Guide to the Records of the Synagogue Council of America, (1926-1994)
undated, 1926-1982, 1990-1992

*I-68*

Subgroup I: Organizational Materials, undated, 1926-1968.

Arrangement:

Subgroup I is divided into five Series: Series 1: Officers ; Series 2: Administrative ; Series 3: Plenary Meetings and General Assemblies ; Series 4: Committees and Series 5: Activities. Series 1-4 are divided into Subseries.

Scope and Content:

This Subgroup documents the organizational materials of the Synagogue Council of American including documents on the Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Officers of the SCA; Administrative records including limited financial information, fundraising, memoranda, and minutes; Plenary Meetings and General Assemblies materials; and materials from the Committees of the Synagogue Council and lists of committee members, Standing Committees and the Activities of both the Council and the Committees of the Synagogue Council of America.

See also, SG-I, Series 2: Administration, Subseries C: Fundraising/Annual Synagogue Statemen Dinner, 1958-1968, for events relative to SCA officers and fundraising events.

Series 1: Officers,  undated, 1926-1968.

Arrangement:

This series consist of the following Subseries: Subseries A: Presidents and Vice Presidents, undated, 1926-1968; Subseries B: Executive Directors, undated, 1944-1961; and Subseries C: Officers Summit, undated, 1956, 1964-1965.

Scope and Content:

This series is dedicated to information within the collection that directly relates to the Presidents, Executive Directors, and Officer's Summits of the organization. Additional materials connected directly to past Presidents may be found in SG-II, Series 4: Photographs, SG-II, Series 5: Ephemera; and in regard to SCA President Norman Salit's post-WWII visit to Europe in 1954, see also SG-I, Series 5: Activities, Germany - Norman Salit Trip Correspondence, Statements and Press Releases, undated, 1953 and SG-II, Series 4: Photographs, Salit, Norman, Post-War European and Israel Trip, 1953-1954. See box list for specific information.

Please note that the information located in this series is incomplete in the range of materials specifically dealing with the Presidents and Executive Directors of the Synagogue Council of America.

Subseries A: Presidents and Vice Presidents,  undated, 1926-1968.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged alphabetically by the last name of each President.

Scope and Content:

The subseries contains an incomplete list of past Presidents (1926-1951); President reports from circa 1940-1951 (incomplete); and Presidential speeches, addresses, correspondence, obituaries, greetings, messages, sermons and reports. In addition, there are materials relating to Installation arrangements and Tribute Dinners.

Of particular interest is Rabbi Kramer's 60th Birthday Invocation for singer/actor Eddie Canter (Box 1, Folder 21) and correspondence from Rabbis Rudin (Box 2, Folder 7) and Rabbi Salit (Box 2, Folder 9) regarding visits to Europe and Israel, along with visits to Synagogues and remaining Jewish communities.

Subseries B: Executive Directors,  undated, 1944-1961.

Arrangement:

Arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries consists of limited information concerning the Executive Directors of the Synagogue Council of America. Though is it hard to pinpoint, the first Executive Director was Rabbi Hirsch E.l. Freund, appointed in 1948. From what can be gleaned from the collection, Rabbi Ahron Opher served in a position similar to Executive Director from 1944-1946. Materials consist of limited Executive Directors reports, biographical sketches, memoranda, press releases, statements, and some correspondence regarding the replacement search for Executive Director Marc Tennenbaum in 1961.

Subseries C: Officer’s Summit,  undated, 1956, 1964-1965.

Arrangement:

The subseries contains one folder.

Scope and Content:

Contains minutes and correspondence from general meetings of Synagogue Council of America officers.

Series 2: Administration,  undated, 1926-1968.

Arrangement:

This series is divided into five subseries: Subseries A: By-Laws, Constitutions, and Incorporation, undated, 1926-1960; Subseries B: Financials, undated, 1940-1968; Subseries C: Fundraising/Annual Synagogue Statemen Dinner, 1958-1968; Subseries D: Memoranda, undated, 1946-1968; and Subseries E: Minutes, 1935-1952, 1958

Scope and Content:

Subseries in this series consists of administrative materials such as by-laws, constitutions, certificate of incorporation, financial materials, fundraising arrangements, memos, and minutes.

Subseries A: By-Laws, Constitutions, and Incorporation,  undated, 1926-1960.

Arrangement:

Arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains the 1960 Certificates of Incorporation, and revised Constitutions from 1926, 1940, 1949, and 1955.

Subseries B: Financials,  undated, 1940-1968.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains documents relating to the financial life of the Synagogue Council of America. Materials include Council of Federation and Welfare Funds Budget Digests, dues statements, financial budgets and statements, Large City Budgeting Conference Correspondence and documents, and Jewish Welfare Funds memos, correspondence, and application. Please note that the Council of Federation and Welfare Fund Budget Digests were originally located in Series 5: Activities.

For additional information concerning finances, please see Series 5: Activities, Schlang, Joseph Correspondence.

Subseries C: Fundraising/Annual Synagogue Statesmen Dinner,  1958-1968.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

The Annual Synagogue Statesmen Dinner was established in 1960 as a fundraising and award presentation mechanism. The Awards served a dual purpose, to highlight a representative from each of the branches of Judaism under the auspices of the SCA for service to the community, and later, to award a non-Jewish leader with an award first entitled the "Judaism and Peace Award," and later renamed the "JFK Peace Award." This portion of the award was granted approximately four times (according to the collection), to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy on behalf of his brother, Robert Kennedy.

The first Statesmen Awards were to Max Stern (Orthodox), Samuel Friedland, and posthumously to Ruth and Marvin Silberman. See also SG-II, Series IV: Photographs for photographs of the Statesmen Dinner and Judaism and Peace Awards.

Subseries D: Memoranda,  undated, 1946-1965.

Arrangement:

Arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

Folder 5 contains a very incomplete set of internal operational memoranda while folder 6 contains staff memoranda and office procedures.

Subseries E: Minutes,  1935-1952, 1958.

Arrangement:

The subseries is in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

Contains minutes of the Synagogue Council of America. Please note that these minutes are not complete.

Series 3: Plenary Meetings and General Assemblies,  undated, 1945-1967.

Arrangement:

The series is divided into four subseries: Subseries A: Delegates; Subseries B: Plenary Meetings; Subseries C: General Assemblies; and Subseries D: Other.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains lists and correspondence regarding delegates appointed to the Plenary and General Assembly meetings. During the 1967 General Assembly, a reception was held for Ambassador Arthur Goldberg. This event appears in its own series, named 'Other."

Subseries A: Delegates,  undated, 1945-1964.

Arrangement:

The subseries in is alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains lists and correspondence regarding delegates appointed to the Plenary and General Assembly meetings.

Subseries B: Plenary Meetings,  undated, 1945-1965.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

Plenary meetings were convened to address the needs of the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox communities primarily during the 1940s-1960s. This subseries contains minutes, notices, and correspondence, and is incomplete in regards to these items. See also SG-II, Series 4: Photographs for images of the 1965 annual meeting.

Subseries C: General Assemblies,  undated, 1945-1965.

Arrangement:

The subseries is in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries documents the three General Assemblies of the Synagogue Council of America that occurred between the years of 1953-1960. Each General Assembly piggybacked on a plenary meeting and was based on themes. The three Assemblies were: "The Synagogue Speaks," 1954; "The Current Jewish Religious Revival," 1957; and "The American Jewish Community in Transition," 1960. Photographs of Rabbi A.M. Heller, taken during the 1960 Assembly, may be found in SG-II, Series 3: Photographs, Heller, A.M., Rabbi.

See also SG-II, Series 2: Historical/Promotional Materials, General Assemblies Programs, 1954, 1957.

Subseries D: Other,  1964, 1967.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

Subseries contains correspondence and attendees list for a reception held for US Ambassador to the United Nations, Arthur Goldberg in 1967 during the Annual Statesmen Dinner of that year. See also SG-I, Series 2: Annual Synagogue Statesmen Award Dinner, 1964, and SG-II, Series 4: Photographs: Annual Synagogue Award Dinner, 1964.

The second folder in this subseries contains information on a Washington reception with Mr. Goldberg and others in 1964.

Series 4: Committees,  undated, 1930-1969.

Arrangement:

The series comprises Subseries A: Administrative Committee, undated, 1930-1969; Subseries B: Executive Committee, 1646-1969; Subseries C: Budget Committee, 1955-1965; Subseries D: Finance Committee, 1946-1967; Subseries E: Constitution Committee (Committee on Scope), undated, 1946-1965; Subseries F: Committee Lists, undated, 1939-1966; Subseries G: Standing Committees, undated, 1930-1970; and Subseries H: Committees, Commissions, and Tasks Forces, 1966-1974.

Scope and Content:

Subseries in this Series consists of administrative materials such as by-laws, constitutions and certificates of incorporation, financial materials, fundraising arrangements, memos, and minutes.

Subseries A: Administrative Committee,  1938-1946.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

The subseries contains minutes from the Administrative Committee that handled such issues as office space, staffing, and the overall administration of the everyday functions of the Council.

Subseries B: Executive Committee,  1946-1969.

Arrangement:

The subseries is in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains minutes as well as some correspondence, memoranda and agendas concerning the overall function of the SCA as directed by a group of elected officials from the Conservative, Reform, and Orthodox communities.

Subseries C: Budget Committee,  1955-1965.

Arrangement:

The subseries consists of one folder.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains proposed budgets and some documents concerning those documents.

For Subseries C and Subseries D please see also SG-I, Series 2: Administrative, Subseries B, Financials, 1958-1968.

Subseries D: Finance Committee,  1946-1967.

Arrangement:

The subseries consists of one folder.

Scope and Content:

This subseries contains correspondence, memos, reports and documents concerning the overall finances of the SCA.

For Subseries C and Subseries D, please see also SG-I, Series 2: Administrative, Subseries B, Financials, 1958-1968.

Subseries E: Constitution Committee (Committee on Scope),  undated, 1946-1947, 1951-1959, 1965.

Arrangement:

The subseries consists of one folder.

Scope and Content:

The Constitution Committee or Committee on Scope was formed on an occasional basis in order to revise the Constitution and By-Laws of the SCA. This subseries contains reports, memoranda, correspondence, and recommendations concerning the major Constitution revisions of the SCA, occurring about 1947, 1959, and 1965.

See also SG-I, Series 6: Committees, Subseries G, Standing Committees, Scope and Content Policy Committee Correspondence, Memos, Minutes, and Reports, undated, 1942-1965.

Subseries F: Committee Lists,  undated, 1939-1966.

Arrangement:

The subseries contains one folder.

Scope and Content:

The subseries contains lists of members of the various committees of the SCA. Lists are incomplete.

Subseries G: Standing Committees,  undated, 1930-1970.

Arrangement:

The series is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

The largest of the Subseries is Subseries G: Standing Committees, undated, 1930-1970. This subseries should also be used in conjunction with SG-I, Series 5: Activities, undated, 1930-1976, which contains files on activities of the SCA, mostly sprung from meetings of the Standing Committees of the SCA. The following lists some highlights of Suberies 7: Standing Committees.

--Boy and Girls Scouts of America: Materials from the Boy and Girl Scouts Committees document the creation of two awards specifically tailored to Jewish Scouts: the Ner Talmid Award for boys, and the Ner Menorah Award for girls. This includes setting guidelines for the Awards as well as mock-ups for medals and Scout log books. See Box 7, Folders 7-9 for correspondence, reports, and minutes regarding the Boy Scouts Committee and SG-II, Series 5, contains photographs of the Boy Scout Award (Folder 44, Folder 17), while SG-II, Series 3, contains Boy Scout publications (Box 40, Folder 8).

Box 8, Folders 15-17 contains correspondence, memos, reports, minutes, press releases, position papers and statements regarding the Girl Scout Committee. Folder 17 contains requirements, correspondence, press releases, statements and advertising for the Ner Menorah Award. In addition, there are Photographs located in SG-II, Series 5, Girl Scout Meeting (First Girl Scout Ner Menorah Award in Korea), Sept. 1965, Box 44, Folder 26 and there are Girl Scout and Committee Pamphlets located in SG-II, Series 3, Subseries B: Publications, Box 41, Folder 10.

--Cultural Advancement Committee: Includes the sermon "Imitatio Dei" by Rabbi Ely E. Philchik for the 104th Birthday Anniversary of Thomas A. Edison, Feb. 11, 1951. (Box 8, Folder 6.)

--Emergency Intercession Committee: Worked on behalf of Jews during World War II. Includes correspondence, prayers, programs, press releases, resolutions, and statements. Additional materials may be found in SG-II, Series V: Oversized Materials, Ephemera and Clippings. Box 46, Folder 12 contains a program, service suggestions, and "The Mass Murder of Jews in Europe" Information Service Bulletin, circa 1943.

--Film Committee: Documents includes correspondence on the image of Jews in film, accuracy, and endorsement of films. Films mention in the correspondence include the "Jazz Singer," "David and Bathsheba," Gertrude Berg's telecast of "The Goldberg" (1951), "Tomorrow is Too Late," and the "Pilot's Wife." Box 8, Folder 12.

--International Affairs Committee: Transcript of Golda Meir meeting and statements on Vietnam. Box 9, Folders 2-5.

--Inter-Religious Affairs Committee: Worked with Christian organizations of interest concerning Jewish/Christian relations, particularly with Catholics. Includes correspondence from Rabbi Balfour Brickner, chairman of the Committee, concerning Pope Pius XIII, and jewelry mixing Jewish and Christian symbols, among other topics. Box 9, Folder 6.

--Joint Advisory Committee on Religion and the Public Schools: This Committee was a joint offering between the SCA and the National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC). All materials concerning the NCRAC may be found in the folders concerning the Joint Advisory Committee. The Committee conducted meetings on issues concerning inter-religious affairs and public schooling. Includes materials on Court rulings concerning religion in schools and public life, including proposed changes to the Bill of Rights and Constitution, and opposition thereof; changing of Blue Laws concerning workplace activity on Sundays; a 1966 Christmas stamp portraying the Madonna and Child; and the Gideon Society providing Bibles in the Detroit public school system. There were also several other Joint Advisory Committees on several subjects including: Conference for Reassessment of Strategy and Approaches in Regard to Religion and Public Education; Conference on Religious Holiday Observations in Public Schools; Conference on the Role of the Public Schools in Dealing with Religion; Conference on Church and State; and a memos and reports from a Joint Advisory Committee on Shechita. Box 9, Folders 9-11 and Box 10, Folders 1-10; and Box 12, Folders 1-5. See also Box 13, Folder 6, Religious Observance Committee Correspondence, Questionnaires, and Lists, undated, 1945-1946.

--Religious Rehabilitation Committee: This Committee strove to adopt synagogues and persons in World War II countries, particularly France. (Box 13, Folders 8-9.) Materials includes questionnaires (see also SG-I, Series 5: Activities, French-Jewish Communities, A-W, circa 1945) concerning destroyed or damaged French synagogues, including photographic postcards of a damaged synagogue located in Bitche, France in the Moselle department. (See Box 44, Folder 16 for photographs.) Other synagogues with questionnaires for possible adoption were located in Dijon, Niederwiese, Paris, Puttelange, Sarregourg, and Bayonne.

Religious objects from these desecrated Synagogues were redistributed in Synagogues throughout the world, particularly in the United States and South America. Objects found desecrated beyond redemption were buried in a religious service conducted in Flushing Hills, New York. For more information, see SG-I, Series 4: Committees, Subseries H: Standing Committees, Religious Objects Committee Correspondence, Applications, Minutes, and Objects List, undated, 1950-1951; Series V: Activities, Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Aid to Religious Rehabilitation to French Jewry, French-Jewish Communities Questions, A-W; and SG-II, Series 4: Photographs, Burial of Ritual Objects and Torah Reconsecration, circa 1952.

--Social Action Committee: Contains Committee statements and action on the execution of Egyptian Jews charged with spying, the Civil Rights movement, bombings in Alabama, juvenile delinquency, international affairs and the arms race, gambling and bingo, desegregation, and an undated list of the highlights of the Committee. Box 13, Folder 12 and Box 14, Folder 1.

Subseries H: Committees, Commissions, and Task Forces,  1966-1974.

Arrangement:

The subseries is arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This portion of the records is similar to Subseries G: Standing Committees and Series 5: Activities. In the original order of the collection, Subseries H was part of its own separate series, though the reasons for this within the collection are unclear. As such, the Subseries was kept as a separate entity, when in fact, it could have been integrated into Subseries G: Standing Committees. There is some overlap of dates between the three collections, though Subseries H deals primarily with the years of 1966-1974, during the social, political, and racial turmoil occurring in the United States at the time.

Included in this Subseries are Committee materials on adult education, Synagogue relations, housing discrimination, family issues, selective service, and Jewish poverty. The Subseries' primary focus, however, are on the following Committees: Black Jews, Social Policy, Urban Affairs, and Negro-Jewish Relations. The Subseries is an excellent collection of materials on the struggle of Jews in coming to terms with African-Americans in the United States, black Jews and Ethiopian Falahsas, as well as Jewish help in the Civil Rights Movements.

Series 5: Activities,  undated, 1930-1976.

Arrangement:

The series is in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This 18-box Series is the heart of the Synagogue Council of America Records. This series contains files on the multitude of activities emanating from the SCA and its Committees, Task Forces, and Commissions. Though the collection does not make a direct correlation connecting this Series to Subseries G: Standing Committees and Subseries H: Committees, Commissions, and Task Forces, some of the materials overlap and should be used in conjunction with this series. However, much of the actions of the Committees resulted in Activities from the larger SCA community. Each of these actions must have started from a source, that source either being the Committees of the SCA, the organizational hierarchy of the SCA, or the factions of the SCA, Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Jews. Some materials also may have sprung out of ad-hoc committees. Also included are files on meetings with certain officials including Abba Eban (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel, Box 21, Folder 17); Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol (Box 22, Folder 1); Greek Orthodox Archbishop George Hakim (Box 23, Folder 21); Rev. William Granger Ryan (Box 32, Folder 17); President Zalman Shazar of Israel (Box 32, Folder 25); and a reception with Haim Zohar (Box 37, Folder 23).

Box 25, Folder 4, Jerusalem, Conference of Leaders of Jewish Organizations Correspondence, 1968, contains letters from Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, Yaacov Herzog, Arvraham Avi-hai, and Foreign Minister Abba Eban. The letters regard a meeting of Jewish leaders in Israel to discuss issues pertinent to Israeli matters, including aliyah. There is also some correspondence with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, one piece of correspondence from NYC Mayor John Lindsay, and Monsignor John W. Oesterricher. Also of interest is Box 19, Folder 18: Bertelsen Reception Honoring Scandinavian Refugee Work Correspondence, Arrangements, Remarks and Press Releases, 1954, honoring the Bertelsens of Denmark in their work helping Jewish refugees. See also SG-II, Series 4: Photographs, Bertelsen, Aage, Dr., and Gerda, Mrs., with SCA President Noman Salit, 1954.

Primarily, the material contains correspondence, memoranda, statements, resolutions, proposals, addresses, and minutes. The following contains a brief listing of the types of material in the Series 4.

--Aid to Religious Rehabilitation of French Jewry: This folder (Box 18, Folder 17) contains correspondence, memoranda, and lists in English and French concerning the needs of the Central Consistory of French Jewry for Reestablishing Religious Life, outlining the needs of the French community in regards to functioning Jewish communities. Also contains a list of the numbers of Jews left in France. See also SG-I, Series 3: Committees, Subseries G: Standing Committees, Religious Rehabilitation Committee Correspondence, Questionnaires, and Lists, Box 13, Folders 8-9.

--Airlines: Correspondence concerning the implementation of kosher meals on airline flights, 1953-1960. Includes a letter of complaint from Maxwell Abbell, who writes that he initiated the meal changes for the airlines after the SCA took credit for it. He says, "As you know, I am a stronger supporter of the Synagogue Council, but it should not take credit for what someone else has done and in any event should likewise give proper credit to the individuals and organizations who have been largely responsible for that accomplishment." For a photograph of a Stewardess with a Meal Tray, presumably a kosher tray, see SG-II, Series 4: Photographs, Airlines [Kosher Meals] - Stewardess with Meal Tray, undated, Box 44, Folder 2.

--American Association for the United Nations Conference: Correspondence, Addresses, Programs, and Memos, 1951-1964. Includes an address by Eleanor Roosevelt. The collection says there is an accompanying photograph, but the only photograph in the collection of Mrs. Roosevelt (located in SG-II, Series 4: Roosevelt, Eleanor, with Unidentified Persons, undated, Box 45, Folder 18) has no identifying remarks.

--Bahamas Jewish Community: letter from Harold Hoffer, Chairman of the Nassau Hebrew Congregation giving a history of the Jewish community in the Bahamas. Mr. Hoffer also asks advice on how to proceed with an affiliation since half the Jews in the small community favor the U.S. or Britain, and also mentions that there are no kosher restaurants on the island. (Box 19, Folder 16.)

--Federal Penitentiaries: Correspondence, memos, questionnaires, and statements establishing Jewish chapels in federal prisons. Correspondence regards rabbi assignments, ordering materials such as Torahs, and reports on services. Penitentiaries mentioned are: Alcatraz, CA; Alderson, W. VA, Ashland, KY; Atlanta, GA; Benton City, WA;, Chillicothe, OH; Danbury, CT; El Reno, OK; Englewood, CO; Greenlee, VA; La Tuna, TX; Leavenworth, OH; Lewisburg, PA; McNeil Island, WA; Milan, MI; Mill Pt. W. VA; Montgomery, AL; New York, NY; Petersburg, VA; Sandstone, MN; Seagoville, TX; Springfield, MO; Tallahassee, FL; Terre Haute, IN; Texarkana, TX; Tucson, AR; Walla Walla, WA; and Washington DC.

This series of folders (Box 22, Folders 12-15, Box 23, Box 1) is a good background snapshot of the emerging Jewish Synagogue movement in Federal Penitentiaries. The correspondence is primarily between chapels, prison officials, and SCA officials, but contains some correspondence from inmates.

--Freedman, Benjamin H.: The correspondence in this folder deals with James Forman's Black Manifesto (Black Economic Development Center), regarding Forman's interruption of services at the Riverside Church in New York (1969) in which he demanded Jews and Christians proffer reparations to blacks. This folder contains the only mention found about the document, which caused a stir in religious circles during the period of 1969-1972, causing many Jews and Christians to rethink their position on blacks in America or refute the arguments proffered by Foreman. (Box 23, Folder 4.)

--German Expert Consultants Program of the Office of Military Government for Germany (OMGUS), 1949-1950: An excellent assembly of materials documenting the SCA's involvement with the rebuilding of the Jewish presence in Germany after WWII. The SCA primarily worked with the OMGUS Education Cultural Relations Division in conjunction with the America Express Company. Germany-related expert representatives were recruited to plan for reorientation, rehabilitation, and cultural exchange of the German state. The Religious Affairs Branch of OMGUS sponsored 80 religious (Jewish and non-Jewish) experts to and from Germany, with the SCA acting as sponsors for the Jewish delegation, which was a requirement by the Federal Government for all participants. The persons were picked because they did not wish to immigrate to the U.S., but were interested in rebuilding and reorienting the German people "for life in the Democratic Germany." Also included are reports from the Jewish experts on their travels in the U.S., and resumes of their work. Also includes several letters from Harry S. Jones, Chief of Interfaith Section of the Religious Affairs Branch of the Office.

Materials include reports, project descriptions, speeches, resumes, correspondence, and memoranda. Includes the German Jewry Final Report written by Rabbi Simon Kramer. (Box 23, Folder 12-16.)

--High Holidays: Two folders concerning the observation of the High Holy Day Holidays as observed in the United States Navy. Correspondence is from 1942-1944 and discusses sailors and observance during military tours of duty. (Box 24, Folder 3-4.) Includes correspondence between the SCA and the Navy concerning induction, and naval shipyard jobs and the High Holidays.

--Immigration: Contains correspondence, statements, analysis, press releases, and minutes concerning immigration legislation. (Box 24, Folder 9-10.) Folder 9 contains a letter from Leon Machlis of the Shanghai, China Jewish community, along with two other Shanghai-related documents concerning Polish Jews who have been "forgotten" in China after WWII.

--Jewish Cultural Reconstruction Commission Objects Distributed Abroad: Correspondence and Jewish Cultural Reconstruction Commission Burial of Damaged Objects Correspondence and Press Release; five folders of information concerning the details of Judaica brought from Europe at the end of WWII and placed for safekeeping or permanently with Synagogues in the U.S. and abroad. Contains some records of item placement and correspondence with U.S. cities as well as Montevideo, Uruguay, Santiago, Chile, Montreal, Canada, and Johannesburg, South Africa. (Box 25, Folder 8-12.) See also Religious Rehabilitation Committee, Box 13, Folders 8-9.

In addition to the materials listed above, there are other highlights in regards to this series:

--Agricultural Correspondence and Fact Sheets, undated, 1946-1961 (Box 18, Folder 16) contains factsheets on the Jewish farm movement in the United States.

--Back to the Synagogue, 1935-1956, provides correspondence, reports, and editorials concerning PR campaign to revive Jewish participation in the Synagogue (Box 19, Folders 11-15).

--Black Market Meat Industry Correspondence and Report, 1942-1943 (Box 19, Folder 22) documents allegations regarding black market activities by Jewish butchers.

--Civil Rights Correspondence, Reports, and Statements, 1963-1964 (Box 20, Folder 23), includes a report of August 28, 1963 of events leading up to the March on Washington concerning Jewish representation at the Washington memorial and correspondence concerning SCA statements on Civil Rights.

--Federal Communications Commission Paul Richman Correspondence and Statement, 1948 (Box 22, Folder 9) contains documents concerning the FCC testimony regarding allowing atheists equal time on the air. Mr. Richman presented the SCA's position on the matter.

--Iraqi-Jews Rally Correspondence and Statements, 1969 (Box 24, Folder 17): contains correspondence dealing with a rally held at Dag Hammerskold Park in New York in 1969 after 53 Iraqis were executed, including Iraqi Jews, on charges of espionage by the Iraqi government.

--Stamp, Liberty, Dedication Correspondence, Minutes, Press Releases, Benediction, and Address, 1954 (Box 3, Folder 15) includes remarks of Norman Salit in which he criticized the US stance on Israel, includes correspondence regarding the Salit remarks.

--Tercentenary Celebration, 1942, 1954-1955 (Box 35, Folders 8-10) contains correspondence, memos, planning documents, addresses, press releases, and announcements regarding the planning of the 300th Anniversary of Jews in America. (See also Box 46, Folder 32 for a program and service booklet in ephemera.)

Subgroup II: Documentary Materials, undated, 1926-1980.

Arrangement:

Subgroup II is divided into six Series: Series 1: Anniversaries; Series 2: Historical and Promotional Materials; Series 3: Press Releases and Publications and Scrapbooks; Series 4: Photographs; Series 5: Ephemera; and Series 6: Oversized Materials.

Scope and Content:

This Subgroup contains documentary and historical materials regarding the Synagogue Council of America. Types of materials include documents regarding anniversaries held celebrating the SCA; promotional materials and documents relating to the history of the SCA; press releases, publications (both of the SCA and outside organizations) and scrapbooks; photographs of SCA Presidents and dignitaries; ephemera including posters, brochures, flyers, programs, and clippings.

For more specific information regarding the contents of the Series, please see each individual series below.

Series 1: Anniversaries,  1948-1966.

Arrangement:

The series is in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This small Series of nine folders contains SCA anniversary-related material including the 20th Anniversary program (1948); addresses, speeches, correspondence, invitation, proceedings, and transcript of the 25th Anniversary (1950-1951) plus a eulogy delivered by Dr. David de Sola Pool for past presidents of the SCA; and correspondence, addresses, invitations, and telegrams for the 40th Anniversary (1966).

Series 2: Historical and Promotional Materials,  undated, 1931-1964.

Arrangement:

The Series is in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

This Series contains ten folders of materials documenting the historical life of the SCA. The Series is not comprehensive, but contains a slim historical perspective of the Council. The Series includes General Assembly programs from 1954 and 1957 (Folder 10), a pamphlet entitled "History of the Synagogue Council of America, 1926-1962" written by Rabbi Bamberger in March 1963 (Folder 12); a 1931 pamphlet called "The Synagogue Council of America: Its Origin and Activities (Folder 15); and undated promotional items (Folder 14). Rounding out the Series are a draft publication called "A United Voice for Organized Jewish Religious Life in America" (Folder 16), which gives a brief recap of the history of the SCA (possibly drafted for a brochure on the SCA), and correspondence concerning the text of a 1962 press release regarding the SCA (Folder 17).

Series 3: Press Releases and Publications, and Scrapbooks,  undated, 1926-1980.

Arrangement:

This Series is divided into three Subseries: Subseries A: Press Releases, Subseries B: Publications, and Subseries C: Scrapbooks.

Scope and Content:

This Series contains press releases, publications, and scrapbooks, each of which appear in their own subseries. These materials primarily document the SCA, though some publications derive from other organizations. Please see the Subseries below for more information.

Subseries A: Press Releases,  undated, 1941-1975.

Arrangement:

The subseries is in chronological order.

Scope and Content:

Press releases may be found in two areas within the collection: those individual folders throughout the collection where one or two press releases are interspersed with other materials, or in Subseries A: Press Releases. The releases in this series were originally filed together, and kept in original order. Some folders throughout the collection contained only press releases, and were moved to this Subseries if there were no other materials within a single folder.

Press releases regard the various positions of the SCA and news releases on new materials or activities of the SCA. Some folders target specific issues, while Box 39, Folders 1-7 contains press releases for the years 1941-1975.

Subseries B: Publications,  undated, 1926-1980.

Arrangement:

The Subseries is in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

Subseries B contains publications of the Synagogue Council of America (Action Memo, Aging, Analysis, Background, Highlights, Report, and Review) as well as various miscellaneous other publications and reports of the Synagogue Council. In addition, the Subseries contains publications sponsored or endorsed by the SCA Committees on Aging, Family, Jewish Poverty, Prison Welfare, and Social Policy. Box 40, Folder 3 contains the draft blueprint for the SCA's "Back to the Synagogue" program, which attempted to encourage Jews to attend more synagogue services.

Rounding out the Subseries are published documents by organizations that worked with the SCA or provided background material on topics related to the SCA. Background materials include writings on employment and Fair Sabbath Laws, conscientious war objectors, Black Jews, the Boy and Girl Scouts, and background information and legal briefs on the separation of Church and State.

See also Bibliography for a list of publication titles and authors of publications located in Box 42, Folders 8-16.

Subseries C: Scrapbooks,  1943-1945.

Arrangement:

The collection contains three scrapbooks of clippings concerning the SCA, some of which were arranged by state, while others were arranged by topic.

Series 4: Photographs,  undated, 1946-1972.

Arrangement:

The Series is in arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

The Photographs Series offers a varying range of images regarding SCA events, including images of the Annual Synagogue Statesmen Award Dinner, tribute dinners, leader installations, receptions, conferences, marches, and meetings. Annual Statesmen Dinner photographs may be found in Box 44, Folders 6-12 for the years of 1961-1965 and 1967. Folder 11 contains general photographs of the 1965 Award Dinner in which Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Judaism and World Peace Award, while Box 45, Folder 5 contains photos of Dr. King receiving the medal, giving a speech during the dinner, and at a press conference afterwards. Box 45, Folder 4 contains photos of Edward Kennedy receiving the award (renamed in 1966 the John F. Kennedy Peace Award), and Box 44, Folder 21 contains an image of President Eisenhower receiving the first Judaism and World Peace Award in 1960.

Photos of SCA leaders can be found in Box 44, Folder 1 (President Theodore Adams); Folder 13 and 14 (Bamberger with President Truman and Bamberger-Salit inauguration); Box 45, Folder 2 (Rabbi A.M. Heller); Folder 6 (Rabbi Kramer and Rabbi Bamberger, 1951); Folder 10 and 11 (Mark Julius); Box 44, Folder 15, Box 45, Folder 19 (Salit honoring Scandinavians Aage and Gerda Bertelsen for refugee work during WWII and Salit's trip to Europe and Israel, 1953-1954); Box 45, Folder 23 (David de Sola Pool delivering a eulogy for past presidents of the SCA); Folder 25 (Gustave Stern with the Prince and Princess of Japan, circa 1958), and Folder 27 (Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum).

Other photographs of interest in the Series are of post-World War II synagogues and ritual objects redistribution and burial (Box 44, Folder 16 , 18 , Box 45, Folder 20 and 21 ); Boy and Girl Scouts (Box 44, Folder 17 , 26 ); President Lyndon Johnson addressing churchmen at the White House (see Series IV: Oversized Materials, Box 49, Folder 6); the SCA's participation in the March on Washington (Box 45, Folder 9) and President Truman meeting with SCA President, Rabbi Herbert Goldstein to discuss housing, 1946.

Series 5: Ephemera,  undated, 1931-1968.

Arrangement:

Box 46 is arranged in alphabetical order. Box 47 consists of four non-paper based ephemeral objects arranged in alphabetical order.

Scope and Content:

The collection of ephemera consists of pamphlets, cards, brochures, programs, flyers, invitations, reports, and one song sheet. A smaller box (Box 47) contains four ephemeral items: a printing plate of Soviet Rabbi Meir Felman, 1966; stamps from the United Jewish Appeal's "100 Days of Remembrance," circa 1947, a 1943 button with the caption, "We Mourn the Victims of Nazidom," and black ribbons, circa 1943.