TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Finding Aid to the Robert I. Kahn Papers. 1935-2000 (bulk 1950-1970).
Manuscript Collection No. 853
Funding, in part, for the arrangement and description of this collection was
provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Collection Overview |
|
| Repository: | The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives |
| Creator: | Kahn, Robert Irving, 1910-2002 |
| Title: | Robert I. Kahn Papers |
| Dates: | 1935-2000 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1950-1970 |
| Quantity: | 4.0 linear feet (4 record cartons) |
| Abstract: | Sermons, addresses, and writings on various topics, including Hebrew vocabulary, interfaith relationships, and Jewish lessons. |
| Collection Number: | MS-853 |
| Language: | Collection material in English. |
Biographical Sketch
Robert Irving Kahn was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on 12 December 1910. He was ordained in 1935, earned a Doctor of Hebrew Letters in 1951, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity in 1960, all from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. During World War II, Kahn was an army chaplain and Hillel counselor representing Rice Institute. He was the founding rabbi of Temple Emanu El in Houston, Texas, where he served for 58 years, including being rabbi emeritus from 1978 until his death in 2002.
Kahn authored many volumes, including, Lessons for Life; The Ten Commandments for Today; May the Words of My Mouth; and the Letter and the Spirit. He also lectured at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and at local colleges in Houston. In addition, he delivered services on radio programs and wrote newspaper columns in Houston.
Kahn and his wife Rozelle married in 1940 and had three children, Alfred, Edward, and Sharon.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of sermons delivered at Temple Emanu El; lectures given while teaching at HUC-JIR and religious schools; “Emanu El Services of the Air,” a radio program on Houston’s KPRC; “Lessons for Life,” a weekly newspaper column that ran in the Houston Chronicle and “Kahn-Notations,” a column in the Jewish Herald-Voice. Includes a copy of Kahn’s dissertation, "Liberalism as Reflected in Jewish Preaching in the English Language in the Mid-Nineteenth Century."
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged in two (2) series:
Conditions of Access and Use
Terms of Access and Use
This collection is open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the Barrows-Loebelson Reading Room of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
Property and Literary Rights
Robert I. Kahn, by the act of donating the Robert I. Kahn Papers to the American Jewish Archives, assigned all property rights to the American Jewish Archives. Literary rights are retained by the heirs of Robert I. Kahn. Literary rights may also be retained by specific creators of materials.
Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives. For more information see the American Jewish Archives copyright information webpage.
Related Material
Related Collections
Kahn, Robert Irving. Sermon, January 18, 1974. TR-976.
Temple Emanu El (Houston, Tex.). History and oral history, 1977-1983. SC-5250.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Footnotes and bibliographic references should refer to the Robert I. Kahn Papers and the American Jewish Archives. A suggestion for at least the first citation is as follows:
[Description], [Date], Box #, Folder #. MS-853. Robert I. Kahn Papers. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Provenance
The Robert I. Kahn Papers were received from Rabbi Robert I. Kahn, Houston, Texas in 1992, 2000, and 2001.
Processing Information
Processed by Elisa Ho, February 2012.
This collection was arranged and described according to minimal-processing standards. Funding, in part, for the arrangement and description of this collection was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Box Folder Listing
| Series A. Sermons. 1935-2000. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 1 | Sermons. [24 folders] | ||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 2 | Sermons. [26 folders] | ||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 3 | Sermons and Addresses. [28 folders] | ||||||||||
| Series B. General. 1937-1993. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 3 | General. [5 folders] | ||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| 4 | Lessons for Life and Lectures. [24 folders] | ||||||||||
Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the AJA Online Catalog.