Steven M. Lowenstein Collection

The Steven Lowenstein Collections documents professional activities of Steven Lowenstein, writer, researcher, historian, and teacher.

Documents comprising the collection reflect Dr. Lowenstein’s interests in a wide spectrum of topics related to Jews and Judaism, such as modernity and tradition and their influence on the religion and common folks, Berlin Jews of the upper strata, similarities and differences between agrarian/rural and urban Jews, Eastern and Western Jewry, popular and official Judaism, and secular and religious Jews, to name but a few topics.

The larger portion of the collection includes materials relevant to Steven Lowenstein’s book, Frankfurt on the Hudson: The German Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933-1983. Its Structure and Culture, and consists of a wide array of materials, such as manuscripts, statistical data, printed materials, and more.

Doctor Lowenstein, who himself grew up in Washington Heights, wrote about Jewish immigrants who fled Nazi persecution in Germany and settled in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Manhattan in New York City.

Materials collected in this series provide a very good understanding about the mechanics and developments of Dr. Lowenstein’s work during the project.

Other substantial portions of the collection consist of manuscripts by Dr. Lowenstein and a few manuscripts by other authors.

Manuscripts collected here range from large scale works to short essays, reviews, and entries to an encyclopedia.

Most of the manuscripts are supplemented by notes, research files, and correspondence.

Other materials in the collections include research files collected by Stephen Lowenstein to aid him in his academic writings.

There are no personal materials pertaining to Steven Lowenstein, nor any other materials related to Dr. Lowestein’s professional activities other than writing.