Guide to the Benjamin M. Levaco Papers
Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Benjamin M. Levaco Papers
Creator:
Levaco, Benjamin M., 1911-1998
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.BML
Extent:
2.90 linear feet
Date (inclusive): Circa 1900-1999
Abstract: Benjamin Levaco was a Russian-born Jew
who moved to China with his family in 1915 at the age of four. He grew up in Harbin and
Tientsin, and after graduating high school began working for a sausage casing company in the
1930s. After World War II, he opened his own casing company with plants in Shanghai,
Hangchow, Tientsin and Peking. He fled China with his wife in 1950, immigrating to New York
City. He retired in the Los Angeles area, and traveled to China multiple times in the 1990s
before his passing in 1998. The collection contains items from Levaco's life in China, as
well as items related to his continued interest in the Old China Hands experience during his
retirement.
Language of Material: English,
Russian,
Hebrew,
Chinese
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Personal Materials, circa 1920s-1998
Subseries A Correspondence, 1929-1996
Subseries B: Groups and Organizations, 1959-1996
Subseries C: Travel, 1982-1994
Subseries D: Narratives and Poetry, 1978-1994
Subseries E: Miscellaneous Documents and Ephemera, circa 1920-1999
Series II: Collected Publications and Narratives, circa 1917-1999
Subseries A: Scholarly Works and News Clippings, circa 1917-1999
Subseries B: Memoirs and Personal Narratives, 1943-1984
Series III: Photographs and Photocopied Images, circa 1900-1999
Biographical Information:
Benjamin (Ben) Levaco was born to Michael and Rachel Levaco in Kainsk, Siberia in 1911. His
family moved to Harbin in 1915 to escape the rising Bolshevik forces in Russia, where his
father ran a variety of businesses. In 1918, the family moved again to Yokohama, Japan,
where Levaco attended Saint Joseph's College. The family lived in Japan until 1923, when the
Great Kanto Earthquake hit and destroyed most of the city of Yokohama. The Levaco's were
left without a home, business, or liquid assets as all records of their bank accounts were
lost to the destruction of the earthquake. The family then moved to Tientsin, China, where
Michael Levaco was able to establish a haberdashery. Benjamin attended the British Grammar
School in Tientsin, graduated in 1927, and found employment in an American firm dealing in
natural sausage casings, the Oppenheimer Casing Company.
As a part of his employment, Levaco traveled extensively throughout the interior of China
and Mongolia to buy casings, and as a result became proficient in Chinese. In 1936, he was
made the manager of a branch office in Shanghai, and worked there until 1941 when the
occupying Japanese forces terminated all American-run businesses. During this time he worked
as a real-estate agent, and after the war decided to establish his own casing export company
with a few partners. His company, Huhzung Trading Company, owned plants in Shanghai,
Hangchow, and expanded in 1948 to Tientsin and Peking as well. This business ran
successfully until 1949, when Levaco decided to leave in the wake of the Communist
takeover.
After hastily wrapping up his business affairs and losing much in the process, Levaco
received a U.S. Immigration Visa in October of 1950, and moved to New York City with his
second wife, Nata. Levaco worked a variety of jobs, including as a salesman for the
Oppenheimer Casing Company and a Canadian casing company. Nata passed away in 1955 from
cancer, and Levaco married his third wife, Sonia, in 1956. In 1971, he began working for the
Independent Casing Company of Montreal, where he stayed for 20 years, even working over the
phone when he and Sonia moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1986. Sonia passed away in
1989, but Levaco continued to live in the area, close to their daughter Gail and her family.
Levaco took a number of trips to China in his later life, and was involved in a number of
organizations for Old China Hands and Jewish people who formerly lived in China. He passed
away in 1998, at the age of 87.
Scope and Contents
The
Benjamin M. Levaco Papers contain items from Levaco's life
in China, as well as items related to his continued interest in the Old China Hands
experience during his retirement. The collection is arranged in three series:
Personal Materials (circa 1920-1998),
Collected
Publications and Narratives
(circa 1917-1999), and
Photographs
and Photocopied Images
(circa 1900-1999).
Series I,
Personal Materials, contains five subseries:
Correspondence (1929-1996),
Groups and
Organizations
(1959-1996),
Travel (1982-1994),
Narratives and Poetry (1978-1994), and
Miscellaneous Documents and Ephemera (circa 1920-1998). The
Correspondence subseries consists of letters sent to and from Benjamin Levaco
covering a variety of topics, including a series of love letters written by Levaco to a
former girlfriend, Tania. The
Groups and Organizations subseries
consists of newsletters, correspondence, and other documents related to a number of groups
in which Levaco was involved. These groups include Jewish organizations, groups related to
the Old China Hands experience, and a creative writing group. The
Travel subseries consists of brochures, postcards, ephemera, and arrangements
related to the various trips Levaco took to China in the 1990s. The
Narratives and Poetry subseries consists of stories, essays, and poetry written by
Levaco mostly about his life and family. Also included are translations done by Levaco of
his father Michael's poetry written in Russian in China. The
Miscellaneous Documents and Ephemera subseries consists of a number of items
related to Levaco's personal life in China and America, including identification documents,
records of property owned by Levaco in Hungjao, genealogical information, and grades from
his grammar school in Tientsin.
Series II,
Collected Publications and Narratives, contains two
subseries. Subseries A,
Scholarly Works and News Clippings (circa
1917-1999,) contains articles, presentations, and news clippings collected by Levaco related
mostly to the Jewish experience in China as well as information on China in general.
Subseries B,
Memoirs and Personal Narratives (1943-1984),
contains narratives and stories collected and sent to Levaco written by others about their
experiences living and visiting China and Japan.
Series III,
Photographs and Photocopied Images, consists of
photographs and photocopied pictures of Levaco's life in China and America as well as his
trips to China in the 1990s.
Related Material
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open to research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gail Levaco Goldman, 1998.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Andy Villalobos, May 2012
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Documents
Photographs
Series I: Personal Materials, ca. 1920-1998
Subseries A: Correspondence, 1929-1996
Box 1, Folder 1
General Correspondence,
1929-1939
Box 1, Folder 2
General Correspondence,
1950-1956
Box 1, Folder 3
General Correspondence,
1968-1986
Box 1, Folder 4
General Correspondence,
1990-1992
Box 1, Folder 5
General Correspondence,
1993-1994
Box 1, Folder 6
General Correspondence,
1995-1996
Box 1, Folder 7
Undated General Correspondence
Box 1, Folder 8
Tania Correspondence,
1938-1939
Box 1, Folder 9
Russian and Chinese Correspondence
Subseries B: Groups and Organizations, 1959-1996
Box 1, Folder 10
American Far-Eastern Society, Inc.,
1980-1996
Box 1, Folder 11
The China Society of Southern California,
1985-1995
Box 1, Folder 12
Creative Writing Group,
1991
Box 1, Folder 13
Old China Hands,
1991-1996
Box 1, Folder 14
Reading and Discussion Group - Jewish Labor Comm.,
1988
Box 1, Folder 15
Shanghai Tiffin Club,
1959-1980
Subseries C: Travel, 1982-1994
Box 1, Folder 16
China Tour Information,
1982-1992
Box 1, Folder 19
China Today Tour - Silk Road,
1994
Box 1, Folder 20
China Pictorial Brochures,
1992
Box 1, Folder 21
China Postcards,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 1, Folder 22
Miscellaneous China Brochures,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 1, Folder 23
Miscellaneous Tour Ephemera,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 4, Folder 1
Shanghai and Europe Maps,
1940-1947
Box 5, Item 2
VHS Tape - Levaco on Tour in Shanghai,
1994
Subseries D: Narratives and Poetry, 1978-1994
Box 2, Folder 1
General Autobiographies,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 2, Folder 2
Stories about Levaco Family Members,
1981-1991
Box 2, Folder 3
Stories about Childhood and Teenage Years (1911-1929),
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 2, Folder 4
Stories about The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923,
1989-1991
Box 2, Folder 5
Stories about the 1930s,
ca. 1991
Box 2, Folder 6
Stories about the 1940s,
ca. 1991
Box 2, Folder 7
Stories about the 1950s and 1960s,
ca. 1991
Box 2, Folder 8
Stories about Los Angeles, Health and Life in the 1980s and Early
1990s,
1990-1991
Box 2, Folder 9
Stories about Trips Taken to China,
1990-1994
Box 2, Folder 10
Writings about Israel and the Jewish People,
ca. 1989-1992
Box 2, Folder 11
"Welcome to Ellis Island" Sign
Box 2, Folder 13
Translations of Michael Levaco's Poetry from the 1930s and
1940s,
1992
Box 2, Folder 15
Published Writings and Speaking Engagements,
1978-1992
Subseries E: Miscellaneous Documents and Ephemera, ca.
1920-1998
Box 2, Folder 17
Genealogical and Levaco Family Information
Box 2, Folder 18
Hungjao Bungalow Lease Documents,
ca. 1950-1989
Box 2, Folder 19
Identification Documents and Business Cards,
ca. 1930-1992
Box 2, Folder 20
Miscellaneous Personal Documents,
ca. 1920-ca. 1989
Box 2, Folder 21
Photocopies of Material on Levaco from the Skirball Cultural
Center,
1998
Box 4, Folder 3
Tientsin Grammar School Report Cards,
1924-1927
Box 4, Folder 4
Caricature of Benjamin Levaco,
1973
Box 5, Item 1
Paperweight - "Ben Levaco, Consultant"
Series II: Collected Publications and Narratives, ca.
1917-1999
Subseries A: Scholarly Works and News Clippings, ca.
1917-1999
Box 2, Folder 22
General Articles and Information on China,
1986-1994
Box 2, Folder 23
Information on Old Shanghai, Tientsin, and Harbin,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 2, Folder 24
Scholarly Articles and Information on Jews in China,
1987-1992
Box 2, Folder 25
Article on Ron Levaco's Documentary, "Round Eyes in the Middle
Kingdom ,"
1996
Box 2, Folder 26
"Judaism: A Historical Enclave Revealed" by Rabbi Howard A.
Berman
Box 2, Folder 27
Article and Presentation on Jews in Harbin,
1989, 1992
Box 2, Folder 28
Presentations on Jews in Shanghai,
1989, 1994
Box 2, Folder 29
"Chinese in America" Essay
Box 3, Folder 1
Newspaper Clippings from China and Russia,
ca. 1919-ca. 1949
Box 3, Folder 2
Newspaper and Magazine Articles,
1977-1999
Box 4, Folder 5
"Shanghai Daze," by Orville Schell -
Los Angeles
Times Magazine,
18 June 1995
Subseries B: Memoirs and Personal Narratives,
1943-1984
Box 3, Folder 3
Asbury, Earl and Sally - "China and Tibet - 1984"
Box 3, Folder 4
B-n, M - "Emigre Seder in Yokohama - 1919,"
1943
Box 3, Folder 5
Fradkin, Abraham - "Guests for a Moment" and "The International Seminar on
'Jews in Shanghai'"
Box 3, Folder 6
Fradkin, Abraham - "Period in the Circle" and "The Earth is
Trembling"
Box 3, Folder 7
Guang, Pan - "President Herzog in Shanghai"
Box 3, Folder 8
Hodgeman, Joan - "Reminiscences of a Journey to China in August,
1978"
Box 3, Folder 9
Klyachko, L. - "Stories of the Past" (In Russian)
Box 3, Folder 10
Machado, Mario - "Shanghai Memories: What Do I Remember???"
Box 3, Folder 11
Moranz, Irving - "A Fugitive's Journey"
Box 3, Folder 12
Zakharov, A. - "Forgotten of Harbin: Book 1" (In Russian),
1960
Box 3, Folder 13
Zakharov, A. - "Forgotten of Harbin: Book 2" (In Russian),
1960
Box 3, Folder 14
Zakharov, A. - "Forgotten of Harbin: Book 3" (In Russian),
1960
Box 3, Folder 15
"Impressions of My Trip Back"
Box 3, Folder 16
Photocopy of a Letter from an Old China Hand in Tientsin, 1901
Series III: Photographs and Photocopied Images, ca. 1900-ca.
1999
Box 3, Folder 17
Photographs and Photocopies,
ca. 1900-ca. 1929
Box 3, Folder 18
Photographs and Photocopies,
ca. 1930-ca. 1939
Box 3, Folder 19
Photographs and Photocopies,
ca. 1940-ca. 1969
Box 3, Folder 20
Photographs and Photocopies,
ca. 1970-ca. 1989
Box 3, Folder 21
Photographs and Photocopies,
ca. 1990-ca. 1999
Box 4, Folder 7
Oversized Photocopies,
1927-1993
