As an Irene Kronhill Pletka Fellow, I had the opportunity to delve into the history of agricultural settlements established for European Jewish refugees in the 19th and 20th centuries. My work primarily focused on organizing RG 318, containing materials from the archive of Baron Maurice de Hirsch. Baron de Hirsch was a Jew of German descent. His family made a living as bankers, and De Hirsch continued in that trade. He was interested in supporting the Jews of Eastern Europe in their struggles against poverty, and the constant pogroms that plagued those oppressed communities. After working with Russian officials to help alleviate some of the hardships of life largely fell flat, he recognized his efforts may be best spent elsewhere. In 1891 he established the Jewish Colonization Association or JCA to help resettle Eastern European Jewish populations in Argentina.

RG 318 contains many documents detailing the undertakings of the JCA in establishing agricultural settlements in Argentina. It includes letters from Baron de Hirsch’s trusted advisors and scouts. These letters include recommendations for structuring and organizing the project at large, as well as the individual settlements and schools that were to be established. It includes financial and legal documents accounting for the resettlement of Jewish refugees. Correspondence between Baron de Hirsch and his various partners appears in various languages, including French, German, English, Spanish, and Yiddish. The archive also includes a number of maps detailing the geography of Argentina and the placement of settlements, as well as personal documents relating to Baron de Hirsch and his life.