The Refugee Resettlement Committee saw one of the most basic social skills\u2014the ability to make friends\u2014as a necessity for the positive adjustment of refugees arriving in Philadelphia. To aid this process, the committee created a service staffed by volunteer \u201cfriendly visitors.\u201d The committee would interview these \u201cnew Americans\u201d after their arrival, creating a profile card summarizing the individual or family\u2019s background and social preferences. Volunteers were then matched with refugees based on shared interests in the hopes of fostering a friendship.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/a>Max and Fridericka Lauer and their two sons were just one of the many families who were matched with Refugee Resettlement Committee volunteers between 1938 and 1941. The Lauers\u2019 profile card indicates the eldest son, Lothar, immigrated to Philadelphia in September 1938 and enrolled as a student at Temple University prior to his family\u2019s arrival in March the next year. Described as a cultured family, the following excerpt from the Lauers\u2019 profile provides some insight into the challenges they faced in creating a social network on their own:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. and Mrs. Lauer have always been interested in music, the theatre, the opera\u2013but have been unable to partake of these activities in this country because of a financial inability, and a lack of friends with whom to share these interests. Mrs. Lauer is also interested in bridge but states that the women she has met in her neighborhood are old Jewish women whose sole interest is the house, thus giving her very little in common with them. Mrs. Lauer does not speak English at all, Dr. Lauer speaks quite poorly. It would therefore be necessary to find a German-speaking volunteer for this family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
–Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist, SCRC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The task of acclimating to a new environment can be daunting for anyone relocating or settling in a new city or country. In addition to establishing a home, finding work, accessing health care and other services, and possibly learning a new language, developing friendships is an important part of feeling connected to a new community. … Continue reading From the Philadelphia Jewish Archives: Friend-Finding Service for Refugees<\/span>