Robert M. Travis Papers

Robert (Bob) M. Travis (1900-1985) was an ardent Zionist and one of the first to recognize, as early as 1939, that the Jewish people would be facing a holocaust if Europe’s Jews were not allowed to immigrate to Palestine. Robert Travis served as president of the Zionist District in Atlanta from 1937-1939. He later served as president of the Southeastern Zionist Region. In 1941, in association with Julian Boehm, he was instrumental in organizing the Atlanta branch of the American Christian Palestine Committee. He is also credited with being a founder of Camp Judaea in Henderson, North Carolina.

Bertha (Bert) Edison Travis (1902-1978) was involved with Hadassah for over four decades. She received the Atlanta Chapter of Hadassah’s highest honor, the Myrtle Wreath Award for her dedication to the cause of Zionism. Her service in Hadassah ranged from sending penny postcard meeting notices to serving as Atlanta Chapter president Southeastern Region president and a member of Hadassah’s national board. She was instrumental in organizing Hadassah chapters in Augusta, Rome, and Tampa, FL. Mrs. Travis initiated Atlanta’s Business and Professional Group of Hadassah, she also organized a Young Judaea Leaders’ Council and served as its advisor. As an active Zionist, she attended the World Zionist Congress in Geneva in 1939. A native of Russia, Mrs. Travis was a member of Congregation Ahavath Achim and its Sisterhood, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the National Council of Jewish Women and Brandeis University Women.