Rifkind, Simon H. (Simon Hirsch), 1901-1995

The Milton Steinberg (1903-1950) Papers documents the personal and intellectual life of the American author, philosopher, rabbi, teacher, and theologian. The collection contains correspondence, writings, photographs, audio recordings, and memorabilia. In addition to numerous articles, he authored several books including, The Making of the Modern Jew (1934), As A Driven Leaf (1939), A Partisan Guide to the Jewish Problem (1945), Basic Judaism (1947), A Believing Jew (1951), Anatomy of Faith (1960), and A Prophet’s Wife (2010). In a professional career that lasted a little over twenty years, he served as rabbi at three synagogues, primarily at the Park Avenue Synagogue. In addition, he was active in the community at large, and worked with many Jewish community and civic organizations. As a disciple of Mordecai Kaplan, he and others helped to establish the Reconstructionist movement of American Jewry.

The Simon H. Rifkind Papers document seventy-four years of Rifkind’s career as a lawyer, judge, and humanitarian. The collection spans the years 1921 to 1995 and is composed primarily of paper-based materials, including correspondence, reports, court documents, newspaper clippings, notes, personal and professional writings, publications, and ephemera. A few instances of audiovisual material and realia are recorded throughout the six individual series.