Spivak Letters, National Library of Israel

Dr. Charles Spivak was born in Russia in 1861 and died in Denver, Colorado in 1927. He arrived in New York City in 1882 and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1893, Charles Spivak married Jennie Charsky and they had three children: David, Deena, and Ruth. Jennie Charsky was born in Russia in 1871 and briefly studied law at Cornell before graduating from the University of Denver. Because of Jennie's poor health the Spivaks moved to Denver in 1886. Dr. Spivak was a co-founder of the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society (JCRS) and was the executive secretary from 1904 until 1927 Dr. Spivak was appointed a member of the Joint Distribution Committee's relief unit to study health and sanitation in Europe after World War I. The collection consists of copies of original letters between Dr. Charles Spivak and his family and colleagues during Dr. Spivak's travels to Poland via France in the 1920s.