Finkelstein, Louis, 1895-1991

Consists of correspondence from the formative years of the American Academy for Jewish Research from 1930 to 1936, fellows files and correspondence, ledgers and notebooks of membership dues and fellowship grants, minutes of the various committee meetings, Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, and photographs. Correspondents include Salo Baron, Isaac E. Barzilay, Robert Chazan, Louis Finkelstein, Louis Ginsberg, David Weiss-Halivni, Arthur Hyman, Saul Lieberman, Alexander Marx, Harry Orlinsky, and Harry Austrin Wolfson.

Contains the minutes, resolutions, correspondence, news releases, and press clippings of the National Committee for the Maimonides Octocentennial. Items related to the Committee's activities in planning and promoting the octocentennial of the birth of Moses Maimonides throughout the United States, in synagogues, local institutions, universities, and the main event held in New York (April 14, 1935). Among the participants were Albert Einstein, Louis Finkelstein, Henry Solomon Hendricks, Leo Jung, Henry Pereira Mendes, Abba Hillel Silver, Solomon Marcus Stroock, James Joseph Walsh, and Harry Austryn Wolfson. Includes also roster of available speakers and participating organizations, as well as material (poems, plays, pamphlets, books, and articles) on the life and works of Moses Maimonides.

The Marjorie Goldwasser Wyler Papers document the work of Marjorie Wyler throughout her fifty-five-years as the Director of Public Relations for the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS). The collection also details Wyler’s volunteer work, both before and after retirement, as well as her personal writings and correspondence. The bulk of these materials relate directly to Wyler’s time as Executive Producer of the Eternal Light program from 1944 to 1993. Also of note is a substantial collection of correspondence between Wyler and Dr. Louis Finkelstein, Chancellor of the JTS from 1940 to 1972.

Series I contains a small selection of personal items including correspondence, bibliographic materials, photographs, and a childhood yearbook.

Series II is comprised of documents relating to Wyler’s work at the JTS and other religious organizations. These materials include broadcast catalogues, program ideas and proposals, professional correspondence, and various writings.

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 collection consists of correspondence, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous publications pertaining primarily to the founding and activities of the Young Israel Movement. Of interest is material on the role of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and an announcement by Dr. Judah L. Magnes on the founding of the Movement.

The New York Board of Rabbis is a cross-denominational Jewish organization for rabbis that seeks to foster fellowship, provide educational enrichment, and rise above theological differences to strengthen and defend the Jewish community advancing its’ educational, religious, and social values. The collection documents the governance of the Board and its activities in serving the Jewish community of New York and at large.