Access
and Provenance
A Finding Aid to the
William Rosenau Papers
Manuscript Collection No. 41
1889-1944. 5 Linear ft.
| Access
and Provenance
|
A Finding Aid to theWilliam Rosenau PapersManuscript Collection No. 411889-1944. 5 Linear ft.
|
The WILLIAM ROSENAU PAPERS were donated to the American Jewish Archives by the Rosenau family in 1948.
Property rights have been assigned to the American Jewish Archives. All literary rights to materials authored by William Rosenau are held by the Rosenau heirs. Literary rights to materials authored by others are held by the individual author or his/her heirs. Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Director of the American Jewish Archives.
The WILLIAM ROSENAU PAPERS are open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH William Rosenau was born in Wolstein,
Germany in 1865, the son of Rabbi Nathan and Johanna (Braun) Rosenau. The family
came to the United States and settled in the Philadelphia area when William
Rosenau was eleven.
Much of Rosenau's early education was
acquired from his father. The atmosphere of a rabbinic home no doubt influenced
Rosenau's decision to enter the rabbinate. He studied at the University of Cincinnati
and received his A.B. in 1888. In 1889 he became a rabbi after graduating from
the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. In 1900 he received a Ph.D. from Johns
Hopkins After graduation from the seminary,
Rosenau served at Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska from 1889 to 1892. He then
received a call from Baltimore to become rabbi at Congregation Oheb Shalom.
He served as active rabbi in Baltimore until 1939, when he became rabbi emeritus.
In 1942 he completed his fiftieth consecutive year as rabbi of the congregation.
While at Congregation Oheb Shalom he succeeded in the introduction of English
prayers and sermons (from the previous German), the abolishment of the compulsory
wearing of hats during services, and the introduction of the Friday evening
service. He also served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in the Department
of Semitics (1902-1932).
Rosenau was involved in the activities
of the general and Jewish communities of Baltimore. He was a member of the Baltimore
School Board from 1900 to 1910 and served on the Maryland Society for the Study
and Prevention of Tuberculosis. He was a member of a commission which made a
study of state-aided colleges in Maryland, the Board of the Prisoners Aid Association
and the Maryland Commission for the Higher Education of Negroes. He served on
the board of the Associated Jewish Charities and was for a time its director.
He was a secretary of the central Conference of American Rabbis and later served
as president (1916-1918). He was a founder of the Jewish Welfare Board, a member
of the Board of Jewish Education, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations,
and the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College (1917-1943). He served
for several years as chancellor of the Jewish Chautauqua Society.
In addition to numerous articles in
periodicals, Rosenau also wrote the following: Hebraisms in the Authorized
Version of the Bible (1901); Jewish Ceremonial Institutions and Customs
(1903, 1925); Jewish Biblical Commentators (1904); The Seder Haggada
(1905); Jewish Education (1912); Book of Consolation (1914); and
The Rabbi in Action (1937). He contributed a number of articles to the
Jewish Encyclopedia, and translated Esther for the Jewish Publication
Society of America.
Dr. Rosenau was married twice. He married
his first wife, Mabel Hellman, in 1893. They had two children, William H. and
Marguerite (Mrs. Carl K. Kiefer). Mabel Rosenau died in 1923. Rosenau married
Myra Krause in 1925. Rabbi William Rosenau died in December 1943.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The WILLIAM ROSENAU PAPERS (1889-1944) document many of the interests
and activities in the career of the rabbi and scholar, William Rosenau. The
collection consists of materials relating to his more than fifty years of
service as rabbi of Congregation Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, Maryland and to his
anti-Zionist position. Types of materials in the collection are correspondence
with rabbis, congregations, and individuals in the Reform Jewish movement;
sermons, addresses, confirmation services, reviews, prayers, editorials,
newsclippings, and photographs. The Papers are divided into four series: Sub-Series 2. Commemorative (1917; 1935; 1939) consists primarily of
of letters and telegrams dealing with Rosenau's twentieth anniversary as rabbi
of Congregation Oheb Shalom in Baltimore (1917), the fiftieth anniversary of his
ordination as a rabbi (1939), and his seventieth birthday (1935). Some
newsclippings and pamphlets are also included. The material in this series was
originally bound in scrapbooks. The arrangement reflects the original order.
The LITERARY PRODUCTIONS series (1892-1943) consists of six boxes of
sermons, addresses, lectures, notes relating to sermons and addresses,
abstracts of sermons and addresses, prayers, confirmation services, and book
reviews, and editorials. Much of the material is in bound volumes. This causes
the basic chronological arrangement to be broken and overlapped. Abstracts of
the sermons and addresses follow the sermons and addresses while confirmation
services, prayers, book reviews, and editorials are placed at the end of the
series. Box 3 Folder 4 contains lists of sermon subjects and titles which may
be helpful in locating a particular sermon or address.
The NEWSCLIPPINGS series (1892-1939) consists of approximately two and
one-half boxes of bound newsclippings. The series is arranged chronologically
with an overlap in the chronology occurring because of the bound volumes. The
newsclippings generally discuss Dr. Rosenau or document events in which he was
involved. Because of the bound condition of the material, some sermons,
addresses, or abstracts may be found in this series, too.
The MISCELLANEOUS series (1914; 1943-1944) consists of a diary written
by Dr. Rosenau in the summer of 1914, photographs of his activities, and
obituary material. BOX AND FOLDER LISTING SUBJECT TRACINGS
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University in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1923 he received an honorary degree of
Doctor of Hebrew law from the Hebrew Union College.
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The CORRESPONDENCE series (1889-1944), Sub-Series 1. General, consists
of one and one-half boxes. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by
name of the correspondent. Much of the material discusses books written by
Rosenau, his involvement in Reform Judaism, and his interest in anti-Zionism.
Access to some of the more important subjects and individuals may be made
through the Box and Folder List and Subject Tracings at the end of the
inventory.
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Box Folder Contents
SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE
Note: The CORRESPONDENCE series consists of letters and telegrams as well as
some supporting material such as pamphlets and newsclippings. The series has
been subdivided into Sub-Series 1. General and Sub-Series 2. Commemorative.
Sub-Series 1. General is arranged alphabetically and Sub-Series 2.
Commemorative is arranged by activity.
Sub-Series 1. General
1 1 A, General
2 Adler, Cyrus 1903; 1906; 1924; 1933; 1938; 1939
3 Albright, William Foxwell 1931-1942 [scattered]
4 American Council for Judaism 1942
5 American Council for Judaism 1943-1944
6 B, General
7 Bamberger, Bernard J. 1942 Feb.-Sept.
8 Berger, Elmer 1942-1943
9 Berkowitz, Henry 1892-1921 [scattered]
10 C, General
11 D, General
12 E, General
13 Elbogen, Ismar 1931; 1942-1943
14 F, General
15 Friedenwald, Harry F. 1906-1934 [scattered]
16 G, General
17 Gamoran, Emanuel 1938-1943
18 Gibbons, James 1912-1921
19 Gittelsohn, Roland B. 1941 July
20 H, General
21 I,J, General
22 K, General
23 L, General
24 Leiser, Isidor and Mathilde 1938-1943
25 M, General
26 N, General
27 O, General
28 P,Q, General
2 1 R, General
2 S, General
3 Synagogue Council of America 1943
4 T, General
5 V, General
6 W, General
7 Weiner, Max 1938-1942
8 Wolsey, Louis 1938-1942
9 Y-Z, General
10 Unidentified
Sub-Series 2. Commemorative
11 Twenty-Fifth Anniversary as rabbi of Congregation
Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, Maryland 1917
12 Fiftieth Anniversary of his ordination as a rabbi
1939
13-14 Seventieth Birthday greetings 1935
3 1-3 Seventieth Birthday greetings 1935
SERIES B. LITERARY PRODUCTIONS
4 Lists of sermon subjects and titles
5 1892-1899 Sermons [bound]
4 1 1900-1910 Sermons [bound]
2 1911-1914 Sermons [bound]
3 1889-1899 Sermons and Addresses
5 1 1901-1902 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
2 1903-1910 Sermons and Addresses
3 1910-1911 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
4 1911 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
5 1911-1915 Sermons and Addresses
6 1913-1914 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
7 1915-1917 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
6 1 1916-1920 Sermons and Addresses
2 1921-1934 Sermons and Addresses
3 1922-1923 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
4 1929-1931 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
5 1931-1931 Sermons and Addresses--
Undelivered [bound]
6 1932-1934 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
7 1935-1943 Sermons and Addresses [bound]
8 1935-1943 Sermons and Addresses
7 1-2 Undated Sermons and Addresses [bound]
3-5 -- Notes [Some dated and undated material relating to the Sermons and Addresses]
6 1923 Dec.-1926 April Abstracts of Sermons and Addresses
7 1926 April-Dec. Abstracts
8 1 1926 Dec.-1928 June Abstracts
2 1928 Nov.-1929 June Abstracts
3 1929 Oct.-1930 Oct. Abstracts
4 1930 Oct.-1931 Abstracts
5 1932 Abstracts
6 1933-1934 May Abstracts
7 1934 June-1936 Abstracts
8 1937-1939 Abstracts
9 1 1940-1943 Abstracts
2 1927-1938 Confirmation Services
3 -- Prayers
4 1909-1940 Book Reviews
5 1906-1942 Editorials
10 1 1906-1942 Editorials
SERIES C. NEWSCLIPPINGS
2 1892-1908 Newsclippings [bound]
3 1893-1897 Newsclippings [bound]
4 1896-1897 Newsclippings [bound]
5 1900-1906 Newsclippings [bound]
11 1 1906-1910 Newsclippings [bound]
2 1910-1911 Newsclippings [bound]
3 1911-1917 Newsclippings [bound]
4 1912-1913 Newsclippings [bound]
5 1913-1914 Newsclippings [bound]
12 1 1915-1922 Newsclippings [bound]
2 1916-1931 Newsclippings [bound]
3 1917-1924 Newsclippings [bound]
4 1923-1930 Newsclippings [bound]
5 1923-1935 Newsclippings [bound]
6 1930-1939 Newsclippings [bound]
SERIES D. MISCELLANEOUS
7 1914 Summer Diary
8 ------- Photographs
9 1934-1944 Obituary material
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Note: The following list of subjects is a selective index to the WILLIAM
ROSENAU PAPERS. It is selective in that it only attempts to draw attention
to the more significant items in the collection. It does not attempt to list
every subject or individual nor does it try to list all places that a listed
subject or individual appears in the collection. When used in conjunction with
the Box and Folder List, the Subject Tracings should help the researcher
locate topics. References are to boxes and folder: e.g., 3/10 means Box 3,
Folder 10.
American Council for Judaism 1/8
Anti-Semitism 2/1
Anti-Zionism 1/4, 5, 8; 2/8
Religion in the Public Schools, 1/6
Religious Education 1/6, 17, 22
Synagogue Activities 1/6
Taft, William Howard 2/4
Wise, Stephen S. 2/6
Zionism 2/1