Esther Brenner "1939" Club Collection, 1952-2017, bulk 1988-1995

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Summary

Creators:
Brenner, Esther, 1931-2015
Abstract:
Esther Brenner was a dedicated community advocate active in many civic and Jewish organizations in Los Angeles, including The "1939" Club—a fraternal organization of Holocaust survivors founded in 1952. During the late twentieth century Brenner served as a member of the Yearbook Editorial Committee on the club's Board of Directors. The Esther Brenner "1939" ClubCollection documents aspects of Brenner's involvement within the organization, especially the planning of the 42nd Anniversary Celebration in 1994 and the club's annual yearbook.
Extent:
2.25 linear feet
Language:
English , Hebrew .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Esther Brenner "1939" ClubCollection documents aspects of Brenner's tenure on the club's Board of Directors during the late twentieth century, as well as related later publications. The collection is composed of two series: Club Activity Files (1952-1996) and Press Clippings and Collected Publications (1986-2017).

Series I, Club Activity Files, contains materials related to the planning and promotion of club events and publications, particularly the 42nd Anniversary Celebration in 1994 and the club's annual yearbook. Materials include correspondence, meeting agendas and notes, fliers and programs, and yearbook mock-ups with photographic prints. A manuscript draft of the club's history is also included as well as reproductions of the club's earliest meeting notes from 1952-1953. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within.

Series II, Press Clippings and Collected Publications, contains newspaper clippings of various topics related to the Holocaust and Jewish communities which were likely used in the construction of membership publications for The "1939" Club. The series also contains collected personal narratives and publications from affiliated organizations, such as newsletters, fliers, and posters. Posters include Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie by Marcel Ophüls, One Family by the Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund, Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust, A Hard Lesson by New York Times Magazine, Night of Pogroms by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Writing Contest. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically within.

Biographical / historical:

Esther Lerner Brenner was born in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 1931. She was the second child of Jewish immigrants from Palestine and Lithuania.

In the early 1950s, Brenner moved to Los Angeles where she worked as a teacher and speech therapist while raising her three sons. She was a graduate of George Washington University and after completing her Master of Business Administration at the University of Judaism, she served as the West Coast Regional Director for the United States Holocaust Museum and as Director of Development at Aviva Family and Children's Services.

Brenner was a dedicated community advocate active in many civic and Jewish organizations in the Los Angeles area including the Beverly-Angeles Homeowners' Association, the Los Angeles Hebrew High School, and The "1939" Club—a fraternal organization of Holocaust survivors founded in Los Angeles in 1952. Throughout its history, The "1939" Club has coordinated numerous social, educational, and charitable initiatives to support Holocaust remembrance. In the 1990s, Brenner served on the club's Board of Directors as a member of the Yearbook Editorial Committee.

On August 7, 2015 Esther Lerner Brenner died at her home in Beverly Hills, California at the age of 84.

Acquisition information:
Esther Brenner. 02/2011. 2013
Processing information:

Christine Hertzel and Inderdeep Kaur, 2015

Arrangement:

Series I: Club Activity Files, 1952-1996

Series II: Press Clippings and Collected Publications, 1986-2017

Accruals:

2013

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Documents
Photographs

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has 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.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
Website