Guide to the University Institute Records, Academic Departments and Schools, American Jewish University Archives (Institutional Records)

Prepared by Sivan Siman-Tov, American Jewish University
Ostrow Library and University Archives, American Jewish University
Bel and Jack M. Ostrow Library
15600 Mulholland Dr.
Bel-Air. California 90077
310-440-1238
URL: http://library.aju.edu/
Archives URL: http://callimachus.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15008coll11
E-mail: library@aju.edu
E-mail: sivanst3@gmail.com
© June, 2014
All rights reserved.

University Institute, Academic Departments and Schools, American Jewish University Archives (Institutional Records)

Collection number: CaLaAJUL1_7

American Jewish University

Bel-Air, CA 90077
Date Completed:
2014
Encoded by:
American Jewish University Archives
© 2014. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Identifier/Call Number: CaLaAJUL1_7
Title: University Institute, Academic Departments and Schools, American Jewish University Archives (Institutional Records)
Date (inclusive): 1960-1976 inclusive
Collector: American Jewish University; University of Judaism; Brandeis-Bardin Institute (Brandeis, Simi Valley, Calif.)
Repository: University Archives and Ostrow Library, American Jewish University

15600 Mulholland Dr.
Bel-Air. California 90077
Extent: 3 Folders (Box 15)
Location: Physical files are housed at the Ostrow Library of the American Jewish University.
Abstract: The records in this series contain materials related to the University Institute, including publications, program files, and news clippings.
Language: Materials are in English and Hebrew

Administrative Information

Access:

This collection is open for research with permission from the Ostrow Library staff. Some materials may be restricted. Contact the Archive (sivanst3@gmail.com) or the Library (library@aju.edu).

Accruals:

Additions to this collection may be transferred regularly.

Rights:

Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreement, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright holder. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item], University Institute, Academic Departments and Schools, Guide to the American Jewish University Archive, American Jewish University, Bel-Air, CA 90077.

Acquisition Information:

Collected by various members of the American Jewish University.

Scope and Content:

The records in this series contain materials related to the University Institute, including publications, program files, and news clippings.
The American Jewish University Archive is a collection of documents, pamphlets, recordings, letters, publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and ephemera that document the history of the University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute which merged to become American Jewish University in 2007, depicting people, places and events at both campuses.

Organization:

The collection is part of Series 5: Academic Departments and Schools. It is organized in 5 sub-series.
  • V. Academic Departments and Schools: 1947-2014
    • 3. University Institute 1960-1976
      • Subseries 1. Catalogs and Schedule of Courses
      • Subseries 2. Morning Division of the University Institute of Jewish Studies
      • Subseries 3. Department of Public Education
        • 3.1 Library Lecture Series
        • 3.2 Scholar in Residence
      • Subseries 4. Reports
      • Subseries 5. News Clippings

American Jewish University:

The American Jewish University , with its Familian campus in Bel Air, California and Brandeis-Bardin campus in Simi Valley, California, is the outcome of the 2007 union of Brandeis-Bardin Institute (BBI) and the University of Judaism (UJ).
In 1947, the University of Judaism was founded in Los Angeles, the vision of Dr. Mordecai Kaplan, the author of Judaism as a Civilization, who advocated the creation of an educational institution incorporating diverse elements of Jewish civilization and culture under one roof. To carry out his dream, he received the support of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and the Bureau of Jewish Education of Los Angeles.
Six years earlier, BCI was founded by Dr. Shlomo Bardin to safeguard against assimilation of young American Jews by making “the great ethical heritage of Judaism” relevant to them. Brandeis Camp Institute was named to honor our nation’s first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Louis D. Brandeis, who was instrumental as the visionary and primary funder of Dr. Bardin’s initial programmatic endeavor. BBI was located for brief periods of time in Amherst, NH, Winterdale, PA and Hendersonville, NC before finding its home in 1947 in Simi Valley.
For more information, please see our history page at the following link: http://aboutus.aju.edu/default.aspx?id=4742 .

The Bel and Jack M. Ostrow Academic Library:

The Ostrow Library , is designed to meet the needs of the University's faculty and students, as well as scholars conducting research in all fields of Jewish culture and civilization. Members of the general public are also invited to use the Library’s materials for personal enrichment and enjoyment. With approximately 110,000 print volumes, the library's collections have grown consistently through endowments, gifts of major private collections and an ongoing acquisition program.

The Burton Sperber Memorial Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles:

The Burton Sperber Jewish Community Library  at American Jewish University now serves as the official Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles. This new library succeeds the original Peter M. Kahn Jewish Community Library that was formerly housed at the Los Angeles Jewish Federation. Dedicated by his family in memory of noted Los Angeles philanthropist and landscape developer Burton Sperber, this library welcomes the entire Los Angeles Jewish community to enjoy its state-of-the-art facility including regularly scheduled programs for children and families as well as author and other literary encounters.

The Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Center:

The Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Center , a gift of Peter and Janine Lowy, is home to the Maslan Bible Collection. This unusual assemblage of exceptional volumes includes approximately 4,000 Bibles, some dating back almost to the inception of the printing press. This collection also features bible translations representing most of the written languages of the world, as well as the Kalman-Friedman Collection of Italian Judaica.

The University Archives:

The University Archives  of the American Jewish University is a collection of documents, pamphlets, recordings, letters, publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and ephemera that document the history of the University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute which merged to become American Jewish University in 2007, depicting people, places and events at both campuses.

Photograph and Digital Archive:

  • The American Jewish University Digital Archive  includes photographs, scrapbooks, and ephemera that document the history of the University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute which merged to become American Jewish University in 2007, depicting people, places and events at both campuses. These photographs include great Jewish thinkers who founded AJU and were involved with its growth over the years. The creation of both institutions was made possible by philanthropists to whom we owe the building of University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute.

Audio-Visual Archive:

  • The American Jewish University Audio-Visual Archive  is a collection of audio-visual records of lectures, shows, and events taking place at or produced by the American Jewish University (formerly University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute) over the years.

Louis Shub Documentation Center:

  • The Louis Shub Documentation Center  at the American Jewish University is a collection of thousands of articles from various newspapers and periodicals covering a range of subjects. Gathered by Dr. Shub, the former library director of the University of Judaism, the collection was used by students to research subjects such as Israeli and Jewish figures, Foreign Policy, Global Jewish Communities, Israel, the Middle East and many other issues and subjects. The importance of this collection is the juxtaposing of articles from major papers with those of small local papers both covering the same event. The finding aid to the collection can be viewed at: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c85h7jcf/ 

Subjects:

Note

(Library of Congress Subject Headings)

Personal and Corporate Names:
American Jewish University
Brandeis-Bardin Institute (Brandeis, Simi Valley, Calif.)
University of Judaism
Camp Ramah.
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
United Synagogue of America.
Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
National Women's League
University Women of the University of Judaism
Sinai Temple (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Shub, Louis
Lieber, David L.
Greenberg, Simon, 1901-
Wexler, Robert
Turner, Justin G.
Fligelman, Julius, 1895-1980
Heschel, Abraham Joshua, 1907-1972
Kohn, Jacob, 1881-1968
Swig, Benjamin Harrison, 1893-1980
Pressman, Jacob;
Kaplan, Mordecai Menahem, 1881-1983
Finkelstein, Louis, 1895-1991
Levine, Sid
Wise, Aaron M.
Vorspan, Max
Zemach, Benjamin
Helfman, Max
Warren, Earl, 1891-1974
Eisenshtat, Sidney, 1914-2005
Gindi, Elie M.
Bergman, Martin
Jospe, Erwin
Alexander, Hanan A., 1953-
Bradley, Tom, 1917-1998
Dorff, Elliot N.
Cohen, Gerson D. (Gerson David), 1924-
Dortort, David
Goodhill, Victor, 1911-
Gordis, David M.
Schulweis, Harold M.
Glass, Judith
Ray, Eric
Krems, Nathan
Ackerman, Walter I.
Kahn, Peter M., 1878- [from old catalog]
Gordis, Robert, 1908-
Wolfson, Ron
Cohen, Aryeh
Oppenheim, Lois Hecht
Schary, Dore
Zevit, Ziony
Familian, Isadore
Seewack, Benjamin
Ostrow, Jack
Ostrow, Bel
Easton, Harold

Subjects and Indexing Terms

General Subjects:
Judaism.
Zionism and Judaism.
Israel.
Education.
College presidents.
Jewish college presidents
Rabbis.
Philanthropists
Scholars.
Art.
Patrons of education
Board of directors--United States.
College administrators
Libraries.
Jewish artists
Jewish college teachers
Authors.
Faculty, University
Women.
Musicians
College campuses.

Box 15

Subseries: 5.3:
University Institute 1960-1976
Archival Materials:

Physical Description: 3 Folders (Box 15)
Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Department of Extension Education (1947-1949), see Box 15, folder 5.

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Department of Continuing Education (1976-) please see Box 17.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries contains materials related to the University Institute, including publications, program files, and news clippings.
Variant Names: University Institute of Adult Jewish Studies; University Institute of Jewish Studies; University Institute: Program for Continuing Jewish Education for Adults.

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: Originally part of the Department of Extension Education of the School of Education, the University Institute of Adult Jewish Studies provided evening classes for youth and adults, while the Womens Institute held morning classes. By 1962 it became its own school with Morning and Evening divisions and an Extension Department with classes in various community locations, such as Valley Beth Israel, Valley Jewish Community Center, and more. During the early 70s it included a Department of Public Education, a Fine Arts Program, and a College Credit Program for Adults. Mrs. Ayola Reiss served as the Registrar in the 1960s, and Henry Fisher was the Director in 1967. Around 1976, the University Institute moved to the Department of Continuing Education.
Box 

15, folder 8-9

1.  Catalogs and Schedule of Courses 1962-1976

Course Schedule, 1966 (a_cajoul048)
Course Schedule, 1967 (a_cajoul049)

Physical Location: Additional Location: For the Courses and Programs of the 1966 Spring Semester, please see Vol. 19, No. 2, University of Judaism Newsletter, 1966 (a_cajoul048).

Physical Location: Additional Location: For the Courses and Programs of the 1967 Spring Semester, please see Vol. 20, No. 1, University of Judaism Newsletter, 1967 (a_cajoul049).

Scope and Content Note

Includes catalogs and schedules for the University Institute, including drafts and handwritten notes and changes by David Lieber.
Box 

15, folder 10

2.  Morning Division of the University Institute of Jewish Studies 1964

Scope and Content Note

Includes a catalog of courses for the Morning Division, with courses co-sponsored by Hadassah and courses and lecture series offered in cooperation with local congregations and community centers such as Bay Cities Jewish Community Center, Beth Shalom, Hollywood Los Feliz JCC, Temple Ramah, Valley JCC and more.
Box 

15, folder 10

3.  Department of Public Education 1964-1974

Scope and Content Note

Contains materials on the Library Lecture Series and the Scholar in Residence program.

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: The Department of Public Education was established to correlate all lectures, forums and activities offered by the various schools of the University to the general public. It was administered by the University Institute under the guidance of a special committee consisting of Dr. Henry Fisher, Chairman, and Dr. Walter Ackerman, Dr. Samuel Dinin, Erwin Jospe, Louis Shub, and Dr. Max Vorspan. Endowed lectures included the Jospeh Backlar and Rosemary Shuchart Backlar Lecture on Judaism and Justice, the Charles Brown Memorial Lecture in Contributions to Jewish Intellectual Thought, the Samuel A. Fryer Lecture in Bible, the Moses E. Gindi Memorial Lecture, the Jacob Kohn Lecture in Theology, the Hyman Levine Memorial Lecture in American Jewish History, and the Turner Library Lecture in Literature. Additionally, through the Department of Community Service, the University Institute arranged for members of its faculty to visit the communities in the Pacific Northwest, the San Francisco Bay area, and the Pacific Southwest for individual lectures or as week-end "Scholars in Residence".
Box 

15, folder 10

A.  Library Lecture Series 1964

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Public Lectures (1952-1962), under the School of Education, please see Box 15.

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Faculty Forum, Public Lectures (1962-1964), please see the Graduate School (Box 15);

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Public Lectures (1962-) under the Earl Warren Institute of Ethics and Human Relations, please see Box 15;

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Public Lecture Series (1976-), please see the Department of Continuing Education (Box 18).

Scope and Content Note

Includes a pamphlet for the first annual Library Lecture Series: Jewish Horizons in the Mid-Sixties, event description, and Arnold J. Band CV.
Variant Names: Turner Library Lecture in Literature.

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: The Turner Library Lecture series was created under the auspices of Library Chairman, Justin G. Turner and Library Director, Louis Shub. The lectures for the first series, taking place between November 4, 1964-February 3, 1965, featured the "Art of Democracy: United States of America-Israel" by Dr. Franklin Murphy; "The Evolving Masks of S. J. Agnon" by Dr. Arnold Band; "Art of Jewish Education" by Dr. Walter Ackerman, and "Myth and Reality in Jewish Fiction" by Louis Shub. The lecture series was designed to explore the comprehensive horizons of the Jewish Humanities.
Box 

15, folder 10

B.  Scholar in Residence 1974-06-26

Scope and Content Note

Includes material from the Scholar in Residence program, under the Department of Community Service, such as a letter from Max Vorspan to communities, regarding the “Scholar in Residence” and community lecture formats.
Box 

15, folder 10

4.  Reports 1969-1973

 

a.  Enrollment Report 1969-1970

 

b.  Registration Report 1970

 

c.  Registration Report 1971

 

d.  Registration Report and Comparison Report 1973

Box 

15, folder 10

5.  News Clippings 1960-1963

Scope and Content Note

Various news clippings related to the University Institute and its programs and courses. Includes clipping about the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills chapters of Hadassah Women, signing up for classes given under the auspices of the University. Additionally, the Westside Jewish Community Center evening courses. Other titles include "UJ Classes Begin in the Valley, Extension", "Extension Course Locations", and "Instructors Aid Council".