Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Boston, Mass.) records, undated, 1865-1989 (bulk 1942-1979)

The Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston, Massachusetts is the oldest federated Jewish philanthropy in the United States. The current incarnation of CJP was formed in 1960, when two separate federated philanthropies – the Combined Jewish Appeal and Associated Jewish Philanthropies – merged to create a single organization dedicated to serving the needs of Boston’s Jewish community. CJP’s records contain the history of several other organizations, from the forerunners of the current Federation to the Jewish institutions supported by CJP. Their beginnings can be traced to the founding of the United Hebrew Benevolent Association (UHBA) in 1864 at the Pleasant Street Synagogue (now Temple Israel.) This collection contains meeting minutes, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, financial documents and ledgers, appeal information, publicity, programs, brochures and other written documents relating CJP’s history.

Beth Israel Hospital (Boston, MA) Records, undated, 1923, 1930-1964, 1988, 1991-1992

In 1916, the Jewish community of Boston established Beth Israel Hospital on Townsend Street in Roxbury to provide health care to immigrants in the area. Although accessible to everyone, the hospital provided Yiddish-speaking services for Eastern European Jewish immigrants and served kosher food, as well as conducted Jewish religious services. In 1928 the hospital entered into a teaching agreement with Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Simmons College. Shortly thereafter, the hospital moved to its current location in the Longwood area of Boston and expanded to a 220-bed operation. During 1935-1936, at the height of the Depression, Beth Israel spent 1.5 million dollars in free patient care and was only one of two local hospitals to offer health care to people on welfare. In 1996, Beth Israel Hospital merged with Deaconess Medical Center and became Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. This collection contains reports, pamphlets and hospital publications.