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Levy (Joseph) Papers
MS.275
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: Joseph Levy papers
source:
Levy, Robley
Creator:
Levy, Joseph M. (Joseph Meyer), 1901-1965
Identifier/Call Number: MS.275
Physical Description:
18.7 Linear Feet
17 half cartons; 5 flats; 4 cartons
Date (inclusive): 1897, 1919-1973
Abstract: The Joseph Levy papers contain daily
dispatches, correspondence, research materials, photographs, and newspaper clippings that
document Joseph Levy's journalism career and the events and politics of the Middle East and
Eastern Europe.
Language of Material:
English .
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Many of the documents in this collection are in fragile condition.
Collection is open for research.
Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs.
Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair
use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to
determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more
information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.
Joseph Levy papers. MS 275. Special Collections and Archives, University Library,
University of California, Santa Cruz.
Gift of Robley Levy, Joseph Levy's daughter-in-law.
Joseph Meyer Levy (1901-1965) was an American citizen, due to his father's citizenship,
who was born, brought up and educated in Palestine. He was the
New York Times
correspondent for the Middle East, reporting from Jerusalem in Palestine, and Cairo, Egypt
from 1928 to 1940, and from Ankara, Turkey from 1943 to 1944. Previously he had worked for
the Civil Authorities of the British Mandate in Jerusalem. He was multilingual, speaking
English, French, German, Hungarian, Hebrew, Yiddish, and a number of Arabic dialects. His
Arabic was augmented by his experiences living with the Bedouin in the desert for six
months. Following his work with the
New York Times he worked for the
American Jewish Committee in New York, and was a public relations representative for
Congressman Emmanuel Cellar and the French government in the U.S., for Ambassadors Herve
Alphand and Couve de Mourville.
Chronology
- 1920 - employed as a clerk for the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)
- 1928 - appointed The New York Times correspondent
- 1930's - reviews and reports on Middle East situations, including the administrative, political, psychological and social causes. Corresponds with British intelligence and armed forces, General Henry Maitland Wilson
- 1936 - British forces commendation
- 1943-1944 - reports on the plight of the Jewish people in the Balkans and Eastern Europe
- 1945 - suffers ill health; denied accreditation and Egyptian visa
- 1946 - retires from the New York Times
- 1948-1950 - corresponds with Nessim Moreno and starts work for the American Jewish Committee
- 1954-1959 - Public Relations Representative for Congressman Emmanuel Cellar and the French government in the U.S. with ambassadors Herve Alphand and Couve de Murville
- 1960 - awarded Legion of Honor by French ambassador Herve Alphand
- 1965- Joseph Meyer's obituary written by Ben Avi for Maariv
Among the significant issues, though not a comprehensive list, on which these documents
shed light are:
- Actions of the British Civil and Military Authorities in Palestine in the 1920's and 1930's
- Arab/Jewish relations in Palestine, both Arab and Jewish political factions, ambitions and actions, and the Arab Riots of 1929
- The British Commission of Inquiry, 1929
- Jewish and Zionist politics both in Palestine and internationally
- Issues of Jewish immigration and its impact on Palestine and Palestinians
- In the run up to World War II, potential Arab alliance with the Axis Powers
- Events in Egypt from the death of King Fuad and the ascension of Farouk to onset of World War II, including reports of archaeological finds
- The War in the Western Desert
- The Axis threat to the Middle East
- Jewish refugee crisis in the Balkans as the Germans moved east toward the the end of the war
Biography written by Robley Levy, Joseph Levy's daughter-in-law.
This collection contains daily dispatches from Jerusalem, Cairo, and Ankara between 1928
and 1945. In addition there is personal correspondence, research materials, financial
papers, photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and ephemera that document Levy's
journalism career, the events and politics of the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and Levy's
public relations work for Congressman Emmanual Cellar and the French government in the
United States.
Joseph Levy's papers contain substantial raw historical information. Particularly rich are
the voluminous near daily and sometimes several times a day dispatches from Jerusalem, Cairo
and Ankara between 1928 and 1945. While Levy's work often appeared in
The New York
Times
, these documents offer many that were not used for publication and which
contain substantially greater detail and information than those that were printed.
Collection is arranged chronologically by series.
This collection was processed by Debra Roussopoulos in 2019. Additions to the collection
were processed by Zoe MacLeod in 2023. Original folder titles were retained when
possible.
For more on Joseph M. Levy and his work, see:
- The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Israeli State Archive
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Journalism
Middle East
Balkan Peninsula
Levy, Robley
Levy, Joseph M. (Joseph Meyer), 1901-1965