Hebrew language

Consists of a letter written by Abelson from Nemaksht, Lithuania, in a beautiful script and unusually elegant language, to his friend Louis Wigdor in Missouri, describing his personal condition and some aspects of Jewish life in Eastern Europe and inquiring about conditions and job opportunities in America. Of interest are references to anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe and the revival of Hebrew as a living language.

Founded by Shlomo and Rivka (Wolman) Shulsinger, Camp Massad was the pre-eminent Hebrew camp in the United States. The collection, comprised of material donated by former staff, counselors, and campers contains administrative records, correspondence, newsletters, play scripts, photographs, oral histories and movies.

The collection contains a manuscript by Fritz Meir Fraenkel titled "Deutsche Juden im alten Jischuw" (typescript, 16 pp.) about German-Jewish emigration to Palestine before the founding of the Zionist movement, focusing on "Kolel Hod", an organizational and financial institution and a "Landsmannschaft" founded by immigrants of German and Dutch origin in Palestine in 1837.

The collection, furthermore, includes offprints and clippings of articles by Fraenkel (such as "Zur Folklore der Berliner Juden from" (1957), "Zur Deutung einiger Kontraktionen im Hebraeischen" (1958), "Abraham und Aron – zwei Beitraege zur biblischen Namensforschung" (1962), "Drei verkannte Fluessigkeitsbenennungen im Hebraeischen" (1967), "Deutsch und Hebraeisch miteinander verwandt?" (1969)), book reviews by Fraenkel, and ten editions of the periodical "Sprachwart. Monatsblaetter fuer Sprache und Rechtschreibung" (1962-1969) as well as three editions of the journal "Archiv fuer das Studium der neueren Sprachen" (1961-1965) mostly containing articles by Fraenkel on linguistic matters (German and Hebrew language).

The linguist Fritz Meir Fraenkel was born in Berlin in 1906. He was a member of the Zionist youth movement "Blau-Weiss" and other Zionist organizations and wrote for the weekly "Juedische Rundschau" until 1938.

He immigrated to Palestine in 1933 and settled in Jerusalem. He worked for "Keren Hayesod" and other institutions and continued writing articles for various Hebrew journals and newspapers.

Fraenkel died in Israel in 1976.

The records document the Histadruth Ivrit's early history to the present, representing a significant portion of its work in spreading the Hebrew language in the United States in the second half of the twentieth-century. The records include substantial amount of material regarding the organization's history, administration, public events, publications, and reports. Some information of the early history of the Histadruth Ivrit could be found in the records kept by the writer Daniel Persky. Persky collected personal and professional records that include correspondence with friends, readers, and writers; a partial collection of the drafts of his own publications, and a collection of photographs and newspaper clippings. The functions and activities of the Histadruth Ivrit are documented through Board of Trustees and Board meetings agendas and minutes; various programs for events, conventions, conferences, and celebrations; documents related to fundraising; public relations, press releases and brochures; correspondence with different individuals, organizations, and foundations; Histadruth Ivrit's publications among them the newspaper Hadoar and Tov Lichtov; a large collection of photographs, and scrapbooks. The records of the Histadruth Ivrit represent the large majority of the organization's activities dating from the 1980s to the present. Records for the earlier years of activities are fragmented and incomplete. The records related to the life of Daniel Persky are also partial and copies of many of his publications are missing. This collection included brochures, correspondence, financial records, flyers, grant applications, invitations, lists, minutes, news clipping, orders, periodicals, photographs, press releases, reports, and scrapbooks.

Isidore Meyer was an editor (1940-1968), librarian (1940-1962) and archivist (1940-1968) at the American Jewish Historical Society and a rabbi at the Jewish Center of Bay Shore, Long Island (1937-1943). Also a historian, Meyer wrote and spoke on the use, study and impact of Hebrew language and texts during the colonial period in the United States. The collection documents his AJHS career, historical writing and research, rabbinical work, teaching experience and general professional activities. Materials include correspondence, manuscripts, notes, photostats, clippings, printed materials, photographs, slides and negatives.

Contains records on the formation, mission, vision, and activities of the National Center for the Hebrew Language, as reflected in organizational documents (including minutes), event programs and announcements, publications (including the NCHL newsletter, Ivrit Now), photographs, promotional literature (including press releases), media coverage, and the NCHL website.

Consists of letters patent for two of Kaufman's inventions: a Hebrew language game, and a mechanical pencil.

Collection encompasses an extensive variety of organizations, subjects, and formats and is most useful for genealogists and researchers interested in general information. Researchers looking for a particular publication will also find this collection helpful.