Congregation Habonim (New York, N.Y.)

This collection includes personal and official documents of the Adolf Schwersenz family, including his professional work as a cantor, mainly during his time in Berlin. It contains sheet music used by Adolf Schwersenz, as well as newspaper clippings and letters.

This collection documents the history of the Kahn family from the 19th century to the end of the 20th century. The bulk of the materials relate to Alfred and Lotte Kahn, who fled Germany for New York City in 1939, where Alfred made a career as a lawyer and Lotte as a stockbroker. Paper materials include a family tree, vital records, correspondence, memoirs, education and emigration records, World War I military records, clippings, speeches, and ephemera. Papers showing the activities of the Kahn family in the Congregation Habonim in New York City are also included, as well as a large amount of family photographs ranging from the 1880s to 1969.

This collection contains the writings and correspondence of Eduard Strauss. Strauss was a chemist and philosopher who taught at the Freies Juedisches Lehrhaus in Frankfurt am Main and later immigrated to New York, where he helped establish a new Lehrhaus.

This collection contains a three page document from a 2004 memorial for Cantor Erwin Hirsch, including biographical information for him. The collection also contains a CD, available online, with favorites from the liturgy of Congregation Habonim sung by Cantor Erwin Hirsch, assisted by the choir under the direction of Martha Hirsch. Song titles include: Jomim Noroim (High Holidays): 1. Kol Nidre (Lewandowski); 2. Vehogen Baadenu (Lewandowski); 3. Bor’chu - S’hema (Lewandowski); 4. Ovos (Kirschner) 5. Kev Akoras-Berosh Hashonoh; 6. En Kizvoh (Kirschner); 7. Al Tashlichenu (Lewandowski); 8. Tovo Lefonecho (Lewandowski); 9. Birchas Kohanim (Alman) 10. Ha Yom Teamtzenu (Kirschner); 11. Final Kaddish (Southern German). Shabbat and festivals: 12. Tov Lehodos (Lewandowski); 13. Hashkevenu (Birnbaum); 14. Shabbat Kiddush (Lewandowski); 15. Lo Omus (Birnbaum); 16. Torah Service (Kirschner); 17. Ez Chaim Hi (Kirschner) 18. Torass Adonoi (Lewandowski)