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Th e article presents the way the preserved documents of the charitable organizations, legally operating during the war, can contribute to deepening our knowledge of the fortunes of the Cracow Jewish community during the German occupation. Of great importance for the wartime history of the Cracow Jews is the fact that the majority of them were displaced in 1940–1941. Th e ghetto set up in Cracow was intended for those who obtained a work permit. One way of keeping in contact with the displaced persons was through the Jewish charitable committees. Rich source materials have been preserved for the analysis of the activities of the Jewish charitable organizations, especially those undertaken in the fi rst two years of the occupation. An important documentation is kept in the Archive of the Jewish Historical Institute, where materials of the Jewish Social Self-Help are collected, and in the Archive of Modern Records, which stores the archival documents of the Central Welfare Council. Th e article presents various areas of studies on life under German occupation for which materials of this type can be of particular use. Discussed also is the way these materials depict various aspects of life and functioning under the war circumstances. Th e archival materials of the organizations can be used to study the cooperation between the Jewish and Polish social help institutions, to trace the process of liquidation of the Jewish charitable organizations, and to examine the situation and conditions of labour in the prison camps.