Fascist Committee v. McGrath before the US Supreme Court.[6]
In 1955, the committee's board voted to disband.[1]
According to letterhead dated March 17, 1944,[7] leaders included:
National Sponsors[7] included:
National Sponsors[4][3][10] included:
