Between the 1910s and 1930s, a number of social assistance institutions with links to Jewish immigration were founded in São Paulo, to some extent sketching the outlines of a 'community'. The first of these was the Israelite Ladies' Beneficent Society, founded in 1915, which was followed by a number of others with different profiles and models of assistance, including two children's 'homes', a polyclinic, and a tuberculosis sanatorium. These institutions fulfilled a role ignored by the State, and their activities kept them on the front lines, both in discussions and tensions surrounding the model and issue of living in 'community' (between philanthropy and social control) and also in different projects for helping New World immigrants achieve social and cultural integration.
history of social assistance; history of social service; immigration; Jewish immigration; historiography of immigration; history of Jewish social assistance bodies
