Health Care Organization of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia Ludności Żydowskiej w Polsce przy Centralnym Komitecie Żydow w Polsce (TOZ), Sygn. 324

Copyright Holder: Żydowski Instytut Historyczny im. Emanuela Ringelbluma Contains records related to the health conditions of Poles and Jews who survived the Holocaust and repatriates returning to Poland from the Soviet Union. The majority of the documents relate to child care, and to cooperation with international organizations.The most complete records are from Łódź, Warsaw, Dzierzoniów, Wrocław, Kraków and Szczecin. Materials include name indexes. Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia Ludności Żydowskiej w Polsce (Society for the Protection of Jewish Health in Poland)-TOZ: the Jewish organization established in Poland in 1921, derived from the Russian OZE organization (Obszczestwo Zdrawoochranienija Jewriejew). TOZ provided health care, especially for children, by establishing a network of infirmaries, sanatoriums and clinics. It financed summer camps for children from poor families, popularized hygiene and sport, for example by issuing pamphlets and periodicals on this topic. It contributed to combating the epidemics of typhus and tuberculosis. TOZ was financed by OZE and American Joint Distribution Committee (a welfare organization), as well as by many private funders. The president of TOZ was Gerszon Lewin. In 1939, TOZ had 300 units in 50 cities in the whole Poland. It was also active during WWII – it endeavored to help the starving and the sick in ghettos. In 1942 it was dissolved by order of German authorities. It was re-established in October 1946 within Central Committee of Jews in Poland. In 1950 it was again dissolved by the communist authorities of People’s Republic of Poland, and its units were taken over by the Ministry of Health.