The Institute of Jewish Affairs (IJA) was founded in February 1941 as a research institute to provide analysis of political, legal and economic issues affecting Jewish life.
History
The Institute of Jewish Affairs was launched and sponsored by the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the American Jewish Congress. IJA’s headquarters were situated in New York City until 1965 when the institution relocated to London. In 1994 it was reestablished in London as Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
The Institute’s founder Dr Jacob Robinson argued that Jewish leaders, struggling for the interests of the Jewry after World War I, “were hampered by the lack of up-to-date information on the situation of the Jews and no less by the lack of research into relevant legal and political options.” The IJA was established to bridge the gap. The Institute’s research focused on the analysis of the political, legal and economic aspects of Jewish life since World War I. Their reports examined a number of topics including: the situation of Jewish communities in various countries, anti-Semitism, human rights related to minorities and migration, and the Holocaust and its aftermath. The organization was also involved in formulating a postwar policy to secure Jewish rights and freedom internationally.
Dr Jacob Robinson, IJA’s founder, served as its first director (1941–1947). He was succeeded by Nehemiah Robinson (1947–1964) and Oscar Karbach (1964–1973). In the late 1940s, the organization, together with WJC’s Political Department, was engaged in the preparation of reports submitted to the United Nations and other organizations.