Hebrew College collection, 1928-1996

Louis Hurwich, then superintendent of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Boston, founded Hebrew Teacher’s College in 1921. Hurwich was concerned about Jewish teachers leaving the field of Jewish education for other professions and sought an educational system that promoted Hebrew literacy at all levels. Hebrew Teacher’s College was also responsible for maintaining Hebrew High School (Prozdor), located at 14 Crawford Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Those students who graduated from the high school could matriculate to Hebrew Teacher’s College without having to take an exam. In 1943, the high school offered Talmud classes in addition to its regular curriculum, with studies in the Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, and codes and customs. In 2002, the College moved to its current location in Newton, Massachusetts. One year later, it opened its Rabbinical School. This collection contains brochures, catalogs, commencement addresses, event fliers, invitations, pamphlets and publications.

Cover of the book "Reise durch die Provence 1928" that celebrates the trip through Provence taken by Ellen Catzenstein, Mara Matthiesen and Gerda Rotermund.

Digital Image

Cover of the book "Reise durch die Provence 1928" that celebrates the trip through Provence taken by Ellen Catzenstein, Mara Matthiesen and Gerda Rotermund.

Digital Image

Lichtenau, Baden; Jewish Community Collection 1985-1996

Clippings on the dedication of the memorial of the former Jewish community of Lichtenau held on April 13 1986; commemoration speech by Ilse Noel.

Erich Goldberg Collection 1928-1933

Admission letter from Westfalia Loge (1928); letter of refusal for hospital admission for non Aryans (1933).

Ernest W. Michel Papers, 1698, 1938-1996 (bulk 1946-1987)

This collection contains the papers of Ernest W. Michel, Holocaust Survivor Journalist and public speaker,including clippings of newspaper articles written by and about Michel, correspondence between Michel and many important Jewish and political figures and autograph files, which Michel collected. Many of these files concern Michel’s Holocaust experiences, speaking engagements, the World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, and Michel’s work with the United Jewish Appeal.

Wilhelm Weinberg Collection 1928-1938

Copies of documents pertaining to the education of Rabbi Wilhelm Weinberg

Seasonal Greeting token 1996

Obverse: Emblem of the Israel Government Coins and Medal Corporation. Reverse: Stylized sun with which there is a dove of peace and underneath the sun, stylized Star of David

North American Jewish Students Appeal records, undated, 1962, 1964-1996 (bulk 1971-1995)

The records of the North American Jewish Students Appeal (NAJSA or APPEAL) contains documents on two levels of concern: those documents dealing with the NAJSA as a student-run organization promoting Jewish identity among college-aged youth; and those documents dealing with the APPEAL as a fundraising organization for several well-known student constituent organizations. The Constituents were: the Jewish Student Press Service, Lights in Action, the North American Jewish Students Network, the Progressive Zionist Caucus, Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review, Yavneh Religious Students Organization, and Yugntruf Youth for Yiddish. Documents include correspondence, financial records, minutes, press releases, information on grants awarded to student organizations for programming and publishing, student journals, and newspapers, photographs, and ephemera.

Congregation Shearith Israel (New York, N.Y.) records, undated, 1755-1996.

Contains published and manuscript material relating to the activities and administration of the congregation and its subsidiary organizations including reports and weekly bulletins, early financial records and lists of those honored at religious services, copies of resolutions and forms of service and prayers for various occasions in manuscript form. Contains also material relating to the cemetery photographs, the Hebra Hased Va-Amet (the congregational burial society) and to later clergy in the congregation, Henry Pereira Mendes, David de Sola Pool and Louis Coleman Gerstein including published copies of their sermons.

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.

Temple Israel Boston, Massachusetts collection, 1924-1996

Temple Israel was founded as Congregation Adath Israel in 1854 when a group of German Jews broke from Congregation Ohabei Shalom. The congregation was also known as the Pleasant Street Synagogue. In 1859, the congregation purchased cemetery land in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The synagogue was, and remains, a Reform congregation, and has been home to well known Rabbis, including Joshua Loth Liebman and Roland B. Gittelsohn. This collection contains flyers, newsletters, pamphlets, sermons and a yearbook.

Upper Valley Jewish Community Hanover, New Hampshire collection, undated, 1984-1996

The Upper Valley Jewish Community (UVJC) is an egalitarian congregation on the campus of Dartmouth College. The congregation hosts a Hebrew School and publishes the newsletter, "The Jewish Connection." This collection consists of several issues of the publication, "The Jewish Connection," as well as other miscellaneous invitations and programs for a variety of events.

Temple Mishkan Tefila Boston, Massachusetts collection, 1922-1996

Congregation Mishkan Tefila was founded in 1858 as Mishkan Israel, and is considered to be the oldest conservative synagogue in New England. Its founding members were East Prussian Jews who separated from Ohabei Shalom, which was predominately Polish at the time. In 1894, Mishkan Israel and another conservative synagogue, Shaarei Tefila, merged to form Congregation Mishkan Tefila. The synagogue moved its religious school to Walnut Street in Newton in 1955, and began planning for a new building in Chestnut Hill on Hammond Pond Parkway. The groundbreaking ceremony was on November 13, 1955. In 1958, services were held for the first time in the new synagogue building. This collection contains plays, annual reports, programs for events and dinners, and newsletters.

Marianne Berel Collection 1938-1996

Clippings, correspondence, published and unpublished articles on learning disabilities and music therapy; contains testimony on her experience in the internment camp of Gurs, France.