TABLE OF CONTENTS
Series A. Writings. 1901-1970.
A Finding Aid to the Louis I. Newman Papers. 1897-1975.
Manuscript Collection No. 109
Introduction |
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| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Creator: | Newman, Louis I. (Louis Israel), 1893-1972 |
| Title: | Louis I. Newman Papers |
| Dates: | 1897-1975 |
| Quantity: | 5.6 linear feet (14 Hollinger boxes) |
| Abstract: | The Louis I. Newman Papers consist of the papers of Louis I. Newman, a rabbi and scholar who was ordained by Stephen Wise and became a leader of the Zionist revisionists in the United States. The papers include correspondence with Stephen S. Wise; correspondence and manuscripts concerning the (Adolph) Sutro Library in San Francisco, California; correspondence concerning the founding of the Jewish Institute of Religion; family correspondence; sermons and addresses; unpublished writings, newsclippings, and miscellaneous items. |
| Collection Number: | MS-109 |
| Language: | Collection material in English. |
Biographical Sketch
Louis Israel Newman was born in Providence, Rhode
Island in 1893. He received a B.A. degree from Brown University in 1913, an M.A. from the
University of California in 1917, and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Columbia University in
1924. Brown University later presented him with an honorary degree in 1942. Newman became an
assistant to Rabbi Stephen S. Wise at the Free Synagogue in New York City in 1917. In 1918,
Wise and Rabbi Martin Meyer of Temple Emanu-El of San Francisco ordained Newman. Newman
subsequently served pulpits at the Bronx Free Synagogue (1917-1921) and Temple Israel in New
York City (1921-1924).
Newman was affiliated with the faculty of the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City from its 1922 inception. He served as a professor of apologetics intermittently until 1933. During this period, Newman was also the president of the Intercollegiate Menorah Association. In 1924 he left New York City to serve as rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. Newman returned to New York City in 1930 to become the rabbi at Temple Rodef Shalom, where he remained until retirement.
During the 1930s, Newman became identified with the Zionist revisionist movement. He believed that Zionism was primarily a political movement and that the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine was essential. Newman was both the honorary chairman of the Revisionist Tel Hai fund and the chairman of the Palestine Mandate Defense Fund. Additionally, he was an honorary chairman of the American Friends of a Jewish Palestine and served on the American advisory committee for Hebrew University. In the 1920s, he was a vice-president of the American Jewish Congress.
His books include Jewish Influence on Christian Reform Movements (1924); Jewish People, Faith and Life (1935), and a translation/compilation entitled Hasidic Anthology (1934). His 1922 work, A Jewish University in America?, influenced the founding of Brandeis University. Newman was also a poet and a playwright, creating numerous plays and cantatas. His "The Woman at the Wall" became the libretto for the opera Tamar and Judah.
Newman married Lucile Helene Uhry on 14 June 1923. They had three children: Jeremy Uhry Newman, Jonathan Uhry Newman, and Daniel Uhry Newman. Louis I. Newman died in 1972 in New York City.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of the papers of Louis I. Newman, a rabbi and scholar who was ordained by Stephen S. Wise and became a leader of the Zionist revisionists in the United States. Contained is an expansive amount of Newman’s writings including unpublished works and sermons as well as plays and poetry. Five boxes of correspondence include correspondence with Stephen S. Wise; correspondence and manuscripts concerning the (Adolph) Sutro Library in San Francisco, California; correspondence concerning the founding of the Jewish Institute of Religion, and family correspondence. The Personal series features material related to his college career, newsclippings and miscellaneous items.
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged in three (3) series:
- Series A. Writings. 1901-1970.
- Series B. Correspondence. 1897-1975.
- Series C. Personal. 1905-1972.
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.
Related Material
MF-2265: Louis I. Newman Papers. 1916-1917.
MS-19: Jewish Institute of Religion Records. 1921-1961.
MS-195: David Lefkowitz Papers. 1900-1952.
Additional materials may be found in the AJA Online Catalog.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Louis I. Newman Papers and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Louis I. Newman Papers, MS-109, Box [#], Folder [#]. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
The Louis I. Newman Papers were received from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Klau Library, New York, N.Y., in 1979-1980 and from Jeremy Newman, New York, N.Y., in 1982. Additional material was donated by Martha Newman of Austin, Texas, in June 2006.
Processing Information
Processed by Melinda McMartin, June 2002. Additional processing by Susan Kline, December 2006.
Box Folder Listing
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA Online Catalog.