Access and Provenance

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content Note

Box and Folder Listing

 

A Finding Aid to the

Alexander S. Kohanski Papers

Manuscript Collection No. 343 

1923-1987. 1.6 Linear ft.

ACCESS AND PROVENANCE

 The Alexander S. Kohanski Papers were donated to the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives by Alexander Kohanski of Cedar Grove, California in 1970 and Dorothy Kohanski of Laguna Hills, California in 1988 and 1997. Alexander and Dorothy Kohanski, by the act of donating the Alexander S. Kohanski Papers to the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, assigned the property rights to the American Jewish Archives. All literary rights to material authored by Alexander Kohanski are held by the Kohanski heirs. All literary rights to material authored by others are retained by the individuals and their heirs. Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.The papers are available to researchers in the reading room of the Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH top

  Alexander S. Kohanski was born in Vilkavishkis, Lithuania on 4 July 1902 to Samuel and Hannah (Kolekandt) Kohanski.  He moved to the United States in 1923 and received his B.A. from Southeastern University in 1927. By 1928, Kohanski had earned his M.A. and in 1936 received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University.

 In 1933, Kohanski earned a certificate in social work which he put to use as an executive director of the YMHA in White Plains, New York and later Washington Heights, New York and New Jersey.

 Kohanski served for most of his career as an instructor at the Graduate School for Jewish Social work but had a variety of other activities and interests. He was a contributor to the Universal Jewish Encyclopedia and the Philately and Princeton Seminary Bulletin. Kohanski was also the managing editor of the Jewish Social Services Quarterly.  Additionally, he served on the Maine Jewish Council, the Religious Education Association, the American Jewish Conference and League for Labor Palestine.

 Kohanski married Dorothy Deller on 9 March 1949. They had two sons, Daniel and Ronald.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE top

 The Alexander S. Kohanski Papers describe the professional career and writings of philosopher Alexander Kohanski who was an active Zionist and faculty member of the Graduate School for Jewish Social Work.  The collection includes correspondence and writings. The papers are divided into two (2) series:
 

SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE (1923-1983) consists of 1 ½ Hollinger boxes grouped into organizational and personal correspondence.  It includes material on the League for Labor Palestine and the educational and synagogue activities of Alexander Kohanski.

SERIES B. WRITINGS AND RESEARCH (1926-1987) consists of 2 ½ Hollinger boxes grouped into general and specific topics. The specific topics such as Martin Buber are arranged in alphabetical order. At the end of the series are the Jewish Social Service Quarterly issues during the period that Alexander Kohanski served as managing editor.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING top

Box  Folder    Contents
SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE, 1923-1983.

1       1               General Correspondence. A-C.
        2               Cleveland, Ohio- Cleveland Jewish Center.                               1941-1942.
        3               General Correspondence. D-J.
        4               General Correspondence. K-O.
        5               League for Labor Palestine. 1939-1941.
        6               Lown, Phillip W. 1953-1976.
        7               Maine Jewish Council. 1943-1945.
        8               Memphis, Tennessee- Memphis Yiddish School.                             1926-1931.
        9               New Jersey Regional Philosophical Association.                          1978.

2       1               General Correspondence. P-Z.
        2               Passaic, N.J.-Adas Israel Synagogue Center.                             1977-1978.
        3               Sanborn, Herbert C. 1928-1936; 1953;1965; n.d.
        4               Family Correspondence. 1923-19353; n.d.
        5               Unidentified Correspondence. 1926-1974; n.d.
        6               Personal Miscellaneous. 1933-1983; n.d.


SERIES B. WRITINGS AND RESEARCH, 1926-1987.

2       7               Miscellaneous Writings. A-E.
        8               Miscellaneous Writings. F-L.
        9               Miscellaneous Writings. N-Z.
        10              Ahad Ha'am .Notes.
        11              Bialik, Chaim. Notes and Writings.
        12              Bible. Notes.
        
3       1               Book Reviews.
        2               Buber, Martin. Notes and Writings.
        3               Buber, Martin. Mss.
        4               "Martin Buber's Philosophy of Communication."
        5               "Ecumenism- Dialogue or Dialectic?"
        6               Gabirol, Solomon Ibn. Notes and Writings.
        7               Herzl, Theodor. Notes and Writings.
        8               Jewish Colonization. Notes.
        9               Jewish History. Notes and Curriculum.

4       1               Kaplan, Mordecai M. Mss.
        2               Philately. Articles. 
        3               Poetry.
        4               Religious School Curriculums.
        5               Upon My Words. 1987.
        6               Yiddish Theatre. Untitled Mss.
        7               Miscellaneous Notes.
        8               NRA Jewish Writers Project. 1941.
        9               "Yiddish Theatre in New York- 1932-1933."
        10              Jewish Social Service Quarterly. 1944-1945.
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