This Collection consists primarily of English, German, Hebrew, and French language correspondence concerning Reform Judaism, Zionism; the founding of the American Jewish Historical Society; the Jewish Publication Society; B'nai B'rith; the legal position of Jews in England and the United States with particular reference to the Naturalization Acts; the religious and social life and the history of Jews in Russia and Poland; Bible readings in public schools; the study of Jesus in Jewish Sabbath Schools; anti-slavery issues in the Fremont Campaign in 1856; and other correspondence pertaining to his numerous activities.

Contains the memoirs and scrapbooks of Bluestone, concerning his numerous communal activities, especially those in the Zionist movement. A description of the collection was published by Hyman B. Grinstein in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, no. 35 (1939), and a detailed inventory was prepared by Harry Bluestone (n.d.).

Consists of a diary (92 pages) kept by Richard J.H. Gottheil, September 28, 1897-March 21, 1899, containing notations relating to his Zionist activities, the Jewish Religious School Union (organized ca. 1897), the Jewish encyclopedia and Helpful Thoughts, a Jewish monthly for children of which he was co-editor, and to his correspondence and association with Stephen S. Wise, Bernard C. Ehrenreich, Henry Pereira Mendes and Julia Richman. Also contains a manuscript notebook of poems transcribed by his wife, Emma L. Gottheil, and a manuscript copy of the Book of Job.

The collection has been arranged according to the following broad subject areas: personal affairs; speeches, sermons, and articles, both manuscript and published; the Free Synagogue in New York City; the Jewish Institute of Religion; American Jewish affairs; relations between the Jewish and non-Jewish communities; New York City affairs; United States affairs; the press (both Jewish and non-Jewish); world affairs; the American Jewish Congress and World Jewish Congress; refugees; Zionism; Palestine and Israel; arts and letters; and individual corrspondence of a general nature.