Rabbi Samuel Geffen Papers
Scope and Content Note
The Papers of Rabbi Samuel Geffen document his professional career as the rabbi of the Jewish Center of Forest Hills West in Queens. Series I: Professional Life contains those records directly corresponding to the Jewish Center. This includes correspondence, notes from teaching Hebrew school, bulletins, books of remembrance, records from religious ceremonies such as funerals and weddings, as well as information about community programs such as Boy Scouts and the Jewish Center of Forest Hills West's baseball team. Series II: Subject Files contains resources collected or received by Rabbi Geffen in his work as a religious leader and educator. These files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Series III: Organization Files is comprised of correspondence, circulars, and newsletters from organizations and religious institutions with whom Rabbi Geffen was associated. The majority of organizations included focus on Judaism and the rabbinical profession. Some of the more fully represented organizations include the United Synagogue of America, the Rabbinical Assembly of America, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the National Jewish Welfare Board, and the Hebrew Union College. Series IV: Publications contains daily publications, such as newspapers, serial publications, articles, and one book, Modern Hebrew by Harry Blumberg and Mordecai H. Lewittes. The publications, both national and local, are almost entirely related to Judaism and numerous periodicals are in Hebrew text.
Dates
- 1925-1993
- Majority of material found within 1950 - 1975
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
Biographical Note
Rabbi Samuel Geffen, born Febuary 17, 1907 in New York, NY, was the rabbi for the Jewish Center of Forest Hills West for many years. Prior to his ordination in 1942, Geffen was a concert violinist and lawyer. He served most his career at the Jewish Center of Forest Hills, from 1948 until his retirement in 1993. Rabbi Geffen was married to Ruth Lenore Rosenfeld, with whom he had one son, Peter Geffen. During his time at Forest Hills West, Rabbi Geffen taught for many years at the Hebrew school in addition to his role as a congregational and spiritual leader. Rabbi Geffen died March 15, 2002 in New York, NY.
Extent
44 Manuscript Boxes (22.5 linear feet)
Language of Materials
English
Hebrew
Yiddish
Abstract
The Papers of Rabbi Samuel Geffen document his professional career as the rabbi of the Jewish Center of Forest Hills West in Queens. The collection is the result of Rabbi Geffen's work as a religious leader and educator at the Jewish Center and depicts the center's and Rabbi Geffen's role in the Jewish community there.
Arrangement
Organized in four series as follows:
Acquisition Information
Gift of Peter Geffen.
- Audiocassettes
- Bar mitzvah
- Bat mitzvah
- Bibliographies
- Boy Scouts of America
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Fliers (printed matter)
- Geffen, Samuel, 1907-2002
- Hebrew Union College
- Jewish Center of Forest Hills West
- Jewish Theological Seminary of America
- Jewish community centers
- Jewish educators
- Jewish religious education
- National Jewish Welfare Board
- New York (N.Y.)
- News bulletins
- Newsletters
- Newspapers
- Prayer books
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
- Rabbinical Assembly of America
- Rabbis -- United States -- Biography
- Serials (publications)
- Sermons
- Songbooks
- Speeches (documents)
- United Synagogue of America
- Title
- Guide to the Rabbi Samuel Geffen Papers, 1925-1993
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Kaitlyn Medley as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation.
- Date
- © 2010.
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from GeffenRSH.xml
Revision Statements
- November 2020: RJohnstone: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
