Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) was established in 1914 as a philanthropic organization to channel financial support from the U.S. to Jewish populations in eastern Europe during World War I. The JDC--also known as "the Joint"--distributed nearly $100 million in aid to European Jews between 1939 and 1950, in funding for rescue operations, underground organizations, children’s shelters, immigration support and direct relief to refugees.