Military chaplains -- United States

Collection contains the correspondence, minutes, and activities of the Informal Committee, co-ordinated by the National Jewish Welfare Board and composed of ten national Jewish organizations involved in the planning of the celebration of the centennial of the appointment of the first Jewish chaplain in the Armed Forces of the United States in 1862, in various cities of the U.S. Part of the material concerns the publication Rabbis in uniform (N.Y., Jonathan David, 1962), issued in connection with the celebration. Also, includes the correspondence of other organizations and individuals. Half of the collection contains printed material including programs, program guides, addresses, bulletins, pertinent material in English and Yiddish newspapers, and also photographs.

Collection consists primarily of New York State Congressman Isaac Siegal's (1915-1923) correspondence with the United States War Department (1917-1919); the Jewish Welfare Board (later The National Jewish Welfare Board) regarding personnel, especially Jewish personnel in the Armed Forces; with John J. Pershing and Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt; relating to immigration, among which are letters from Louis Marshall; and regarding the observance of Flag Day and Lincoln's Birthday.

Collection also includes a paper on "The Jews in China" in manuscript form, and copies of published articles and a radio address.

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.

This collection documents the life of Rabbi Morris Gordon, particularly the time he spent serving as a chaplain in Burma and China during World War II. Included in the collection are letters, photographs, maps, newspapers and newspaper clippings, and sermons and other short religious writings. Of particular interest are letters written to Gordon’s wife while he was stationed in the Pacific detailing his daily activities, as well as essays written by German refugee children in Shanghai entitled “Home is Where My Heart Is.” Also included is Gordon’s autobiography.

This collection documents the time Rabbi Abraham Haselkorn spent stationed overseas during World War II. Photographs include those of comrades and soldiers, as well as refugees. Scenes include daily life as well as religious services.

The National Jewish Welfare Board Military Chaplaincy Records document the evolution and activities of NJWB’s military chaplaincy agency, which was known as the Commission on Army and Navy Religious Activities (CANRA) from 1942 to 1947, as the Division of Religious Activities (DRA) from 1947 to 1953, and then as the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy (CJC) after 1953, during the Executive Directorship of Aryeh Lev (1946-1975) and Philip Bernstein (1942-1946). The collection also consists of Aryeh Lev’s records during his service as assistant to the Office of the Chief of Chaplains of the Army (1940-1945), as well as Lev’s personal papers. Most broadly, the collection chronicles the role of Jewish chaplaincy and Jewish participation in the U.S. military effort from WWII to the Vietnam War. Subjects addressed include the establishment of Judaism as one of the major faiths in the U.S. military, patterns of observance among service members, and post-WWII relief work by Jewish chaplains on behalf of displaced persons. Materials include minutes, reports, correspondence, speeches, sermons, autobiographical writings, photographs, questionnaires and printed materials.