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Finding Aid to the American Jewish Congress, Northern California Division records, 1957-1988
BANC MSS 2010/702  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The collection documents the activities of the American Jewish Congress' Northern California Division from 1960 through the mid-1980s. It contains minutes (1960-1982, incomplete), financial records, membership records, annual reports, articles, programs, newsletters, press releases, clippings, correspondence, briefs and published material, and some photographs.
Background
The American Jewish Congress (AJC) was founded in 1916, and reorganized in 1920 and 1938. The groundwork for the Northern California Division was laid in the 1930s by Rabbis Saul White of Beth Sholom and Elliot Burstein of Beth Israel when they organized a boycott of German goods. The Division was officially founded in December 1943. The AJC's mission shifted somewhat over the years but the core was the promotion of "Jewish rights and freedom" within the U.S. and the support of the "Jewish Homeland." The organization's Civil Rights stand broadened over the years from a concern for Jewish Rights (American Jewish Yearbook, 1922) to the "elimination of all forms of racial and religious bigotry" (American Jewish Yearbook, 1995) and was referred to by one member as a Jewish ACLU. One of the AJC's primary money making activities was the sponsoring of tours of Israel and Jewish themed tours to other cultural and religious sites around the world.
Extent
Number of containers: 10 cartons, 1 box (Linear feet: 10.4)
Restrictions
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Availability
Collection is open for research.