World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives

The Elizabeth W. Trahan Collection documents the personal and professional life of Elizabeth Welt Trahan, who was active as a scholar and writer and taught for several years at various universities in the U.S. Her autobiographical materials, such as her diary, reflect her personal view on Vienna, Austria during World War II. Other papers include personal documents, correspondence, a diary and other autobiographical manuscripts.

The Kurt Roberg Collection focuses on the immigration and wartime experiences of Kurt Roberg and other members of the Roberg and Marx families, in addition to documentation on the genealogy of the families. The collection contains considerable correspondence, official and other documents, photographs and genealogical research.

This collection consists mainly of the diaries of Zionist Martin Hauser. Born in Berlin in 1913, Hauser emigrated to Palestine in 1933. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force during World War II and was involved in the liberation of Dachau. In addition to his diaries from 1929-1951, the collection includes speeches, Zionist circulars, and military reports.

Milton Weill was known for his work in philanthropic Jewish organizations. Among the many presidential, vice-presidential, and board member positions he held, he was President of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies (1951-1954), Vice-President of the National Jewish Welfare Board, and a board member of the United Jewish Appeal and the American Jewish Committee. He was also the Director of the United Services Organizations, Overseer of Brandeis University's Graduate School of Social Welfare and Honorary Vice President and board member of the 92nd Street Y in New York. Prior to the 92nd Street Y, he was a board member of the 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association and was Honorary Chairman of the Board of Associated Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Assocations of New York. The Milton J. Weill Art Gallery is located at the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Weill graduated from Columbia University and served in France during World War I. The papers include correspondence, telegrams, postcards, maps, artifacts, posters, photographs, lectures, sketch typescripts, and scrapbooks from World War I, his tenure at the Jewish Welfare Board, and personal correspondence.

The Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity, active between 1904 and 1970 with a predominantly Jewish membership, was established in New York City and eventually opened at least 48 chapters on college campuses across the U.S. and one in Canada. The bulk of the records in this collection were generated, received and collected by the national fraternity officers between 1912 and the late 1950s. Topics represented include black-Jewish relations, military service in WWI and WWII, educational, housing and occupational discrimination, and WWII refugee aid. Materials consist of correspondence, reports, minutes, clippings, serial publications, photographs, pins, financial records, floor plans, manuals, and directories.