George W. Rabinoff, papers
Scope and Content Note
This Collection contains Rabinoff's correspondence, reports, and other materials relating to his work with the Jewish welfare federations of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Chicago; and as a field representative of the Jewish Welfare Board in Texas during the First World War.
It also includes: correspondence from his professional social work groups--the largest volume of this material relates to the National Social Welfare Assembly, of which he was the Assistant Director, and the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service, of which he was the director of the New York Training Bureau; extensive material on the Australian Jewish Community, where he served as a Fulbright Lecturer in the Dept. of Social Studies of the University of Queensland in 1962, and as a consultant to the Australian National Red Cross; diaries; speeches; published material; reports; and general correspondence.
This Collection is particularly valuable to researchers concerned with: Jewish charities, Jewish communal service, Jewish federations, Jewish social welfare, Jewish soldiers, and World War I.
Types of material include: addresses, announcements, annual reports, articles, brochures, bulletins, correspondence, diaries, drafts, handwritten notes, itineraries, lecture notes, meeting minutes, memoranda, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, notebooks, obituaries, outlines, pamphlets, photographs, programs, publications, reports, resolutions, scrapbooks, sermon outlines, speeches, and tributes.
Dates
- Creation: undated, 1912-1971
Creator
- Rabinoff, George W., 1893-1970 (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English./language>.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.
Use Restrictions
No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.
For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org
Biographical Note
George W. Rabinoff (1893-1970)
George W. Rabinoff was an internationally known social work executive and educator, as well as the first executive director of the Jewish Family Service of Greater Hartford. Rabinoff graduated from the City College of New York and entered social work in 1914. After completing his studies at the New York School of Social Work he worked at the United Jewish Charities in Hartford.
Rabinoff was one of the first professionally trained social workers in the United States, and played a prominent role in the development of Jewish federations and welfare funds. During his social work career, Rabinoff founded and served for 15 years as the executive director of the Bureau of Social Research, as well as the associate executive director of its successor agency, the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJFWF) (now the national association of Jewish Federations of the United States and Canada).
As associate director of the Bureau for Jewish Social Research, Rabinoff was responsible for the establishment of the CJFWF, and served as its Executive Director from 1932 to 1935. When the Bureau for Jewish Social Research merged under the CJFWF, Rabinoff became the Council's Associate Executive Director, a position he served in until 1943.
Rabinoff brought to the Council the insights he gained from his service in the Federations of Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Hartford. After leaving the CJFWF, he continued his leadership with distinction as Acting Executive Director of the Chicago Jewish Federation, and with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) in Europe. Rabinoff was also Director of the Training Bureau for Jewish Communal Service (1947-1951); Associate Executive Director of the National Social Welfare Assembly; a Fulbright scholar; teacher and consultant in Australia; and director of social services of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), from which he retired in 1967.
According to a document of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, Rabinoff was one of the nation's outstanding Jewish and general communal services leaders. To all of his positions, he brought a creative mind, a ceaseless discontent with the status quo, standards of the highest excellence, and great personal warmth.
Rabinoff died at age 77, incapacitated by arteriosclerosis. He was survived by his wife, Jennie, and by two daughters.
References
Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, Inc. George W. Rabinoff Collection, P-58, Box 8, Folder 4.
Chronology
- February 22, 1893
- Born in New York City
- 1913
- Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of the City of New York
- 1914
- Certificate from New York School of Philanthropy (now New York School of Social Work)
- 1914-1918
- Superintendent, United Jewish Charities of Hartford, Connecticut
- 1918-1919
- Staff Consultant and Field Representative, National Jewish Welfare Board
- 1920-1921
- Director of Case Work Department, Cincinnati United Jewish Social Agencies
- 1921-1928
- Superintendent, Indianapolis Jewish Federation and Welfare Fund
- 1928-1943
- Associate Director and Director of Field Service, Bureau of Jewish Social Research and Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds
- 1943-1945
- Assistant Director, Chicago Jewish Charities and Welfare Fund
- 1945-1946
- Director of Welfare Division, London, European Regional Office UNRRA
- 1947-1950
- Director, New York Training Bureau for Jewish Communal Service
- 1951-1961
- Assistant Director, National Social Welfare Assembly
- March-November 1962
- Fulbright Lecturer in Social Work Training, Department of Social Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- December 1962
- Consultant on Program, Australian National Red Cross
- January 1963
- Consultant, Australian Jewish Welfare and Relief Society, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- 1963-1967
- Social Planning Consultant, Department of Social and Community Services, New York City Housing Authority
- February 7, 1970
- Died
Extent
6.75 Linear Feet (13 manuscript boxes, 1 half manuscript box)
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence, reports, and other material relating to both Rabinoff's work with the Jewish Welfare Federations of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Chicago; and as a field representative of the Jewish Welfare Board in Texas during the First World War. It also includes correspondence from the professional social work groups Rabinoff served in various capacities, most relating to the National Social Welfare Assembly of which he was the Assistant Director, and the National Conference of Jewish Communal Service of which he was the director of the New York Training Bureau; extensive material on the Australian Jewish Community, where he served as a Fulbright Lecturer in the Dept. of Social Studies of the University of Queensland in 1962, and as a consultant to the Australian National Red Cross; diaries, speeches, published material, reports, and general correspondence.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into six series as follows:
- Series I: Social Work Career, undated, 1913-1921, 1922, 1924-1930, 1932, 1936-1938, 1940-1942, 1944-1945, 1948-1949, 1951-1969
- Series II: Correspondence, undated, 1912-1928, 1943-1953, 1956-1970
- Series III: National Social Welfare Assembly (NSWA), 1950-1961, 1968
- Series IV: Australian Trip, 1962-1963
- Series V: GWR Biographical information, notebooks and tributes, undated, 1913-1914, 1958, 1961, 1969-1971
- Series VI: Diaries, 1946-1969
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mr. George W. Rabinoff, 1968-1970 and Jennie Rabinoff, 1971.
Subject
- Bureau of Jewish Social Research (New York, N.Y) (Organization)
- International Conference of Social Work (U.S.). Committee. (Organization)
- National Conference of Jewish Communal Service (U.S.) (Organization)
- National Jewish Welfare Board (Organization)
- National Social Welfare Assembly (Organization)
- Red Cross. Australia. (Organization)
Genre / Form
- Announcements
- Annual reports
- Articles
- Brochures
- clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Drafts (documents)
- Itineraries
- lecture notes
- memorandums
- Minutes (administrative records)
- News bulletins
- Newsletters
- Notebooks
- Notes (documents)
- Notes (documents)
- Obituaries
- Outlines (documents)
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- programs (documents)
- publications (documents)
- Reports
- Resolutions (administrative records)
- Scrapbooks
- Sermons
- speeches (documents)
- Tribute records
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of George W. Rabinoff (1893-1970), undated, 1912-1971 *P-58
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Marvin Rusinek
- Date
- © 2009
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Revision Statements
- April, June 2020: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
