Jewish Student Organizations Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Jewish Student Organizations collection consists of publications from Jewish student and youth groups spanning the 20th century. The bulk of the collection consists of publications produced between the 1960s, through the 1980s.
Most were produced by Jewish groups on individual campuses, although some inter-campus and non-college, community youth publications are included.
Topics covered in the collection include: current events, Zionism and Israel, politics, Jewish identity, religious observances, holidays, social events, counter-culture, humor, Jewish ethics, Judaism in secular culture, community service, and social conscience.
Dates
- undated, 1907-2006
- Majority of material found within 1965 - 1985
Creator
- Jewish Student Organizations (Organization)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English with some Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Yiddish.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility, or privacy.
Use Restrictions
No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.
For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org
Historical Note
Jewish communal organizations are a major part of American Jewish life. Often, however, general organizations do not reflect the needs, desires, and interests of Jewish young adults. In both the past and present, Jewish youth have formed their own student organizations to help meet their particular needs as young people. These organizations have provided students not only with opportunities to practice Judaism on campus, but with opportunities to explore their Jewish identity in the wider world.
Many of these organizations produced publications for both their membership, and to publicize their activities to the wider campus (both Jewish and gentile). In these publications, students explored what being a Jew meant to them; discussed politics and current events, often from a Jewish ethical perspective; organized events; and raised funds.
In the 1960s, student organizations grew significantly in number and scope as students found themselves highly dissatisfied with existing Jewish organizational life. Jewish student publications took on a strong counter-cultural stance in these years, and often espoused liberal and radical viewpoints, mirroring the shifts in larger student culture.
Many of the student organizations were associated with university Hillel chapters (The B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation). Hillel was founded in 1923 to connect Jewish college youth to Jewish tradition, develop future Jewish leaders, and help students deal with anti-Semitism. Hillel publications helped the chapters reach out to Jewish students not involved in the organization to encourage them to re-discover their Jewish heritage through Hillel activities.
B’nai B’rith is a Jewish service organization that managed and funded the national Hillel organization until a reorganization in 1994. Most student publications funded by B’nai B’rith were produced by Hillel chapters.
Extent
48.5 Linear Feet (42 manuscript boxes, 15 OS1 oversized boxes, 1 OS2 oversized box)
Abstract
The collection contains the periodicals of, and relating to, many Jewish student organizations.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by type of publication into four series, with a fifth series of oversized materials. Oversized Materials are identified in their appropriate type of publication series in this finding aid with "see" references, but not in the collection folders. Some titles and materials are split between series; these are identified by "separated materials" and "see also" references.
The collection is divided into five series, as described below:
- Series I: Periodicals - United States, undated, 1909, 1911-1914, 1918-1995, 2003-2006
- Series II: Periodicals - International, undated, 1933, 1941, 1953, 1962-1988
- Series III: Non-Periodical Materials - United States, undated, 1907-1908, 1911, 1913, 1916-1917, 1921-1942, 1944-1948, 1950-1952, 1954-1987, 1991
- Series IV: Non-Periodical Materials - International, undated, 1926-1927, 1948, 1966, 1968-1977
- Series V: Separated Oversized Materials, undated, 1929, 1932, 1936-1946, 1948-1989, 1992, 2003-2004
Physical Location
Located in AJHS New York, NY
Acquisition Information
This collection was artificially created from materials collected directly by AJHS. Much of the material was collected directly by AJHS and organized by archival staff into a unified collection. A number of individuals contributed their personal collections of publications and ephemera to the collection. Other materials were collected via AJHS library subscription to the periodicals. Non-serial publications, mailings, and ephemera were collected from organizational members and donors.
- Ad Hoc Student Committee to Free the Damascus Two
- Advisory Board for Jewish Student Activities (Philadelphia)
- American Zionist Youth Foundation
- Avukah, American Student Zionist Federation
- Baltimore Jews for Peace
- Beit Ephraim (Columbia University)
- Beit Midrash of Ann Arbor (University of Michigan)
- Betar
- Bnai Aliyah
- Bnei Yeshivos
- Boston University Committee for Soviet Jewry
- Brandeis Jewish Activists League
- Brandeis Jewish Activists League
- Brandeis Zionist Alliance
- Canadian Young Judea
- Chabad Lubavitch (Organization)
- Clark University Zionist Alliance.
- College publications
- Collegiate Youth for Torah
- Columbia University Committee on Soviet Jewry.
- Columbia University-Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry.
- Committee on Soviet Jewry (University of Michigan)
- Community for a Jewish Federation.
- Concerned Students Coalition (Yeshiva University)
- Council of Jewish Organizations at Columbia.
- Council on American Jewish Student Affairs.
- Dirshu.
- Florida Union of Jewish Students.
- Hadassah Zionist Youth Commission
- Hanoar Haivri-The Hebrew Youth Organization.
- Harvard Menorah Association
- Harvard Student Zionist Organization
- Hashachar (Organization : U.S.)
- Hatzaad Harishon (Organization)
- Haverim of the Third World
- Hebrew House (Oberlin College)
- Hitaḥadut ha-sṭudenṭim be-Yiśraʼel
- Ichud Habonim
- Ikar (Columbia University)
- Inter-Yeshiva Student Council.
- Intercollegiate Menorah Association (New York, N.Y.)
- Intercollegiate Zionist Association of America
- Israeli Clubs of Harvard, M.I.T., Brandeis, and Boston University.
- Israeli Student Information Foundation.
- Israeli Student Organization (Columbia University)
- Israeli Students' Organization in the United States and Canada
- Jewish Action Group (Philadelphia).
- Jewish Activist Front (The George Washington University)
- Jewish Advisory Board (Columbia University)
- Jewish Caucus.
- Jewish Coalition for Peace.
- Jewish High School Students Alliance.
- Jewish Liberation Information Service (Israel)
- Jewish Liberation Project (New York, N.Y.)
- Jewish Life Council.
- Jewish Radical Community (California)
- Jewish Research Action Project.
- Jewish Social Action Caucus.
- Jewish Socialist Community
- Jewish Socialist Youth Bund (California, New York)
- Jewish Student Federation (Toronto)
- Jewish Student Movement (Brooklyn College)
- Jewish Student Movement of Northwestern University.
- Jewish Student Press Service
- Jewish Students’ Coalition (State University of New York at Albany)
- Jewish Youth and Young Adult Council.
- Jewish Youth for Action.
- Jews for an Independent Israel.
- Kadimah (Columbia University)
- Kvutzah (Brooklyn)
- Kvutzah (New York)
- League of the Jewish Youth of America
- Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry.
- M.I.T. Israeli Club.
- Masada, Young Men's Zionist Organization of America
- May 22 Committee to Save Soviet Jewry.
- Middle East Peace Group (Brandeis University)
- Modi’in Productions (Brandeis University)
- National Conference of Synagogue Youth
- National Jewish Organizing Project.
- National Student Lobby for Soviet Jewry.
- National Young Judea.
- National Young Zionists.
- New Jewish Committee.
- New Jewish Media Project.
- New Washington Committee for the Prevention of Genocide.
- New York Jewish Youth Council.
- New York Union of Jewish Students.
- North American Jewish Students Appeal
- North American Jewish Students' Network
- North American Jewish Youth Council.
- Northern Ohio Union of Jewish Students.
- Ohr Kodesh Congregation Collegians.
- Pardes Institute (Israel)
- Philadelphia Union of Jewish Students
- Progressive Zionist Caucus
- Radical Jewish Union (Boston University)
- Radical Jewish Union (Columbia University)
- Radical Zionist Alliance
- Radical Zionist High School Union.
- Shofar (Jewish Student Service Agency-Boston)
- Soviet Jewry Action Group (San Francisco)
- Student Council for Soviet Jews (Downsview, Ontario)
- Student Mobilization for Israel.
- Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry
- Student Zionist Organization.
- Student movements
- Student publications
- Students for Israel (College Park, Md.)
- Students for Israel (SUNYAB)
- Students for Israel (University of Minnesota)
- Suffolk Council of Youth for Soviet Jewry.
- Torah Community Project (Boston)
- Union of Jewish Students (University of California, Berkeley)
- United Jewish Student Appeal.
- University Zionist Society.
- University of California, Berkeley. Associated Students
- World Hashomer Hatzair
- World Union of Jewish Students
- Yavneh (Association)
- Yeshiva University. Student Organization
- Yidishe sṭudenṭn-bund
- Young Judaea. New England.
- Young Mapam.
- Youth Committee for Peace and Democracy in the Middle East
- Youth Group of Judaism.
- Youth Mobilization for Israel.
- Youth Mobilization for Soviet Jewry (Baltimore, Md.)
- Youth Zionist Organization.
- Yugnṭruf (Organization : New York, N.Y.)
- Title
- Guide to the Jewish Student Organizations Collection, undated, 1907-2006 I-61
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by AJHS Staff
- Date
- © 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Revision Statements
- November 2012: In 2012 the collection was significantly re-organized. The original organization was not preserved, as the collection was artificially created and organized. Duplicate publications were removed. Empty folders were removed from the collection. Some published materials were transferred to I-338, to unify split runs of periodicals. All boxes and folders were re-numbered. If tracking pre-reorganization citations, search the finding aid for appropriate titles, and if not present, examine I-338.
- January 2021: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
