John Stanley Grauel papers

John Stanley Grauel (1917-1986) was born in Worcester, MA, and graduated from a theological seminary in Maine in 1941 as a Methodist Minister. He joined the Christian Council of Palestine (later the American Christian Palestine Committee) in 1942, and in 1944 he joined the Haganah’s efforts to smuggled European Jews into Palestine. He was included in the mission of the Exodus 1947, a former naval vessel, the President Warfield, which was acquired by the Haganah, renamed, and sent on an ill-fated mission to transport Holocaust survivors to Palestine illegally. Grauel was arrested by the British Navy when the ship was intercepted by British destroyers, and he gave testimony before the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine that Golda Meir credited with changing the sympathies of the UN in favor of a Jewish state. The State of Israel awarded Grauel the Humanity Medal, the Fighter for Israel Medal and the Medal of Jerusalem. The John Stanley Grauel papers consist of correspondence, photographs, printed materials, and subject files documenting Grauel's experiences as a crew member on the Exodus 1947, his support for the creation of the State of Israel, and his lifelong career speaking about the Exodus and fighting anti‐ Semitism. Correspondence includes a handful of postcards, letters, and telegrams from around the time of the Exodus 1947’s journey, later correspondence remembering the voyage, correspondence about related book projects, advocacy correspondence, and letters of thanks for presentations made by Grauel. Most of the photographs depict the Exodus 1947, her crew, water taken on board during a gale off the coast of North America prior to her famous voyage, her refugee passengers, and British soldiers aboard. Additional photographs depict Grauel, reunions of the Exodus crew, signed photographs of well‐known people including David Ben‐Gurion, Harry S. Truman, Abba Hillel Silver, and Will Durant, and unsigned photographs of other well‐known people including Golda Meir and Sophie Tucker. Printed materials include clippings covering the voyage of the Exodus 1947 and the fate of its passengers; clippings, invitations, and programs documenting Grauel’s speaking engagements over the years; scrapbooks including clippings about Grauel’s youth and additional clippings about the Exodus and Grauel’s speaking engagements; pamphlets about the Exodus and about Israel’s economy; and an invitation and program for events honoring Harry S. Truman. Subject files include Grauel’s affidavits about the Exodus, awards and recognition he received, introductions and biographies describing Grauel’s life, a document about a twentieth anniversary program regarding the Exodus, notes for a book project, notes for Grauel’s speeches or sermons, and a travel diary describing Grauel’s voyage to the Mediterranean in 1953 and 1954. Additional documents relating to a 1956 United Nations briefing by Israel about anti‐Semitism in Egypt include exhibits and photographs.