Sepher ha-Takanoth shel Kollel America Tiphereth Jerusalem - Constitutios (sic!) of the Kollel America Tiphereth Jerusalem...Rules concerning rights of members...and supporters

The Kollel America was founded in 1897 with the blessing of Rabbi Joshua Diskin (Rabbi of Brisk) as a means of support for the 500 American Jews residing in Jerusalem. American Jews were called upon to assume financial responsibility for their countrymen residing in the city. This engendered bitter internal politics with the administration of the "Vaad Haklali" (Central Charity Committee) presided over by Rabbi Samuel Salant, which had until then been solely responsible for the collection and distribution of funds for the impoverished residents of Jerusalem. This protracted disagreement was eventually solved by a rabbinic mediation between Kollel America and Va’ad Kellali Kneseth Yisrael. (See Kestenbaum and Company Auction XIII, lot 442 for other letters concerning this Din Torah). Although the Kollel America was founded to help American (and Canadian) Jews, it also “extends assistance liberally to the distressed without regard of their native country.”