Moses Moskowitz papers, 1923-1990, bulk 1942-1982

Summary Information

Abstract

Moses Moskowitz served as the secretary general of the Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations (CCJO), an NGO composed of The American Jewish Committee, USA; Alliance Israelite Universelle, Paris; and the Anglo-Jewish Association, Great Britain. Accredited to the United Nations (UN), the CCJO was organized for the specific purpose of consultation with the UN Economic and Social Council in order to encourage the recognition of human rights for all people and to ensure the imput of the Jewish ethical tradition in the development of international human rights law.

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1575
Bib ID:
8723240 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Moskowitz, Moses
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
15.26 linear feet (17 boxes)
Language(s):
English , Italian , French , German , Spanish; Castilian , Polish , Yiddish , Czech .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has restrictions.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Description

Summary

The Papers document Moses Moskowitz's military career during World War II and his post-war career as the secretary general of the Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations (CCJO). The papers include his personal and professional correspondence and writings about international relations.

  • Series I: Correspondence, 1927-1982

    This series is arranged chronologically. The correspondence encompasses Moses Moskowitz's personal and professional life. Box 3 contains materials concerning private family medical issues and isrestricted until 2027.Boxes 1, 2, and 4 have no restrictions and are open to the public.

  • Series II: Curriculum Vitae and Education, 1924-1990

    This series is arranged chronologically. The series includes biographical information about Moses Moskowitz and materials related to his formal education in the United States from grade school to his graduate work at Columbia University.

  • Series III: Military Service Records, 1942-1953

    This series is organized alphabetically by genre and form. English language translations, in turn, have been provided in brackets for all foreign language article and journal titles. In November 1942, Moskowitz was drafted into the Armed Forces. In May 1943, he entered the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Miami Beach, FL, where he was eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. While at the OCS, Moskowitz specialized in intelligence. He was appointed, in turn, to the Military Government School, Fort Custer, MI. Later, he attended the School for Overseas Administration at Harvard University for eventual assignment in Italy. Moskowitz saw distinguished military service in England, France, Germany, Italy and North Africa. His last assignment was as the Chief of Political Intelligence, U.S. Military Government for Wuerttemberg-Baden, Germany. Upon his military discharge in April 1946, Moskowitz rejoined The American Jewish Committee as a Foreign Affairs Department staff member.

  • Series IV: Professional Career

    This series contains two subseries: subject files and writings. The subject files are arranged alphabetically by either organizational name or subject. Predominantly covering the period of the 1950s, these materials represent Moskowitz's early work at the United Nations. The writings subseries is arranged chronologically by publication date beginning with an articles subseries followed by a books subseries. The articles subseries spans the period from 1938 to 1976. Please note that English language translations have been provided in brackets for all foreign language article and journal titles. The books subseries contains all four volumes written by Moses Moskowitz: Human Rights and World Order: The Struggle for Human Rights in the United Nations (1958), The Politics and Dynamics of Human Rights (1968), International Concern with Human Rights (1974), and The Roots and Reaches of United Nations Actions and Decisions (1980). The first folder of each published book contains a first edition of the volume followed alphabetically by contract and correspondence files, drafts, notes, outlines, publisher catalogs and reviews.

  • Series V: Publications--Collected

    This series is organized into two subseries: articles and books. The articles and books subseries are arranged alphabetically by author. If the author is unknown, the article or book is placed within the suberies list alphabetically by title. English language translations have also been provided in brackets for all foreign language article and journal titles.

  • Series VI: Research Files, 1950-1979

    This series is arranged alphabetically by subject. The series comprises materials collected by Moskowitz for either his own professional work or personal edification.

  • Series VII: Awards, Honors, Memorabilia and Photographs, 1926-1968

    This series is organized alphabetically by genre and form. The materials within this series relate to Moses Moskowitz and his family. Some photographs relating to Moses Moskowitz's military sevice arerestricteddue to fragility and preservation concerns.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 7 series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has restrictions.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Moses Moskowitz Papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Selected Related Material--At Other Institutions

American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection, William E. Wiener Oral History Library, Dorot Jewish Division of the New York Public Library

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donation from Howard Moskowitz, May 2009.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed cml 03/06/2014.

Collection is processed to folder level.

Revision Description

2014-10-22 xml document instance created by Christopher M. Laico.

2015-02-06 xml document instance updated by Catherine C. Ricciardi.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical Note

On December 15, 1910, Moses Moskowitz (1910-1990) was born in Stryi, which is located in present day western Ukraine. In 1927, his family immigrated to the United States. In June 1934, he received his Bachelor's Degree in Social Science from the College of the City of New York (CUNY), where he majored in history, economics and philosophy. He pursued further post-graduate work in International Law and Relations at Columbia University. Although he completed his PhD residence work in 1940, professional obligations and subsequent mandatory military service disrupted the full completion of his doctorate.

On January 1, 1937, Moses Moskowitz officially joined the staff of The American Jewish Committee (AJC). Except for his absence during military service (1942-1946), he worked continuously in various positions at The AJC. To illustrate, he organized the AJC's Eastern European Department and produced memoranda, newsletters, periodicals and reports about national and international issues. He also continued to write larger pieces for such AJC publications as the American Jewish Year Book and Contemporary Jewish Record. Eventually, Moskowitz became the chief assistant to the AJC General Secretary, where he performed diverse political assignments.

In November 1942, Moskowitz was drafted into military service. In May 1943, he entered the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Miami Beach, FL, where he was eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. While at the OCS, Moskowitz specialized in intelligence. He was appointed, in turn, to the Military Government School, Fort Custer, MI. Later, he attended the School for Overseas Administration at Harvard University for eventual assignment in Italy. Moskowitz saw distinguished military service in England, France, Germany, Italy and North Africa. His last assignment was as the Chief of Political Intelligence, U.S. Military Government for Wuerttemberg-Baden, Germany.

Upon his military discharge in April 1946, Moskowitz rejoined The American Jewish Committee as a Foreign Affairs Department staff member. In July 1946, he took over the section in charge of the United Nations and International Organizations and was accredited to the U.N. Section on Voluntary Organizations. He also represented The AJC at the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. as one of the forty-two consultant organizations to the U.N. Delegation in San Francisco.

In August 1946, Moskowitz with others organized the Consultative Council of Jewish Organizations (CCJO), an international organization composed of The American Jewish Committee, USA; Alliance Israelite Universelle, an international organization with headquarters in Paris; and the Anglo-Jewish Association, Great Britain. The CCJO was organized for the specific purpose of consultation with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in order to encourage the recognition of human rights for all people and to ensure the input of the Jewish ethical tradition in the development of international human rights law. Moskowitz was elected CCJO secretary general. In 1958, Moskowitz received an award from the Mexican Front for Human Rights for his proposals to the United Nations Human Rights Commission on behalf of the CCJO.

In the course of his long career, Moses Moskowitz wrote articles for such journals as Commentary, Jewish Social Studies, Political Science Quarterly, and La Revue des Droits de l'Homme. Moskowitz also authored four books about the United Nations and human rights. These volumes include: Human Rights and World Order: The Struggle for Human Rights in the United Nations (1958), The Politics and Dynamics of Human Rights (1968), International Concern with Human Rights (1974), and The Roots and Reaches of United Nations Actions and Decisions (1980). On March 19, 1990, Moses Moskowitz died of complications from pneumonia.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Name
American Jewish Committee CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
College of the City of New York (1926-1961) CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
United Nations. Economic and Social Council CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Subject
Non-governmental organizations -- History -- 20th century CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID