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Bresler (Boris) papers
BANC MSS 2010/742
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Boris Bresler papers
Creator:
Bresler, Boris.
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2010/742
Physical Description:
13.75 linear feet
(9 cartons, 1 box, 2 oversize boxes, 2 oversize folders)
Physical Description:
8 videocassettes (VHS)
Date (inclusive): 1920-2000
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the
library's online catalog.
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection is open for research.
No future additions are expected.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Boris Bresler papers were transferred to The Bancroft Library from the Judah L. Magnes Museum in 2010.
Existence and Location of Copies
There are no alternative forms of this collection.
Boris Bresler was born in 1918 in Manchuria and raised in a Russian émigré Jewish community in Harbin, China. He immigrated
to the United States in 1937 and received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley in 1941. He went on to obtain his
M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from CalTech in 1946. After graduating from CalTech, he joined the faculty in the Department
of Civil Engineering at UC Berkeley where he worked until his retirement in 1978. Following his retirement he took on consulting
jobs in engineering and also established Benmir Books in Walnut Creek, a small publishing house specializing in translations,
reprints, and original works with Jewish themes. He spent retirement splitting his time between living in Israel and the Bay
Area. He also translated Russian prose and poetry into English. While in Israel he became the editor of the English Supplement
of Igud Yotzei Sin Bulletin. He maintained life-long relationships with other Jewish people from China – some of their personal
stories are included in his research files.
[Identification of item], Boris Bresler papers, BANC MSS 2010/742,The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley..
Processed by Presley Hubschmitt in 2022 with funding from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation.
The collection consists primarily of materials relating to Boris Bresler's research on Jews in the Far East, particularly
China. He conducted this research for both his personal research projects and for articles for the Igud Yotzei Sin Bulletin
of which he was editor from 1996-2000. Also included in this collection are correspondence and materials relating to his publishing
company, Benmir Books. There is some personal correspondence and material, but much of the correspondence is embedded in Bresler's
research, as he kept in contact with many Jewish people who once lived in China or conducted research on the subject. There
are also photographs that depict life in Harbin, China in the 1930s as well as personal photographs from Bresler's time at
UC Berkeley, events for Benmir Books, and events for the Igud Yotzei Sin Bulletin.
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright 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 owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Bresler, Boris
Igud yotsʼe Sin
Jews -- China -- History
Jews, Russian.
Jews, Russian -- China -- History
Jewish refugees -- China
Harbin (China) -- Ethnic relations
Harbin (China)