Jacques Judah Lyons, hazzan, rabbi and community leader, was born in Surinam and emigrated to Philadelphia in the early 1800s. Minister of the New York Congregation Shearith Israel for 38 years, he gathered extensive materials on early Jewish history in the United States, Canada and the West Indies. His papers include manuscripts, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, notebooks, photographs, and a Sansom ship's log book. Contains material relating to Jews in North and South America generally and more specifically to Congregation Shearith Israel and the Jews in New York, the Touro Synagogue and cemetery and the Jews in Newport, Rhode Island, Philadelphia and the West Indies. Also contains material relating to Jews in the wars of the United States, correspondence of the Jews with George Washington and items relating to Haym Salomon. Collection consists of manuscript material and five notebooks and three scrapbooks of Lyons. Contains material not listed in calendar consisting of sermons by Lyons, a manuscript prayer book used in Surinam and a guide for religious ceremonies at Congregation Shearith Israel, as well as letters written during the Civil War period and correspondence relating to the personal life and career of Lyons.

Typescripts and correspondence by Schönberg; 2 scrapbooks, one containing concert programs and reviews of Schönberg's works (1921-1948), the other containing articles by Schönberg, mostly on music and culture (1920-1938).

Contains clippings, letters, certificates and photographs relating to the activities of Levy in both his public and private life. Materials relating to his service as a Representative of the State of N.Y. to the U.S. Congress focus on fiscal and labor legislation; the suffering of the Jews in Russia and Rumania and the attempts for the amelioration of their condition; and the controversy over Levy's purchase of Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello. The latter constitutes the greater part of the collection.

Collection also includes also correspondence of Amelia Mayhoff, 1901-1939, sister of Levy, and documents relating to the military career of Monroe Mayhoff, 1910-1930.

The Jerome Agel Research Collection includes materials collected by Jerome Agel in preparation for the book Deliverance in Shanghai which was published in 1983. The book tells the story of Jewish immigrants in Shanghai during World War II.

The collection contains papers of Jerry Goodman, the founding director of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, the largest and most influential organization created by the American Jews to coordinate efforts on behalf of Soviet Jews, which survives today as NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia. The bulk of the collection covers the activities from the early 1970s through late 1980s. The collection includes some minutes of meetings, memoranda, correspondence, newsletters and publications of the NCSJ and its precursor, the American Jewish Committee on Soviet Jewry (AJCSJ, 1964-1971). Among other materials are some posters and considerable number of photographs on Refuseniks and of the ASJM events in New York and the US, audio recordings on compact cassettes and reel-to-reels re-mastered into CD format, and VHS tapes. The collection also contains non-paper objects like pins, pendants, bracelets devoted to prisoners of conscience in the USSR, as well as a t-shirt, a scarf and a shopping bag.

The collection consists primarily of correspondence reflecting Calmenson’s involvement in numerous national and local Jewish organizations. The largest quantity of materials is in relation to his work with the United Palestine Appeal (1926-1945, primarily 1926-1929), and the Zionist Organization of America (1919-1952). Among the local St. Paul Jewish organizations, the largest quantity of materials relates to the Emergency Committee for Palestine (1942-1951), and the Zionist Organization of America, St. Paul Chapter (1918-1950). Among his correspondents are Harry S. Truman, H.V. Kaltenborn, and Emanuel Neumann. Among the topics dealt with are the 1929 riots in Palestine, the protest against the Passfield paper, and the establishment of a Jewish army after World War I. The collection also contains materials relating to Calmenson’s private activities, and miscellaneous writings and papers belonging to the Calmenson family.

The collection contains the records of the Jewish Agricultural Settlement Corporation (JASC), the American branch of the Juedische Landarbeit GmbH, an organization that sought to resettle German-Jewish farmers to Brazil during the 1930s. The files mostly concern the legal and financial maintenance of the organization, but there are also some documents about the settlements and the settlers, particularly from 1939 to 1941. The documents after 1946 concern refunds and the legal administration of JASC.

The Jewish Chronicle is a weekly newspaper covering local, national and global news for the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and its vicinity. The collection contains information and photographs used by The Jewish Chronicle for coverage of the situation of Jews in the Soviet Union during the decades of 1960s and 1970s. The bulk of the materials originated from the Soviet Jewry movement organizations and other Jewish institutions in the United States and includes publications, press releases, correspondence and photographs related to Soviet Jews.

The Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans (JFSGNO) was a social service agency created in 1948 to establish and preserve the self-sufficiency of Jewish families. The collection focuses on the JFSGNO’s work to resettle Jews from the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s, often in cooperation with similar agencies, such as Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), United Service for New American, and United Jewish Fund. Also included are lists of the Displaced Persons who arrived from Eastern and Western Europe by ships to the port of New Orleans in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and materials on resettling of refugees from Southeast Asia in the 1970s-1980s. The documents include ship manifests, memos, agendas, correspondence, clippings, policy statements and procedures, statistics, congressional reports, programs and budgets.

The Jewish National Fund records reflect the non-profit organization’s afforestation efforts in Israel in funding partnership with Hadassah. Included in this collection are personnel records, membership lists, and convention summaries, as well as correspondence, project documentation, and publications such as press releases, and magazines.

The collection includes materials documenting the work of the Jewish Peace Fellowship (JPF) in supporting Jewish resistance to conscription and draft, as well as opposition to the arms race, Israeli politics on the disputed territories, and American armed interventions. The collection consists of by-laws, correspondence, financial statements, individual files of Jewish conscientious objectors, lists, membership information, manuscripts and other materials intended to appear in JPF publications, minutes, questionnaires, printed material, such as mailings, leaflets, and magazines, and reports.

The Jewish Veterans Association Collection holds this association's organizational records, such as membership lists, a memorial book, financial and tax records, meeting minutes, some clippings and notes.

Jews for Urban Justice was founded in Washington, D.C., 1966, to combat social problems directly connected with Jews. The collection includes organizational materials, minutes of meetings, newsletters, program materials, correspondence, and press clippings. Also included is material regarding a proposed history of the organization by Harold Goldberg.

The collection contains papers of Joel Sandberg and Adele Sandberg, among the co-founders of the South Florida Conference on Soviet Jewry. It covers the period from the mid-1970's to the early 1990's and documents the Sandbergs' activities as leaders of the South Florida Conference on Soviet Jewry, as well as their individual efforts in the American Soviet Jewry movement. The documents include correspondence, memos, minutes, news clippings and photos.

The John and Thea Hochstadter Collection consists mainly of personal correspondence between the members of the Hochstadter family, correspondence regarding their efforts to collect restitution and a small amount of documents and photographs.

The John Kallir Collection contains documents regarding the life of John Kallir, his father Otto Kallir, their ancestors, and genealogical material.

The John L. Englander Family Collection describes the life of John L. Englander's mother and her family members. From 1937 to 1943 they corresponded between America, where John’s sister Elisabeth lived, and Augsburg. The letters describe their growing desperation and the need to send the children (Elisabeth and Hans, Elisabeth's twin sister stayed in Germany) out of Germany. The correspondence is the largest part of the collection. It furthermore contains poetry books and some photographs.

The Loeb Family Papers, 1893-1998 documents one of America’s most famous financial and political power couples of the 20th century—John Langeloth Loeb and Frances "Peter" Lehman Loeb, as well as their children, including Ambassador John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. The family history begins in 19th century America with the Loebs and Moses families (including Carl Loeb and Adeline Moses Loeb), and the Lehmans and Lewisohns (Arthur Lehman, financier and brother of New York State Governor Herbert Lehman, and Adele, daughter of businessman Adolph). The collection focuses on the lives of John and Frances, including the brokerage firm Loeb, Rhoades, and Co., as well as business, personal, family, and political correspondence, art collection documentation, philanthropic and financial records, and a host of family photographs and ephemera.

The papers of Reverend John Frederick Steinbruck, an ordained Lutheran minister and humanitarian activist, reflect his involvement in the American Soviet Jewry movement. The materials include news clippings, correspondence, photographs, pamphlets and a brief manuscript of memoirs.

This collection holds papers of members of the extended Stern family, with the bulk of the collection centering on the businessmen James and John (Hans Ulrich) Stern. It is largely comprised of personal papers and correspondence, but also contains business and legal documents, postcards, poetry, and photographs of members of the Stern and related families.

Contains background material, minutes of meetings, correspondence, memoranda and miscellaneous publications pertaining to the question of religion in the public schools, release time and kosher slaughtering.

The Jonah J. Goldstein Papers chronicle Goldstein’s roles as a New York City judge (1931-1956) as he pushed for court reform in the 1930s; as he lead and founded local organizations, especially those devoted to the prevention of juvenile delinquency in the Jewish community; as the New York City mayoral candidate on the Liberal-Republican-City Fusion ticket in 1945; and as a voice for drug law reform in the 1950s and 1960s.

Materials include correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs, awards, campaign posters, audiotapes and clippings.

Contains papers and documents dealing with Levy's involvement in the disposition of Monticello, owned by his brother, Uriah P. Levy; Jonas P. Levy's claims against the U.S. government for losses suffered during the war with Mexico, 1843-1846; and two items relating to the Civil War.

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.).

The collection contains an assortment of documents related to the extended family of Joseph Rothschild of Weiterode (now incorporated into Bebra, Germany), especially to the family of his descendent Meinhold Rothschild.

The Joseph Shubow Collection documents the life and professional activities of Joseph Shubow, military Chaplain, leader of the Congregation B’nai Moshe, Boston, MA and a prominent American Zionist leader. The collection includes correspondence, documents, lists, writings, speeches and sermons notes, photographs, and printed materials. Materials constituting the collection reflect various aspects of Joseph Shubow’s personal and professional life, religious leadership and writings in the fields of Judaism and Jewish history.

Judah P. Benjamin, called the "brains of the Confederacy", was a statesman and jurist in the United States, the Confederate States, and Great Britain. Benjamin achieved high-ranking titles wherever he served, and left an indelible mark in the South where he held more official positions than any other man during the Civil War. After the fall of the Confederacy, Benjamin fled to England, where he was admitted to the English bar, and later assumed a judgeship. In 1872, he was appointed the highest ranking of Queen's counselor.

This collection contains correspondence; letters; newspaper clippings; Confederate bank notes and bonds; Civil War memorabilia; pamphlets; and a bound copy of Benjamin's diary, kept from 1862-1864. These materials are of particular interest to researchers studying the activities and experiences of Jews in the antebellum South and under the brief reign of the Confederate States of America. Additionally, through the material relating to memorials and preservation endeavors for Benjamin, the collection also provides a look at the continued glorification of Confederate heroes in the South long into the twentieth century. The collection also contains pre-Civil War correspondence between Benjamin and Peter A. Hargous regarding the creation of a railroad line on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico and the Tehuantepec Railroad Company of New Orleans.

This collection encompasses the life and work of married Hungarian sociologists Judith Marcus and Zoltán Tarr, and their contributions to the work of the German sociologist Werner J. Cahnman after his death in 1980. The bulk of the material primarily dates after the Tarr's emigration to the United States around 1960. It is comprised of their own research material, in subject areas such as the Frankfurt School of Social Research, as well as primary source material from the estate of Cahnman. The Cahnman material was used to publish some of his unpublished books and also for use in their unfinished Cahnman biography project.

This collection contains the family correspondence and papers of the engineer Julian Spiegel. About half the collection consists of copies of the family's letters to Julian and Kaethe Spiegel. In addition the collection includes copies of legal and official correspondence, official documents, family trees, educational and professional papers and various other personal papers.

This collection primarily contains professional material by and about economists Julius and Edith Hirsch. The materials by and about Julius Hirsch include printed material, correspondence, manuscript and published writings, and memos prepared for the Office of Price Administration. Edith Hirsch materials include some published economics materials and a narrative family history centered on her maternal grandparents, Rudolph Bernheim (1848-1941) and Sara Bernheim née Levy (1853-1934) of Hechingen, Germany. The collection also contains material of wider German-Jewish interest donated by Edith Hirsch.