Guide to the Graduate School of Judaica 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
© July, 2014
All rights reserved.

Graduate School of Judaica, Academic Departments and Schools, American Jewish University Archives (Institutional Records)

Collection number: CaLaAJUL1_12

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_12
Title: Graduate School of Judaica, Academic Departments and Schools, American Jewish University Archives (Institutional Records)
Date (inclusive): 1971-1987 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: 1 Folder (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 Graduate School of Judaica. Subseries include Correspondence, Catalogs, Schedules, Reports, and Beit Midrash.
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], Graduate School of Judaica, 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 Graduate School of Judaica. Subseries include Correspondence, Catalogs, Schedules, Reports, and Beit Midrash.
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
    • 8. Graduate School of Judaica 1971-1987
      • Subseries 1. Correspondence
      • Subseries 2. Catalogs
      • Subseries 3. Schedules
      • Subseries 4. Reports
      • Subseries 5. Beit Midrash

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, folder 21

Subseries: 5.8:
Graduate School of Judaica 1971-1987
Archival Materials:

Physical Description: 1 Folder (Box 15)
Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Graduate School 1947-1974, see Box 15, Folder 6-7.

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the David Lieber School of Graduate Studies (1979-), see Box 17.

Physical Location: Related Materials: For materials on the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (1991-) , see Box 20.

Scope and Content Note

The records in this series contain materials related to the Graduate School of Judaica. Subseries include Correspondence, Catalogs, Schedules, Reports and Beit Midrash.

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: Founded in 1971, the Graduate School of Judaica with Dr. Elliot Dorff as Dean, featured "intensive courses in classical Jewish texts for those preparing for seminary training elsewhere, and for those intending to do Jewish scholarly or communal work". It was designed for "students who wish to pursue a career in the rabbinate" and covered the first two years of rabbinical study before entering the Rabbinical Department of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. Some unique programs included the Beit Midrash and participation in the colloquia sponsored by the Interreligious Council of Southern California.
Box 

15, folder 21

1.  Correspondence 1971-07-27

Scope and Content Note

Letter from Elliot Dorff to fellow students.
Box 

15, folder 21

2.  Catalogs ca. 1975-1982

Box 

15, folder 21

3.  Course Schedules 1971

Box 

15, folder 21

4.  Reports 1971

 

a.  Registration Report 1971-11-04

 

b.  Progress Report 1971-11-27

Box 

15, folder 21

5.  Beit Midrash 1987

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: Started in 1981 as a weekly luncheon colloquium, it later expanded to meet an hour each day, allowing students and rabbis to discuss various topics.
 

a.  Summer Beit Midrash 1987

Scope and Content Note

Includes pamphlet.

Biography/Organization History

Historical Note: Started in 1985, this program was created for 17-25 year old students not enrolled at the University, to spend four weeks involved in intensive Jewish living and learning.