TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement Note

Conditions of Access and Use

Administrative Information

Search Terms

Box and Folder Listing

Series A. Correspondence, 1896-1926

Series B. Writings, 1897-1915

Series C. Notes, undated

Series D. Personal, 1905; 1915

A Finding Aid to the Louis Grossmann Papers. 1896-1926.

Manuscript Collection No. 92


Introduction

Repository: The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives
Creator: Grossmann, Louis, 1863-1926.
Title: Louis Grossmann Papers.
Dates: 1896-1926
Quantity: 2 linear feet (5 Hollinger boxes)
Abstract: The Louis Grossmann papers describe the career of Louis Grossmann, rabbi and professor at Hebrew Union College. The bulk of the collection spans the years 1900-1925.
Collection Number: MS-92
Language: Collection material in English.

Biographical Sketch

Louis Grossmann

Louis Grossmann was born in Vienna on February 24, 1863 to Rabbi Ignatz and Nettie (Rosenbaum) Grossmann. He immigrated to the United States and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. There he attended Hughes High School and, later, the University of Cincinnati and the Hebrew Union College. Grossmann completed his studies at UC and HUC in the same year, receiving a B.A. degree from UC and being ordained a rabbi by HUC in 1884. In later years Grossmann received two more degrees from HUC, a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1889 and Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1922. In 1911, Grossmann studied for a year at the University of Jena.

Following his ordination, Grossmann went to Detroit to become rabbi at Temple Beth El. He remained in Detroit until 1898 when he returned to Cincinnati to become both Isaac Mayer Wise's successor as rabbi at Congregation Bene Yeshurun and a professor of ethics, pedagogy, and theology at Hebrew Union College. Grossmann remained in both positions until 1922 when he retired and was elected rabbi emeritus by his congregation and professor emeritus at HUC.

Grossman was active in many organizations. He was a founder of the Teachers Institute of HUC and served as the Institute's principal from 1909-1918. He was an editorial writer for the American Israelite from 1900-1905 and was a member of the organizing committee for the First Universal Congress of Races in London, England in 1911. He was president of the Jewish Religious Education Association of Ohio, the Rabbinical Association of Ohio, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In addition, Grossmann was a founder and honorary president of the Western Association of Jewish Ministers.

Grossmann was also prolific as a lecturer and writer. Before joining the faculty at HUC, he lectured there on comparative religion in 1897. He also lectured on Jewish ethics at the Lewissohn Foundation in New York in 1909. Some of his more important and well-known writings were: "Judaism and the Science of Religion (1889); "Maimonides" (1890); "Aims of Teaching in Jewish Schools" (1918); and, with David Philipson, the biography, Isaac M. Wise (1900).

Louis Grossmann died in Detroit in 1926.


Scope and Content Note

The Louis Grossmann papers describe the career of Louis Grossmann, rabbi and professor. The collection includes correspondence, sermons, book reviews, manuscripts, notes, and personal items. The bulk of the material in the collection spans the years 1900-1925.


Arrangement Note

This collection is arranged in four (4) series:

Series A. Correspondence. 1896-1926.
Series B. Writings. 1897-1915.
Series C. Notes.
Series D. Personal. 1905; 1915.

Conditions of Access and Use

Terms of Access

The collection is open for use; no restrictions apply.

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.


Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Louis Grossmann Papers and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:

[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-92. Louis Grossmann Papers. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Provenance

Donor information for the Louis Grossmann Papers is not available.

Processing Information

Processed by Kevin Proffitt, December 1981.


Box and Folder Listing

Series A. Correspondence, 1896-1926
The Correspondence series consists of one-half Hollinger box of correspondence.
The series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the person or organization. Letters are arranged chronologically within each folder.
Box Folder
1 1 A-Z, General
1 2 Amos Society 1924-1925, undated
1 3 Union of American Hebrew Congregations 1920-1924, undated
1 4 Union of American Hebrew Congregations [ Commission on Jewish Education ] 1924-1925, undated
1 5-7 Union of American Hebrew Congregations [ Commission on Jewish Religious Educational Literature ] 1918-1923 (3 folders)
1 8 Union of American Hebrew Congregations [Programs for services] undated
1 9 Unidentified 1922, undated
Series B. Writings, 1897-1915
The Writings series consists of one and one-half Hollinger boxes of sermons, addresses by various persons, book reviews, and manuscripts.
The sermons are arranged alphabetically by title; addresses by persons other than Grossmann are arranged chronologically and the book reviews are arranged alphabetically. Manuscripts are untitled and undated. They have been placed at the end of the series.
Box Folder
1 10-11 Sermons [A-W and untitled] 1900, undated (2 folders)
1 12 Addresses by others 1897-1915, undated
Box Folder
2 1-5 Book reviews [A-W, unidentified] (5 folders)
2 6 Unidentified manuscripts undated
Series C. Notes, undated
The Notes series consists of two Hollinger boxes of Grossmann's notes. Some of the notes have been labeled by Grossmann and are arranged according to those labels. The remainder of the notes are unlabeled and have been filed in the order in which they were found. Many of the notes in this series are written in Hebrew.
Box Folder
2 7 Notes [Charity, Education]
Box Folder
3 1-5 Notes [Education] (5 folders)
3 6 Notes [Ethics]
3 7 Notes
Box Folder
4 1-8 Notes (8 folders)
Series D. Personal, 1905; 1915
The Personal series consists of one Hollinger box of awards, a diary for the year 1905, and miscellaneous items.
Box Folder
5 1 Awards, certificates undated
5 2 Diary 1905
5 3 Miscellaneous 1915, undated

Search Terms

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

Persons and Families

Grossmann, Louis, -- 1863-1926 -- Manuscripts

Institutions

Congregation Bene Yeshurun (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Hebrew Union College -- Faculty
Union of American Hebrew Congregations

Genres and Forms

Jewish sermons, American

Occupations

Rabbis -- Ohio -- Cincinnati