TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction

Institutional Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement Note

Conditions of Access and Use

Related Material

Administrative Information

Search Terms

Box and Folder Listing

Record Group A. Office of the President. 1947-2004.

Record Group B. Boards of Governors and Overseers. 1947-2011.

Record Group C. Office of Admissions and Student Affairs. 1947-2003.

Record Group D. Office of Development. 1947-1986.

Record Group E. Business Office. 1946-1982.

Record Group F. Office of Public Relations. 1947-2006.

Record Group G. Klau Library. 1944-1995.

Record Group H. Alumni Association. 1945-1998

Record Group I. Frank L. Weil Institute of Advanced Studies in Religion and the Humanities. 1958-1967.

Record Group J. Cincinnati Campus. 1939-2008.

Record Group K. Jerusalem Campus. 1947-2001.

Record Group L. Los Angeles Campus. 1936-2004.

Record Group M. New York Campus. 1947–2007.

Record Group N. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Printed Archives.

A Finding Aid to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Records. 1936-2022.

Manuscript Collection No. 20

Introduction
Repository: The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives
Creator: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Title: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Records.
Dates: 1936-2022
Quantity: 1,123.8 linear feet
Abstract: The collection contains the records of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion from the inauguration of Nelson Glueck as president in 1947 to the present. The largest record group, Office of the President, consists primarily of the files of Nelson Glueck, 1947-1971, and Alfred Gottschalk, 1971-1995.
Collection Number: MS-20
Language: Collection material in English.

Institutional Sketch

The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion was formed in 1950 with the merger of the two leading Reform Jewish seminaries in the United States, the Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Institute of Religion. Today, the College-Institute maintains four campuses: in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem.

Founded in 1875 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the Hebrew Union College was the fulfillment of Wise's dream of creating an institution that would perpetuate what one historian has called Wise's desire "to establish a distinctly American Judaism unrestrained by its roots in Europe."* Wise succeeded where many others had failed. The Hebrew Union College grew and became the first permanent modern rabbinical seminary in America.

Wise served as the first president of the College until his death in 1900 when the respected scholar and rabbi, Kaufmann Kohler, was named his successor. Kohler served as president until 1922 when he retired and was succeeded by Julian Morgenstern, a professor in Bible and Semitic languages at the College since 1907. Morgenstern was the first American born president of the College and was also the first president to be a graduate of HUC, receiving his ordination in 1902. Morgenstern was president for 25 years. He retired in 1947. That year Nelson Glueck was inaugurated as HUC's fourth president.

The Jewish Institute of Religion was founded in New York City in 1922 by the noted Zionist and rabbi, Dr. Stephen S. Wise. If an institution can be said to embody a person, then the JIR embodied Rabbi Wise. It was built from his convictions and carried his spirit. Writing in his autobiography, Wise outlined his vision for the JIR: "Rabbinical seminaries must prepare men for service in the rabbinate, for contributing to Jewish learning, and for community service, leaving the faculty and student body free, not merely in the matter of ritual observance, but intellectually and spiritually free in accordance with undogmatic liberalism, which is at the heart of the genius of Judaism."

Wise was the only president of the JIR. He used the title "Acting President" for five years until the faculty of JIR "unanimously demanded" in 1927 that he assume the title of president.

Following the merger, the new College-Institute began a program of expansion: in faculty, programs, students and campuses. In 1954 a third campus, in Los Angeles, was opened and, in 1963, Dr. Glueck's dream of placing the College-Institute in Israel was fulfilled with the opening of a campus in Jerusalem.

Nelson Glueck died in 1971 and in February 1972 Alfred Gottschalk was inaugurated as the sixth president of the College-Institute. During the Gottschalk administration the College-Institute has grown to include schools of rabbinics, graduate studies, sacred music, education, Judaic studies, archaeology, and Jewish communal service. It supports the Klau Library, the Skirball Museum, the Starkoff Institute of Ethics, the American Jewish Archives and the American Jewish Periodical Center.

In 1995 Alfred Gottschalk resigned as president and was appointed chancellor of the College-Institute. In 1996 Sheldon Zimmerman, rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas and a former president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, was named Gottschalk's successor and became the seventh president of HUC-JIR.

Rabbi David H. Ellenson was installed as the eighth President of HUC-JIR in 2001. In 2011, the School of Sacred Music was renamed The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music to memorialize faculty member Debbie Friedman, who died in the same year. In 2014 Rabbi Aaron Panken was inaugurated as HUC-JIR's ninth president.

The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion has produced many generations of leaders for the Reform Jewish community. It is a leading organization in the Jewish community worldwide and is known as a preeminent center of study, research and liberal thought for both Jews and non-Jews in a variety of fields.

Much information for this Institutional Sketch came from Michael Meyer's history of the College-Institute, "A Centennial History," published in Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion At One Hundred Years, edited by Samuel E. Karff (Hebrew Union College Press, 1976).

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Scope and Content Note

The collection contains the records of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion from the inauguration of Nelson Glueck as president in 1947 to the present. Records from all four campuses: Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem, are represented, along with national offices that provide administration for all four of the HUC-JIR campuses. The largest record group, Office of the President, consists primarily of the files of Nelson Glueck, 1947-1971, and Alfred Gottschalk, 1971-1995.

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Arrangement Note

This collection is arranged in fourteen (14) record groups:

  • Record Group A. Office of the President.
  • Record Group B. Board of Governors and Overseers.
  • Record Group C. Office of Admissions and Student Affairs.
  • Record Group D. Office of Development.
  • Record Group E. Business Office.
  • Record Group F. Office of Public Relations.
  • Record Group G. Klau Library.
  • Record Group H. Alumni Association.
  • Record Group I. Frank L. Weil Institute of Advanced Studies in Religion and the Humanities.
  • Record Group J. Cincinnati Campus.
  • Record Group K. Jerusalem Campus.
  • Record Group L. Los Angeles Campus.
  • Record Group M. New York Campus.
  • Record Group N. HUC-JIR Printed Archives.

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Conditions of Access and Use

Terms of Access

HUC-JIR Records are restricted; permission of the Executive Director required.

Terms of Reproduction and Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce, with exceptions for fair use, may be obtained through the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Please address queries to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information, see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.

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Related Material

Related Collections

Additional material related to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion may be found in the AJA Online Catalog.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Records and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:

[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-20. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Records. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Provenance

The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Records were received from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in numerous installments, 1948-.

Processing Information

Processed by American Jewish Archives staff. Additional processing by Elisa Ho and Michelle Wirth Detroit, June 2012.

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Box and Folder Listing

Record Group A. Office of the President. 1947-2004.[277 Hollinger boxes, 260 Record Cartons, 3 nonstandard boxes (372.6 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: The Office of the President record group is the largest record group in the collection. Material reflects the administrations of all the presidents of the college, along with records pertaining to the merger of Hebrew Union College and the Jewish Institute of Religion. The most extensive records are found in Series 1. Nelson Glueck and Series 2. Alfred Gottschalk.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into nine series.
Series 1. Nelson Glueck. 1947-1971.[238 Hollinger boxes, 2 Record Cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Material in Series 1) Nelson Glueck, is the most extensive, and contains records pertaining to the merger with the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York as well as the addition of campuses in Los Angeles and Jerusalem. Of interest in the Glueck series is Subseries e, Manuscripts, which holds a selection of Glueck's scholarly writings and addresses relating to his work as biblical archaeologist. Boxes A1a-165 thru A1a-172, reflect the transition from the administration of Nelson Glueck to that of Alfred Gottschalk.
Arrangement Note: This series is divided into seven subseries.
Subseries A. General Correspondence.
Subseries B. Miscellaneous Correspondence.
Subseries C. Society of Friends of American Judaism.
Subseries D. Miscellaneous.
Subseries E. Manuscripts.
Subseries F. Committees.
Subseries G. Jerusalem School.
Series 2. Alfred Gottschalk.1960s-2000s.[9 Hollinger boxes, 239 Record Cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains records pertaining to Alfred Gottschalk's administration as president, in which he established the first School of Jewish Communal Service in America, opened the Rabbinical and Cantorial Schools to women, ordained the first woman rabbi in America in 1972, and invested the first woman cantor in America in 1975.
Arrangement Note: This series is divided into four subseries.
Subseries A. Inauguration.
Subseries B. General Correspondence.
Subseries C. Speeches.
Subseries D. Cynthia Marmur Files.
Series 3. Honorary Degrees.1953-1996.[5 Hollinger boxes, 6 Record Cartons, 2 nonstandard boxes]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of records pertaining to the selection and awarding of honorary degrees, includes correspondence and some biographical information on recipients.
Series 4. Merger of Hebrew Union College and Jewish Institute of Religion.1947-1956.[2 Hollinger boxes]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of records related to the merger of Hebrew Union College with the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.
Series 5. Founder's Day [All Campuses].1955-2004.[2 Hollinger boxes]
Series 6. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Centennial.1968-1976.[9 Hollinger boxes]
Series 7. Ordination, Graduation and Opening Day Exercises.1949-2000.[9 Hollinger boxes, 2 Record Cartons]
Series 8. Sheldon Zimmerman.1984-2002.[3 Hollinger boxes, 9 Record Cartons, 1 nonstandard box]
Series 9. David Ellenson.2001-2002.[2 Record Cartons]
Record Group B. Boards of Governors and Overseers. 1947-2011.[40 Hollinger boxes, 36 Record cartons (52 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: The Boards of Governors and Overseers record group contains records, minutes, and correspondence pertaining to meetings and committees of the Board of Governors and the Board of Overseers. Board of Governors records are nearly complete up to 2011.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into two series.
Series 1. Board of Governors. 1947-2009.[38 Hollinger boxes, 29 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Annual files include minutes, reports, correspondence, budgets, nearprint, member biographies, committee minutes, meeting transcripts, and other miscellaneous documents. Annual files also include Sidney Meyers personal records as Chair of the Board of Governors from 1962-1966 and the 1957 Building Committee files. Bound Minutes represent a complete run up to 1998; minutes after 1998 are nearly complete, see previous subseries for missing minutes.
Note: Audiorecordings of Board of Governors meetings may also be available. Additional material related to the Board of Governors may be found in the AJA Online Catalog.
Arrangement Note: The Board of Governors series is arranged in two sections.
Subseries A. Annual Files.
Subseries B. Bound Minutes.
Series 2. Board of Overseers. 1954-1990.[2 Hollinger boxes, 7 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: The Board Overseers series consists primarily of records from the Cincinnati campus and the Los Angeles campus.
Arrangement Note: The Board of Overseers series is arranged first by campus, then by year.
Subseries A. All Campuses.
Record Group C. Office of Admissions and Student Affairs. 1947-2003.[46 Hollinger boxes, 21 Record cartons (39.4 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: This record group contains materials related to student admissions and placement, along with records pertaining to the development of the Year-in-Israel program for first year Rabbinic students.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into two series.
Series 1. Admission Records. 1949-2003.[14 Hollinger boxes, 16 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: This series consists primarily of student applications for admissions and admissions decisions, along with recruitment efforts and records pertaining to the Year-in-Israel program for first year Rabbinic students.
Restrictions: The files in this series are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Series 2. Student Ministrations. 1947-2002.[32 Hollinger boxes, 5 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: contains reports of student pulpit assignments and reports.
Record Group D. Office of Development. 1947-1986.[25 Hollinger boxes, 24 Record cartons (34 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: Consists primarily of correspondence and various fund raising efforts, along with files on bequests and pledges.
Record Group E. Business Office. 1946-1982.[10 Hollinger boxes, 4 Record cartons (8 linear feet)]
Record Group F. Office of Public Relations. 1947-2006.[10 Hollinger boxes, 70 Record cartons (74 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: This record group consists of correspondence, memos, press releases, and programs and exhibits for events taking place on all four campuses of HUC-JIR.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into two series.
Series 1. General. 1947-2006.[10 Hollinger boxes, 64 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of correspondence, press releases, donor lists, and programs and exhibits from all the campuses.
Series 2. Community relations. 1958-1990s.[6 Record cartons]
Record Group G. Klau Library. 1944-1995.[7 Hollinger boxes, 16 Record cartons (18.8 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: Primarily contains the files of Herbert C. Zafren, who served as a librarian and then Director of Libraries for more than forty years. These consist of correspondence, library reports, and reference statistics for the libraries.
Record Group H. Alumni Association. 1945-1998[13 Hollinger boxes, 1 Record carton (6.2 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of correspondence, minutes, and records of the Alumni Association and Board of Alumni Overseers, along with records of deceased alumni from 1947-1966.
Record Group I. Frank L. Weil Institute of Advanced Studies in Religion and the Humanities. 1958-1967.[3 Hollinger boxes (1.2 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: Consists primarily of correspondence and publicity.
Record Group J. Cincinnati Campus. 1939-2008.[27 Hollinger boxes, 136 Record cartons (146.8 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: This record group consists primarily of correspondence and minutes for the various administrative offices of the Cincinnati campus. Series 1. Faculty and Series 8. Deans Office are the most extensive and complete series in this record group.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into eight series.
Series 1. Faculty. 1939-2006.[4 Hollinger boxes, 27 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Consists primarily of faculty correspondence, committee and meeting minutes.
Restrictions: The files in this series are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Series 2. Student and Community Services. 1950-2000.[7 Hollinger boxes, 1 Record carton]
Series 3. Student Association. 1947-1972.[2 Hollinger boxes]
Box
J3-1 Constitution. 1967.
Series 4. Student Sermons. 1966-2008.[7 Hollinger boxes]
Series 5. Youth Programs Department. 1980-1992.[6 Hollinger boxes, 4 Record cartons]
Series 6. Executive Vice-President (Mihaly/Greengus). 1973-1994.[1 Hollinger boxes, 5 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Series 6, Executive Vice-President, contains files on many contemporary topics and activities of importance to the Reform movement and the College-Institute during the 1980s, including the Efroymson lecture series, the Year-in-Israel portion of the rabbinic program, and women in the rabbinate.
Series 7. Facilities. 1976-2003.[6 Record Cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files on building and grounds maintenance and upkeep for the Cincinnati campus.
Series 8. Dean's Office. 1961-2005.[93 Record Cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Consists primarily of files of Kenneth Ehrlich, Dean of the Cincinnati Campus from 1985 to 2011. Files include correspondence, programs, projects, and committees. Student files consist of admissions materials, fourth and fifth year sermons, academic correspondence, thesis proposals and final reports for students from all campuses.
Restrictions: The files in box J8-24 are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Arrangement Note: This series is divided into two subseries.
Subseries A. General.
Subseries B. Student files (all campuses).
Record Group K. Jerusalem Campus. 1947-2001.[20 Hollinger boxes, 2 Record cartons (10 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: This record group consists of records from various administrative offices for the Jerusalem campus of HUC-JIR, which document the development of the Jerusalem campus along with the Year-in-Israel program, which requires all first year rabbinical students to study at the Jerusalem campus.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into six series.
Series 1. General Files. 1947-2001.[6 Hollinger boxes, 1 Record carton]
Scope and Content Note: This series contains general files of the Jerusalem campus, including the dedication ceremony and newsletters.
Restrictions: The files in box K1-7 are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Series 2. Nelson Glueck. 1960-1979.[5 Hollinger boxes]
Scope and Content Note: The Glueck series is separate from the Office of the President record group. The files in this record group deal exclusively with the Jerusalem campus and their provenance is from the Jerusalem campus.
Series 3. Alfred Gottschalk. 1971-1986.[2 Hollinger boxes]
Scope and Content Note: The Gottschalk series is separate from the Office of the President record group. The files in this record group deal exclusively with the Jerusalem campus and their provenance is from the Jerusalem campus.
Series 4. Richard J. Scheuer. 1954-1989.[4 Hollinger boxes]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files of Mr. Scheuer, a member of the College-Institute's Board of Governors. Mr. Scheuer was deeply involved in the construction of the Jerusalem campus and these files, received from his office in New York City, reflect these activities.
Series 5. Blueprints. 1973-1984.[1 Hollinger boxes]
Scope and Content Note: This series contains blueprints for the Jerusalem campus construction.
Series 6. Year-in-Israel Program. 1970-1998.[2 Hollinger boxes, 1 Record carton]
Scope and Content Note: Contains primarily correspondence about the the Year-in-Israel program required of all first year rabbinical students.
Record Group L. Los Angeles Campus. 1936-2004.[28 Hollinger boxes, 254 Record cartons (265.2 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: This record group contains the records of the various administrative offices of the Los Angeles campus of HUC-JIR. Series 3. Dean's Office is the largest series in this record group.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into six series.
Series 1. Department of College Relations and Planning. 1949-2004.[15 Hollinger boxes, 8 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: The first series includes papers concerning the founding of the Los Angeles school, articles of incorporation, accreditation papers, and materials pertaining to events (such as graduations, opening day exercises, lectures, dedications, alumni meetings), publicity and publications (such as annual reports, museum calendars, catalogs, class schedules, and brochures) of Los Angeles campus.
Series 2. School of Jewish Communal Service (Bubis).1936-2004.[12 Hollinger boxes, 95 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: The second series contains papers of Gerald Bubis, professor of Jewish Communal Studies at the Los Angeles school and founder and first director of the School of Jewish Communal Service.
Arrangement Note: This series is divided into four subseries.
Subseries A. Administrative/Office Files.
Subseries B. Correspondence.
Section c. Resource Materials.
Subseries D. Bubis personal files.
Series 3. Dean's Office.1957-2000.[108 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Third series consists of Dean’s office files for the administrations of Alfred Gottschalk, Lewis Barth, Uri D. Herscher, and Lee Bycel – covering the years 1958-2000.
Arrangement Note: This series is divided into five subseries.
Subseries A. Alfred Gottschalk.
Subseries B. Lewis Barth.
Section c. Uri D. Herscher.
Subseries D. Lee Bycel.
Section e. Lewis Barth.
Series 4. Rhea Hirsch School of Education. 1961-1985.[1 Hollinger box, 15 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains the records of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, including records from its development in the 1960s, along with curriculum and placement files.
Series 5. Faculty. 1950-2002.[24 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: This series contains faculty files, course syllabi, research files, and correspondence for faculty members working at the Los Angeles campus.
Restrictions: The files in this series are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Series 6. Edgar F. Magnin School of Graduate Studies. 1983–1997.[4 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains records of the Graduate school including thesis proposals and student files.
Record Group M. New York Campus. 1947–2007.[9 Hollinger boxes, 98 Record cartons (101.6 linear feet)]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files of various administrative offices of the New York campus, including the Dean's Office, the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music.
Arrangement Note: This record group is divided into six series.
Series 1. General files. 1947–2007.[4 Hollinger boxes, 6 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of general campus administrative files, along with materials pertaining to the development and construction of the Brookdale Center, boxes M1-2 through M1-4.
Series 2. Fritz Bamberger. 1961–1975.[5 Hollinger boxes, 1 Record carton]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files of Fritz Bamberger, professor of Intellectual History. The Bamberger files consist of alphabetical files including many folders on the Reform Jewish movement throughout the world.
Series 3. Paul M. Steinberg. 1961–2005.[58 Record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files of Paul Steinberg, who was Dean of the New York campus from 1956-2005.
Series 4. Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. 1970-1999.[14 record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains records of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music including correspondence, student files, programs and compositions, and five boxes (M4-10 to M4-14) of sound recordings of student and faculty performances.
Series 5. Faculty. 1973–1997.[5 record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Consists of files related to various faculty searches, including candidate profiles, job announcements, and student evaluations.
Restrictions: The files in this subseries are restricted. Requests to see these files must be made, in writing, to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.
Series 6. Kerry Olitzky (Dean of Adult Jewish Learning and Living). 1980-1998.[14 record cartons]
Scope and Content Note: Contains files of Kerry Olitzky, Dean of Adult Jewish Learning and Living. Files include lifelong learning programs, lectures, and events developed for adult Jewish learning.
Record Group N. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Printed Archives.
Scope and Content Note: Consists of mimeographed material, press releases, newsclippings, publications and assorted ephemera concerning all of the departments, campuses, faculty, students and activities of the College-Institute. New material is added to this record group regularly.

Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA's online catalog.

Persons and Families

Glueck, Nelson, -- 1900-1971 -- Correspondence
Gottschalk, Alfred, -- 1930- -- Correspondence

Institutions

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion -- Archives

Subjects

Jewish learning and scholarship
Jewish learning and scholarship -- Israel -- Jerusalem
Rabbinical seminaries -- Israel -- Jerusalem
Rabbinical seminaries -- United States
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism -- Israel -- Jerusalem

Occupations

Rabbis

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