Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest

Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest Archives

Prepared by Jill Hershorin (Sept. 2010)

Record Group: 5

Collection Number: 10-10

Creator: Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest

Inclusive Dates: 1990-present

Extent: 27 cf

Abstract: Documents of the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest (JHSMW)

Acquisition information: Created by JHSMW

Preferred Citation: Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest

Access restrictions:

The collections of the Society shall be available for examination and study by any member of the public under the normal security procedures and other special procedures established for the protection of the specific collections.

Copyright:

For information about permission to reproduce or publish materials, please contact Jill Hershorin Archivist, Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest.

History:

The Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest (JHSMW) was founded in 1990 by three people active in community affairs; Ruth Fien, Jerome Fien and Saul Schwarz. They decided to create “a central place in the MetroWest area charged with the responsibility of acting as a repository to accession, organize for research, preserve and interpret Jewish historical sources.”[1]

Since its founding, the JHSMW collections moved from cramped quarters in East Orange, NJ to the Aidekman Campus in Whippany, NJ where the office and archives currently reside.The 800 square foot state-of-the-art facility houses over 600 collections and the campus hosts a well-trafficked exhibition space.

Types of materials found in the Archives include records from the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest (the Federation) and related beneficiary agencies, the NewarkBethIsraelMedicalCenter, synagogues, religious schools, private manuscript collections, photographs, slides and other A/V materials, and local English-language Jewish newspapers dating from 1921 to the present.

The JHSMW has conducted outreach activities since the founding of the Society in 1990, and programming has expanded significantly under the direction of Executive Director/Curator Linda Forgosh, who joined the JHSMW in 2000. The outreach activities include academic forums and speakers, a Speakers Bureau, and a traveling exhibition program. In November of 2004 the JHSMW joined with the American Jewish Committee to celebrate 350 years of Jews in America with a speaker and photographic exhibition displayed at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey. In addition to forums, the JHSMW also features speakers at selected meetings of the Board of Trustees; previous speakers have discussed the response of the Jewish community in Newark to Nazi activity and the role of Jews in the Spanish-American War.

Scope and Content:

In 1992, JHSMW hired full-time archivist, Joe Settanni whose work fulfilled many roles. He collected documents relevant to the administrative work within the society. The materials were methodically collected and filed in archival boxes in chronological arrangement from 1990-2005. When the society’s second archivist Jennifer McGillan was hired, McGillan focused on collecting materials that were relevant to key events, like the annual fundraiser and outreach programs as well as newsletters and minutes. Similarly, the society’s third archivist, Jill Hershorin, has maintained key documents as well.

Archivist Settanni was thorough in collecting materials, which resulted in redundancy throughout the years. The decision was made by the archivist and the executive director to arrange the collection, but not describe it from 1998 on to the present. The organization and subject headings remain consistent throughout this collection.

The photograph collections are divided into two distinct categories: “JHSMW related” and “Other.”The latter container consists of materials which have been donated throughout the years and it was decided to keep them within the JHS collection. As the Jewish News photographs have been kept together by assorted subjects and agencies, these photos have been arranged in a similar manner. Many of these photographs were removed from the Fien and Klein family collection, which had a large number of photographs from special events within the community.The decision was made to separate them and keep them within the JHS collection, as the subjects were beyond the Fien or Klein Families.(CHECK THIS – I MAY HAVE REVERSED THIS DECISION AFTER SPEAKING WITH LINDA FORGOSH)

Items of interest include: Letter from Gov. McGreevey to the JHSMW; materials related to the JHSMW sponsored book, “The Enduring Community” by William Helmreich; materials related the JHSMW sponsored book, “Covenant of Care” by Alan and Deborah Kraut; a copy of “TheTwilight of Optimism: Black-Jewish Relations in Newark During the Sixties” written by Clement Price;a photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. posing with George Maislen (United Jewish Synagogues of America) and Rabbi Abraham Heschel (Jewish Theological Seminary); assorted correspondence, remarks, and speeches made while Saul Schwarz was representing the JHSMW; board of trustees list from 1990-2004; and minutes from the inaugural meeting.

Conservation Notes:

N/A

Removals:

N/A

Organization:

The materials are organized alphabetically, then chronologically within the series and the collection is arranged in fifteen series, as follows;

  1. Administrative

a.By-laws and Constitution

b.Contributions

c.Correspondence

d.Employees

e.Minutes

f.Awards and Certificates

  1. Archives
  2. Audio-Visual Materials
  3. Committees
  4. Events
  5. Grants
  6. Legal
  7. Membership
  8. Photographs
  9. Press
  10. Programs
  11. Publications
  12. Publicity
  13. UJFMW
  14. Volunteers

[1] Schwarz, Saul, “The Founding of the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest”, 1992