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Descriptive Summary
Creator:	Cowen, Philip (1853-1943)
Title:	Philip Cowen Papers
Dates:	undated, 1873-1935
Abstract:	Philip Cowen (1853-1943), was a Conservative Jew who grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Though he only studied for one year at the City College of New York, the literary-minded Cowen became the founder (with Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes) and editor of the Conservative Jewish publication, the American Hebrew from its inception in 1879 until his resignation in 1906. In 1905, Cowen was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Ellis Island positions of Immigration Inspector on the Board of Special Inquiry, determining the fitness of émigrés to the United States, and later advanced to Inspector-In-Charge of the Division of Information for Employment and the Discharging and Information Division. In addition, Cowen was a member of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, was a founder of the The Judeans society, a secretary for B'nai B'rith, and published an autobiography entitled Memoirs of an American Jew (1932). Documents include writings and material on immigration, surveys of American leaders and intellectuals on Anti-Semitism, and background materials for articles written in the American Hebrew. The collection contains correspondence, articles, documents, official reports, telegrams, clippings, pamphlets, photographs, and handwritten notes.
Languages:	The collection is in English, Russian, German, French, and Chinese.
Quantity:	1.75 linear ft. (4 manuscript boxes, 1 map folder, and one map folder.)
Identification:	P-19
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society

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Biographical Note

Philip Cowen was born on July 26, 1853, the second of eight children, on what he recalls the “Southeast corner of Walker and Mulberry Streets”1 in the Lower East Side of New York. His parents, Raphael Isaac Keil and Julia Manasseh, were German immigrants who made their way to America via England. In England, Raphael Isaac changed his last name from Keil to his original surname Cowen in reminiscence of his Jewish ancestry. Philip Cowen was brought up in a religious environment with emphasis placed on both Jewish studies and participation in the community. As a child Philip Cowen attended both public school as well as religious school at the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue on 19th Street. He was also a member of Congregation Adereth El on 135 East 29th Street. At the age of thirteen Cowen began studying at City College; however, unsatisfied with his falling grades, he left college after the first year. Cowen married Lillie Goldsmith on March 20, 1887 and had one child, Elfrida Dora Cowen.

As a youth, Cowen took an avid interest in the printing business. It was this job that catalyzed his future career in publishing. Cowen established a small printing business with his friend, Sam Greenbaum, in the basement of his house that he later ran on his own. In 1878, Cowen started another printing business with Henry Kahrs. Despite Cowen’s lack of education, he had a literary talent, and was active in Jewish publications throughout his youth. He wrote articles for the B’nai Brith Lodge that were published in the Jewish Messenger and Hebrew Leader. Cowen edited manuscript journals for the Young Men's Hebrew Association (Y.M.H.A) and was the New York editor of the Philadelphia Y.M.H.A journal Association Review.

The American Hebrew was the inspiration of Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes, who had published Independent Hebrew for a short time in 1876. With the termination of the weekly Reformer and Jewish Times in 1879, there existed a void left for a Jewish weekly in New York City. Mendes, who was familiar with Cowen’s experience in printing as well as his involvement in journalism, propositioned Cowen to start a new Jewish newspaper coined the American Hebrew. The paper began November 21, 1879 and used an anonymous nine member editorial board as its foundation, allowing the views expressed to come from a variety of religious and community leaders. The editors wished to keep their young age confidential and to protect themselves from liability. Their identities were publicly revealed on the thirty-third anniversary of the paper and included many notables such as Daniel P. Hayes, Cyrus L. Sultzberger, Solomon Solis Cohen, Max Cohen, and Samuel Greenbaum, among others. The views they expressed were Conservative, criticizing Reform Judaism, advocating Sabbath observance, and offering strong discussions on Jewish concerns including immigration, labor, culture, Jewish education, Zionism, Christian-Jewish relations, politics, and anti-Semitism. The paper was composed of editorials, letters to editors, a children’s section, local and out of town news, and transcripts of speeches, sermons and meeting reports of Jewish interest.

During his twenty-seven years as editor of American Hebrew, Philip Cowen published works of revered contemporaries such as Emma Lazarus’ Songs of a Semite; Dr. Alexander Kohut’s Ethics of the Fathers; Oscar S. Straus’ Religious Liberty in the United States; Dr. Kauffmann Kohler’s Guide for Instruction in Judaism as well as many others. 2 He also published his own works such as Prejudice Against the Jews in special issues for American Hebrew. Cowen resigned from the American Hebrew in 1906.

As a child, Cowen met Polish immigrants and later worked on Americanizing newcomers at the Y.M.H.A. His work for American Hebrew delved into the problems of immigrants. In 1905, by Executive Order from President Theodore Roosevelt, he became Immigration Inspector on the Board of Special Inquiry, granting him the power to decide if applicants who were not eligible could land at Ellis Island. Cowen advanced as Inspector-In-Charge of the Division of Information for Employment and later was put in charge of the Discharging and Information Division of Ellis Island. Cowen’s work included special studies such as investigating the inferior railroad travel from Ellis Island to immigrants’ destinations. In 1906, President Roosevelt commissioned him to travel to Russia to examine the conditions that spurred large mass migrations to the United States and to investigate reports of pogroms. Cowen reported that the Russian government was responsible for the pogroms, by encouraging officers through promotions and other benefits to partake in such massacres.3 Cowen retired from the Immigration Service in 1927. In addition to his work, he spoke on immigration for the New York City Board of Education Public Lecture Corps. In 1890, he had also served as Special Agent for the 11th census, gathering Jewish statistics.4 Throughout his career as an Immigration Inspector for the U.S. government, Cowen often corresponded with other noted Jewish figures in regard to these prevalent issues. Among his correspondents were Jacob Schiff, Israel Zangwill, and Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu.

Philip Cowen’s professional credentials include life-long affiliations with the major Jewish organizations and societies of New York. Since his youth he was a member of the Y.M.H.A. Cowen was a founder of The Judaeans, a society established in 1897 devoted to promote the “intellectual and spiritual interest of Jews,” 5 and acted as secretary for The Judaeans for ten years. The Judaeans promoted Jewish culture and encouraged the resolution of prevalent issues in the Jewish community. Cowen was also secretary for B’nai Brith, and was active in the organization for more than fifty years. His acute memories are recorded in his autobiography Memoirs of an American Jew, published in 1932.

Philip Cowen died on April 20th, 1943 in New Rochelle, New York. He possessed a strong, unwavering commitment to the Jews of New York and around the world, as well as to other immigrants searching for a safe haven in America. He was a pivotal Jewish figure in a revolutionary period of New York’s history, characterized by his incessant dedication to others throughout his life.

CHRONOLOGY
1853	July 26th, born to Raphael Isaac and Julia Cowen in New York City
1879	Founded the Jewish newspaper American Hebrew with Rev. Dr. Frederic de Sola Mendes
1887	March 20th, married Lillie Goldsmith
1890	Collected Jewish church statistics for the census
	Wrote a symposium: Prejudice Against the Jews: Its Nature, Its Causes and Its Remedy
1891	Published work: Progress of the Jew
1905	Entered U.S. Immigration Service as an Immigration Inspector
	Investigated and corresponded with other individuals about the issue of Russian loans given by Jewish philanthropists
1906	Resigned as editor of American Hebrew
	Sent to Russia by President Roosevelt to investigate Jewish pogroms
1927	Retired as Dean of Immigration Inspectors
	Conducted an immigration inquiry office under the auspices of the People’s Institute 6
1932	Published an autobiography: Memoirs of an American Jew
1937	Public acknowledgment given by Mayor Fiorella H. Laguardia from favors received by Cowen during Laguardia’s job as a clerk in the immigration service
1943	April 20th, died; New Rochelle, New York

Footnotes

• 1. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg 21.
• 2. American Jewish Yearbook 5704. Volume 45. Jewish Publication Society of America, 1943, pg 383.
• 3. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pgs 144, 151, 204.
• 4. Who’s Who in America. Volume 3. National News Association Inc, 1938, pg. 195.
• 5. Cowen, Philip. Memoirs of an American Jew. New York: The International Press, 1932, pg. 417.
• 6. Universal Jewish Encyclopedia. Volume 3.

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Scope and Content Note

Philip Cowen’s papers reflect his accomplishments on both a personal and professional level, from his work as editor of the American Hebrew and Immigration Inspector for the U.S. government, to his affiliations with the major Jewish organizations in New York.

The papers offer extensive material on immigration; particularly for researchers interested in Russian, Romanian, and Chinese Jewish immigration to the United States; Anti-Semitism in the United States, Russia and Ireland; Russian passport question; Kishinev massacres; and Ellis Island Board of Special Inquiry. Of special interest are surveys Cowen conducted, on the anti-Semitic opinions of American leaders and intellectuals (1890), the needs of the New York Jewish community (1905), and the number of immigrants who become public charges (1906). Significant correspondents in these areas include Cyrus Adler, Nissim E.B. Ezra, Jacob Schiff, Isaac Seligman, Robert Watchorn, and Simon Wolf.

Cowen’s work with the American Hebrew is also well represented in his papers. Material is available on the Baron de Hirsch Fund, B’nai B’rith, Y.M.H.A., Cottage Row Farm School in Boston, Hebrew Technical Institute for Girls, the origins of the Jewish Encyclopedia, and the 50th Anniversary of Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Correspondents include Baron Maurice de Hirsch, Grand Rabbi Zadoc Kahn of France, Joseph Krauskopf, Josephine Lazarus, and Sabato Morais.

The collection contains correspondences, articles, documents, maps, official reports, telegrams, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, photographs, and hand-written notes. The documents are primarily in English with some material in German, Russian, French and Chinese.

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Arrangement

The files are arranged according to subjects or last name of correspondent, in alphabetical order. The collection is organized into four series:

• Series I: Individual Correspondence, undated, 1873-1935
• Series II: Biographical Information and Other Interests, undated, 1877-1935
• Series III: American Hebrew, 1889-1932
• Series IV: Immigration and Anti-Semitism, undated, 1899-1933
• Oversized Material (OS 1 and 2), various dates
• Oversized Materials (MAP), Series IV, 1899, 1905-1906

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.

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Related Material

The Papers of Israel Zangwill (P-225) also contain correspondence with Cowen. The American Hebrew merged with the Jewish Messenger in 1905. The library contains microfilm of both newspapers. Cowen's work Prejudice Against the Jews, its Nature, its Causes, and its Remedies published in the American Hebrew (1890), and Memoirs of an American Jew may be found in the library collection of the American Jewish Historical Society. Material regarding Cowen and Ellis Island may also be found in the Papers of Max James Kohler (P-7).

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Custodial History

Philip Cowen donated his papers to the Society in 1935. The Joseph E. Hertz/Philip Cowen correspondence, donated by the Eleanor and Morris Soble Foundation, were incorporated into the collection.

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Philip Cowen Papers; P-19; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Newton Centre, MA and New York, NY.

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Index

Index is arranged by primary subject (i.e. American Hebrew), and persons within the collection connected to that subject (i.e., Adler, Cyrus in connection to the American Hebrew). Box and folder numbers correspond to the location of materials.

American Hebrew

• Cyrus Adler   Box 1, Folder 1
• Frank, Ray  Box 1, Folder 9
• Hirsch, Baron Maurice de (1894)   Box 3, Folder 2
• Isaacs, Samuel H. (1903)  Box 1, Folder 42
• Jacobs, Joseph   Box 4, Folder 13
• Kahn, Zadoc (1898)  Box 3, Folder 4
• Kohler, Kaufmann   Box 3, Folder 4
• Kohut, George Alexander   Box 1, Folder 17
• Lazarus, Josephine   Box 1, Folder 18
• Lewinson, Benno   Box 1, Folder 43
• Lubin, David (1900)  Box 1, Folder 21
• Markham, Edwin  Box 1, Folder 42
• Morais, Sabato   Box 3, Folder 9
• Schechter, Solomon (1905)  Box 1, Folder 28
• Seligman, Isaac (1905)  Box 1, Folder 32
• Simon, Oswald, John   Box 3, Folder 9
• Solis-Cohen, Solomon  Box 1, Folder 33
• Solomons, Adolphus S.   Box 1, Folder 34
• Sulzberger, Mayer   Box 1, Folder 35

Chinese Jews

• Benjamin, Ezra Nissim Ezra  Box 5, Folder 3

Constantinople Massacre

• Tuska, Benjamin  Box 1, Folder 36

Ellis Island

• American, Sadie  Box 4, Folder 9
• Razovsky, Cecelia  Box 4, Folder 9

Immigration

• Ash, Mark   Box 1, Folder 2
• Bijur, Nathan   Box 3, Folder 4
• Loeb, Morris   Box 1, Folder 19
• McAdoo, William   Box 5, Folder 4
• Montefiore, Claude (J.C.A.)   Box 1, Folder 23
• Nathan, Paul   Box 1, Folder 42
• Watchorn, Robert   Box 5, Folder 4

Ireland, Anti-Semitism

• Weinstock, H.  Box 1, Folder 37

Jewish Encyclopedia

• Deutsch, Gotthard  Box 3, Folder 8
• Singer, Isidore  Box 3, Folder 8

Jewish Welfare Network

• Lehman, Emanuel (1901)  Box 1, Folder 42
• Louis, Minnie D. (1891)  Box 1, Folder 20
• Schiff, Mortimer L.  Box 1, Folder 30
• Stern, Louis (1901)  Box 1, Folder 42

"Jews of the U.S."

• Isaacs, Abram S.  Box 1, Folder 14

Kohut, George Alexander

• Correspondence (31 items) (1893-1933)  Box 1, Folder 17

Loans from Jewish bankers to Russian government (1905)

• Schiff, Jacob Henry   Box 1, Folder 29
• Seligman, Isaac N.  Box 1, Folder 32
• White, Andrew D.   Box 1, Folder 38
• Wolf, Simon   Box 1, Folder 39

Miscellaneous Correspondence

• Adler, Cyrus  Box 1, Folder 1
• Caine, Hall (1898)  Box 1, Folder 41
• Cleveland, Grover   Box 3, Folder 5
• Gross, Charles (1888)  Box 1, Folder 41
• Hirsch, Solomon   Box 1, Folder 44
• Kohler, Max J.   Box 1, Folder 15
• Marshall, Louis  Box 1, Folder 22
• Mayer, Constant (1905)   Box 3, Folder 4
• Oliphant, L. (1883)  Box 1, Folder 41
• Schiff, Jacob Henry   Box 1, Folder 29
• Seligman, Isaac N.   Box 1, Folder 32
• Washington, Booker T. (1903)   Box 1, Folder 42

National Farm School

• Krauskopf, Joseph  Box 3, Folder 2
• Schiff, Jacob Henry  Box 3, Folder 2

Personal Correspondence

• Ash, Mark  Box 1, Folder 2
• Gottheil, Richard   Box 1, Folder 10
• Kohler, Max J.  Box 1, Folder 15
• Lewisohn, Adolph  Box 1, Folder 43
• Loeb, Morris  Box 1, Folder 19
• Schiff, Jacob Henry   Box 1, Folder 29
• Schiff, Mortimer  Box 1, Folder 30
• Seligman, Edwin R.  Box 1, Folder 31

Emma Lazarus Memorial Issue (1887)

• Transferred to the Emma Lazarus Papers, #P-2 

Rabbinical Correspondence

• Cohen, Henry   Box 1, Folder 4
• Hertz, Joseph H.   Box 1, Folder 12
• Hirsch, Emil G. (1901)  Box 1, Folder 40
• Jastrow, Morris Jr. (1800)  Box 1, Folder 40
• Krauskopf, Joseph (1885-1886)  Box 1, Folder 40
• Levy, J. Leonard (1902)  Box 1, Folder 40
• Mendes, H. Pereira (1900-1906)  Box 1, Folder 40
• Rubenstein, O.A. (1902)  Box 1, Folder 40

Roumania, Anti-Semitism

• Blaustein, David  Box 1, Folder 3
• Hay, John   Box 3, Folder 5
• Powderly, Terence V.  Box 3, Folder 5
• Reynolds, James B.   Box 1, Folder 25
• Schiff, Jacob Henry   Box 1, Folder 29
• Seligman, Isaac N.   Box 1, Folder 32
• Straus, Oscar S.  Box 4, Folder 3

Russia, Anti-Semitism and the Passport Question

• Adler, Cyrus  Box 1, Folder 1
• Goldfogle, Henry Mayer   Box 3, Folder 5
• Kraus, Adolf  Box 2, Folder 1
• Lewisohn, Adolph  Box 1, Folder 42
• Schurman, J.G.  Box 1, Folder 42
• Seligman, Isaac N.  Box 1, Folder 32
• Weber, John B.  Box 1, Folder 42
• White, Andrew D.   Box 1, Folder 38, 39

Survey, Anti-Semitism (1890)

• Burroughs, John  Box 3, Folder 11
• Dana, Charles A.  Box 3, Folder 11
• Godkin, E.L.  Box 3, Folder 11
• Hay, John   Box 3, Folder 10
• Howells, William Dean  Box 3, Folder 11
• Ingersoll, Robert G.  Box 3, Folder 10
• Roosevelt, Theodore  Box 3, Folder 11
• Schurz, Carl   Box 3, Folder 10
• Vance, Zebulon B.  Box 3, Folder 10

United States, Anti-Semitism

• Sabath, Adolph J. (1910)  Box 5, Folder 4
• Solomons, Adolphus S.  Box 1, Folder 34

Wolf, Simon

• Correspondence (35 items) concerning anti-Semitism in Russia, the passport question, immigration to the U.S., the formation of the American Jewish Committee, and the B’nai B’rith. Includes one letter from Count Sergius Y. Witte  Box 1, Folder 39

Y.M.H.A.

• Sulzberger, Cyrus (1877)  Box 2, Folder 6

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Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series I: Individual Correspondence, undated, 1873-1935.
The predominent language of the series is English.
1 box
Arrangement: Correspondence by individual correspondent is filed in alphabetical order (Folders 1-39). General correspondence with Rabbis (Folders 40-44) are filed by year.
Scope and Content: This series includes correspondence from Cowen’s fellow editors, Cyrus Adler (1894-1927) and Mark Ash (1904-1927), and contributors to the American Hebrew, both national and foreign, including Margaret Crosby (undated; 1890), Anna Dawes (1887-1931), Richard Gottheil (1929-1934), Max James Kohler (1893-1932). Although the series contains personal letters, most of the correspondence is responses to issues presented by the American Hebrew. These letters address the problems of both the Russian Jews and Romanian Jews immigrating to the United States, as well as Jewish immigration in general. Specific topics concern Jewish loans given to the Russian government (J. Schiff, Seligman, White), anti-Semitism (Marshall), the influence of America on the Jews (Isaacs, Seligman), Jewish assimilation (Loeb), and improving the living conditions of the Jewish immigrants in New York (M. Schiff). Please refer to the Index for a subject index of correspondence within the entire papers. There are original articles, editorials and poems written for American Hebrew, some of which are in an unpublished form and may not have been printed. Of interest is the writing by H. Weinstock on Prejudice Against Jews in Ireland, and Phineas De Cordova on the Jewish immigration from Scandinavia to Jamaica. Letters from Rabbis concerning their congregations and religious issues are also within this series. The series includes both hand-written and typed correspondences and is alphabetical by last name of correspondent.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1	Adler, Cyrus	1894-1927
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	2	Ash, Mark	1904-1927
1	3	Blaustein, David (includes publication)	undated, 1898-1900
1	4	Cohen, Rabbi Henry	1895-1930
1	5	de Cordova, Phineas	undated, 1897-1898
1	6	Crosby, Margaret	undated, 1890
1	7	Dawes, Anna	undated, 1887-1931
1	8	Deland, Margaret	1900-1903
1	9	Frank, Ray (includes publication) [See also Oversized in OS2]	undated, 1898
1	10	Gottheil	undated, 1929-1934
1	11	Harris Dr. Maurice H. [See also Oversized in OS1 of 1]	undated, 1905
1	12	Hertz, Joseph Herman	undated, 1898-1930
1	13	Hess, Isabella R.	undated, 1905-1910
1	14	Isaacs, Abram S. (includes publication)	undated, 1901-1904
1	15	Kohler, Max James	undated, 1893-1932
1	16	Kohn, Annette	undated, 1905-1923
1	17	Kohut, George Alexander	undated, 1893-1933
1	18	Lazarus, Josephine	undated, 1905
1	19	Loeb, Morris	1902-1905
1	20	Louis, Minnie D.	undated, 1891-1902
1	21	Lubin, David	1900
1	22	Marshall, Louis	1900-1928
1	23	Montefiore, Claude G.	undated, 1900
1	24	Ochs, Adolph	1899, 1931
1	25	Reynolds, James B.	1904-1907
1	26	Richman, Julia	1902
1	27	Ruskay, Esther J.	undated, 1897-1904
1	28	Schechter, Solomon	1905
1	29	Schiff, Jacob	undated, 1883-1907
1	30	Schiff, Mortimer L.	1905-1931
1	31	Seligman, Edwin R.A.	1931
1	32	Seligman, Isaac N.	undated, 1902-1906
1	33	Solis-Cohen, Solomon	1899, 1929
1	34	Solomons, A.S.	1891-1909
1	35	Sulzberger, Mayer [See also Oversized in OS1 of 1]	1904
1	36	Tuska, Benjamin	undated, 1889
1	37	Weinstock, H. (in re anti-Semitism in Ireland)	1904
1	38	White, Andrew D.	1894-1905
1	39	Wolf, Simon	undated, 1899-1910
1	40	General correspondence, with rabbis	undated, 1885-1932
1	41	General correspondence, with rabbis	undated, 1873-1899
1	42	General correspondence, with rabbis	1900-1915
1	43	General correspondence, with rabbis	1923-1935
1	44	General correspondence, with rabbis	undated

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Series II: Biographical Information and Other Interests, undated, 1877-1935.
The predominent language of the series is English.
1 box
Arrangement: Folders are arranged alphabetically by title.
Scope and Content: Biographical content on Cowen’s life consists of greetings and celebratory pamphlets for his 70th and 75th birthday and his retirement from the Immigration Bureau. There are also clippings of articles about his life from the American Hebrew and the Jewish Tribune and copies of speeches written in his honor. Additional material relates to his affiliation with B’nai B’rith and Y.M.H.A., work on a reprint of his 1890 “Symposium on Prejudice Against the Jews” and a research folder containing newspaper clippings of important Jews such as Henrietta Solomon, Louis Posner, Abraham Goldfaden. Y.M.H.A material is notable; it includes personal items such as Cowen’s membership card, as well as articles about the history of the organization, and pamphlets for its 53rd annual meeting.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	1	B'nai B'rith	1899-1934
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	2	Celebrations and testimonials [See also OS1 of 1]	undated, 1893-1935
2	3	Clippings on important Jews [See also Oversize in OS1 of 2; Oversized in OS2]	undated, 1877-1931
2	4	Incomplete and unidentified items	undated
2	5	Publishing ventures other than American Hebrew	undated, 1928
2	6	Y.M.H.A.	undated, 1874-1928

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Series III: American Hebrew, undated, 1889-1932.
The predominant language of the series is English; other languages include French, Russian, and Chinese.
1 box
Arrangement: Material is arranged alphabetically by title.
Scope and Content: This series consists of articles written by Cowen for the American Hebrew, miscellaneous submissions by others for publication, information concerning the Jewish Encyclopedia, and his surveys and research performed as editor. Of particular significance is material concerning two surveys Cowen conducted. In 1890 he surveyed anti-Semitic opinions of American leaders and intellectuals and in 1905 the needs of the New York Jewish community. Also reflected in this series are his interests in the Baron de Hirsch Fund colonies and schools, the Cottage Row Farm School in Boston, and the Hebrew Technical Institute for Girls. In 1895, Cowen created a special issue for the 50th Anniversary of Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Correspondence with the Great Rabbi Zadoc Kahn of France, the Alliance Universalle, and l’Unvers Israel are also found within this series. Please note that Series IV, Box 4, Folder 11, “Research on Jewish immigrants in the U.S.—Statistics, undated, 1903-1906, 1913-1914,” contains background information Cowen collected for an article in the American Hebrew. The folders in reference to the American Hebrew contain invitations and pamphlets for various anniversaries, stock shares, a written history of the newspaper as well as a sample issue. There are miscellaneous submissions concerning the persecution of Jews of Damascus and a study of the Oriental Jews of New York. Other documents consist of letters from U.S. government officials with regards to immigration of Romanian and Russian Jews and the Chinese Exclusion Bill.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	1	Articles for American Hebrew by Cowen	undated, 1895
3	2	Baron de Hirsch Fund colonies and schools [See also Oversize in OS1 of 2]	undated, 1894-1923
3	3	Celebrations and anniversaries [See also Oversize in OS1 of 2]	undated, 1894-1932
3	4	Correspondence concerning Jewish Affairs in France	1894-1924
3	5	Correspondence from U.S. Government officials	1900-1903
3	6	Cottage Row Farm School (Boston, MA)	undated, 1898-1903
3	7	Hebrew Technical Institute for Girls	1903
3	8	Jewish Encyclopedia [See also Oversize in OS1 of 2]	undated, 1891-1929
3	9	Miscellaneous submissions	undated, 1889-1904
3	10-11	Survey of anti-Semitic attitudes among American leaders and intellectuals	1890 (2f)
3	12	Survey of N.Y. Jewish communal needs	undated, 1905
3	13	Temple Emanu-El (NYC) - 50th Anniversary [See also Oversize in OS2]	1891-1900

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Series IV: Immigration and Anti-Semitism, undated, 1899-1933.
The predominant language of the series is English; other languages include Russian and Chinese.
1 box
Arrangement: Material is alphabetically by folder title and is composed of newspaper clippings, surveys, correspondence, statistics, hearings, articles, and photographs.
Scope and Content: Philip Cowen’s interests in immigration and anti-Semitism are reflected in this series, which includes information concerning the Russian Jewish passport question, Russian Anti-Semitism, the Kishinev Massacres, clippings on immigration from Cowen’s scrapbook, Chinese Jewish documents and photographs of Chinese Jews, and the Society for the Preservation of Chinese Jews. Additional items concern Cowen’s study for the American Hebrew that calculated the number of Jewish immigrants who end up as public charges. Within this folder is a record of Jewish inmates in 1903 for Blackwell’s Island Home for Aged. Also included are documents from Cowen’s work as Immigration Inspector when he acted as a mediator on behalf of a young woman found to be “feeble minded” and prevented the deportation of Chaim Zhitlowsky, a representative of the Jewish Socialist Labor Party and Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party. Cowen’s ongoing research on the anti-Semitic activities of Count Spiridovich who Cowen was unable to prevent admitting to Ellis Island is available here.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	1	Anti-Semitism - U.S.	undated, 1903-1905
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	2-3	Clippings in re Jewish immigration (scrapbook)	undated, 1902-1914 (2f)
4	4	Clippings on Jewish immigration to the U.S. [See also Oversize in OS1 of 2]	undated, 1899-1930
4	5	Count Arthur Cherep-Spiridovich and Russian anti-Semitism	undated, 1920-1928
4	6	Emigration survey of Russia, Poland, and Germany (arranged by town, alphabetical order)	1906
4	7	Emigration survey and supplementary documents [See also Oversize in OS1 of 3; Oversize in OS2]	1906
4	8	Hebrew and Chinese documents and photographs	undated
4	9	National Council of Jewish Women	undated, 1908-1927
4	10-12	Passport Question - Russian published material [See also Oversize in OS1 of 3]	undated, 1909, 1933
4	13	Research on Jewish immigrants in the U.S. - Statistics [See also Oversized in OS2]	undated, 1903-1906, 1913-1914
Box	Folder	Title	Date
5	1	Research on Russian anti-Semitism (including Kishinev Massacre) [See also Oversize in OS2]	undated, 1901-1906
5	2	Russian immigration passport question - Articles and documents	undated
5	3	Society for the Rescue of Chinese Jews - N.E.B. Ezra [See also Oversize in OS1 of 3]	undated, 1900-1903
5	4	U.S. Department of Immigration - Ellis Island - Correspondence	undated, 1903-1928
5	5	U.S. Department of Immigration - Ellis Island - Instructional circulars and other documents [See also Oversized in OS1 of 3]	undated, 1910-1918

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Oversized Material (OS 1 and 2), various dates.
Arrangement: The materials located here represent items removed from their original folders due to their size and placed in large-item storage. Items are divided by size (OS1 and OS2) and placed in their respective new folders in the order in which they were removed from their original location.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
OS1	1	Box 1, Folder 11, “Retrospect,” Dr. M.H. Harris	undated
OS1	1	Box 1, Folder 35, A General Assembly, by Mayer Sulzberger	undated
OS1	1	Box 2, Folder 2, American Hebrew: “Philip Cowen – Three Score and Ten,” by Max Cohen	July 20, 1923
OS1	1	Box 2, Folder 2, The Jewish Tribune: “Looking Back at Seventy,” an Interview with Philip Cowen by Hannah Stein	July 27, 1923
OS1	1	Box 2, Folder 2, “The Ellis Island Mikado,” by Philip Cowen	November 17, 1910
Box	Folder	Title	Date
OS1	1	Box 2, Folder 2, Testimonial Dinner to Philip Cowen in honor of his 75th birthday	October 8, 1928
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, The Jewish Chronicle: “The Late Sir Julian Goldsmid”	January 17, 1896
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, The Jewish Tribune: “The World’s Outstanding Jews?”	July 27, 1923
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Julius Henry Cohen – Public Welfare Advocate,” by Franklin Gordon	August 27, 1926
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Herman Bernstein Leaves on World Tour”	January 28, 1927
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Big Executive Discusses Labor: Sam A. Lewisohn at 43 is Recognized Expert on Relations of Employers and Wage Earners,” by Aben Kandel	February 25, 1927
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “The Passing of Jersey’s Grand Old Man: Nathan Barnert…” by Heyman Zimel	December 30, 1927
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Henrietta Solomon-Social Worker,” by Anne Kulique Kramer	March 16, 1928
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, The Jewish Exponent: “The Passing of a Leader of the Ghetto: The Colorful Personality of Joseph Barondess,” by David J. Galter	June 29, 1928
OS1	2	Box 2, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Making the Blind See: Inspiring Story of the Printing Visagraph and of Robert Naumburg, Its Inventor,” by Emily Solis-Cohen	May 1, 1931
OS1	2	Box 3, Folder 2, The Jewish Tribune: “America and the Polish Jews,” by Jacob S. Raisin [regarding the Baron de Hirsch Fund]	July 27, 1923
OS1	2	Box 3, Folder 3, American Hebrew: “Golden Reminiscences,” by Philip Cowen	November 22, 1929
OS1	2	Box 3, Folder 3, American Hebrew, [complete issue]: “Complete story of the Jubilee Celebration of the American Hebrew”	November 29, 1929
OS1	2	Box 3, Folder 8, Open Letter to the Patron-Subscribers of the Jewish Encyclopedia from Dr. Isidore Singer, Editor	May 15, 1901
OS1	2	Box 3, Folder 8, American Hebrew: “Dr. [Isidor] Singer at Three Score-Ten”	November 8, 1929
OS1	2	Box 4, Folder 4, The Saturday Evening Post: “Fewer and Better, Or None”	April 26, 1924
OS1	2	Box 4, Folder 4, The Jewish Tribune: “Ten Years’ Growth of New York Jewry”	March 16, 1928
OS1	2	Box 4, Folder 4, The Saturday Evening Post: “A New Turn in Immigration”	November 16, 1929
OS1	2	Box 4, Folder 4, The Saturday Evening Post: “Populations”	March 1, 1930
OS1	2	Box 4, Folder 4, The Jewish Tribune: “The Jewish Immigration in the Past Five Years”	April 18, 1930
OS1	3	Box 4, Folder 7, Korrespondenzbaltt des “Centralbureaus fur judische Auswanderungsangelegenheiten,” No. 5	Juni 19, 1905
OS1	3	Box 4, Folder 7, List of Governments in Eastern Europe	undated
OS1	3	Box 4, Folder 7, Statistik	undated
OS1	3	Box 4, Folder 7, An die geeheten Herren Wahler des Wahlkreifes 30 im Konigreidje Galizien!	undated
OS1	3	Box 4, Folder 10, Rhode Island Resolution Urging Uniform Recognition of American Passports	April 1, 1909
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 1, Russian manuscript	undated
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 1, Russian article	undated
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 1, Russian article	1905
OS1	2	Box 5, Folder 1, Russian article, no. 6778	1905
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 1, Notes of September 21st addressed to peasants for their enlightenment	1906
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 1, Robotnick, no. 190, four pages	1906
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 3 ¤Letter from L. Moore, President, dated June 23, 1902, Shanghai ¤Notice to Members by S.J. Solomon, Hon. Secretary, dated June 23, 1902, Shanghai ¤ List of Committee Members ¤Statement of Account from May 1, 1900 to June 23, 1902	May 1900 - June 1902
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 3, Minutes of the general meeting of members of the Society for the Rescue of the Chinese Jews	July 1, 1902
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 5, Blank record form for Binet tests	undated
OS1	3	Box 5, Folder 5, Blank record form for Briggs Analogies Test-Alpha	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
OS2	1	Box 1, Folder 9, The National Press: “Jewish Folk Lore,” by Miss Ray Frank	January 29, 1898
OS2	1	Box 2, Folder 3, The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Departure” (of Cyrus L. Sulzberger)	November 27, 1877
OS2	1	Box 4, Folder 7, B. Die Auswanderer – Beforderung uber Hamburg	Jahre 1905
OS2	1	Box 4, Folder 13, Lists of Jewish inmates at Blackwell’s Island	undated

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Oversized Materials (MAP), Series IV, 1899, 1905-1906.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
MAP	1	Politsche Ubersichtskarte des Europaischen Russland, Vienna	1906
MAP	2	Stoinnaya Karta Europe Iskov Russiya	1905
MAP	3	Map of Russian Empire, Anglo-Jewish Association	July 1899
MAP	4	Box 3, Folder 13, Galley, American Hebrew, for 50th Anniversary of Emanu-El, by Philip Cowen	1895

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