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Finding Aid to the National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section Records, 1897-2010, bulk 1920-2010
BANC MSS 2010/780
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Table of contents
Collection Title: National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section records
Date (inclusive): 1897-2010,
Date (bulk): bulk 1920-2010
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2010/780
Creator :
National Council of Jewish Women. San Francisco Section
Extent:
Number of containers: 10 cartons, 13 oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder
Linear feet: 18.2 linear feet
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section records document over a century of pioneering social welfare work
for the betterment of women, children, and families.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
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.
Collection is open for research.
Materials in this collection 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 without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for
any use rests exclusively with the user.
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. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
[Identification of item], National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section Records, BANC MSS 2010/780, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Glass lantern slides have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections Unit of The Bancroft Library.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
National Council of Jewish Women. San Francisco Section--Archives
National Council of Jewish Women
Women in Community Service (U.S.)
Council of Jewish Women (U.S.)
Charities--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Jews--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Photographs.
Clippings.
The National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section records were transferred to The Bancroft Library from the Judah
L. Magnes Museum in 2010.
No additions are expected.
Arranged to the folder level.
Processed by Jeffrey Sahaida in 2014.
In 1893, Hannah Solomon founded the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), a volunteer philanthropic, civic, and educational
organization. For over a century, the NCJW has been at the forefront of social change - championing the needs of women, children,
and families.
In 1900, Hattie Hecht Sloss, spearheaded the formation of the San Francisco Section of the Council and became the Section's
first president. The San Francisco Section of the NCJW was and remains dedicated to the promotion of social betterment of
women and families through work in the fields of social legislation, social service, religion, education, and aid to immigrants.
Over the decades, the San Francisco Council has engaged in many social welfare activities. In 1912, it organized an Americanization
program for Jewish families who had been forced to relocate to San Francisco's San Bruno District after the 1906 earthquake
and fire. During the Great Depression, the San Francisco Section ran an "Opportunity Shop" where needy women sold homemade
products. In the 1930s, it helped locate American relatives of German and Austrian Jews; and, during World War II, the Council
sponsored a canteen for service men and women with the Jewish Welfare Board.
Other programs of the Council included: aid for immigrant farm workers and disadvantaged women; the establishment of women's
clubs; and an advocacy for the liberalization of birth control laws. Over the years, the Council has also focused efforts
on insuring clean milk for underprivileged children; opening school playgrounds; helping establish the first kindergartens
in San Francisco's public schools; establishing a children's clinic and gymnasium with the help of the Rotary Club; and teaching
sewing to Jewish orphans at Homewood Terrace. Other activities included: doing educational work with the handicapped on a
nonsectarian basis; testing children's hearing; providing hearing aids in public buildings; sponsoring a Girl Scout troop
for the deaf; and aiding the blind through various programs.
The National Council of Jewish Women remains the oldest volunteer Jewish women's organization in the United States. As it
has for over one hundred years, the Council remains dedicated to the improvement of the lives of women and children, as well
as the lives of all peoples.
Scope and Content of Collection
The National Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section records consist primarily of organizational and administrative
records, as well as various publications and public relations materials. The records are divided into two series:
- Series I: Administrative Files
- Series II: Publicity and Publications
The administrative files consist of materials documenting the administrative and organizational functions of the National
Council of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section. Administrative files include: constitutions, by-laws, board of directors'
meeting minutes, and annual meeting proceedings. The series also contains records pertaining to various social welfare programs
in which the group was engaged - including work with immigrants, services for seniors, work with the deaf, and a multitude
of other assistance programs for women and children.
Records for the publicity and publications series consist of materials, such as event brochures and flyers; programs and announcements;
and photographs and publications relating to various social welfare programs and events associated with the National Council
of Jewish Women, San Francisco Section. The series also contains newsletters from the Section, as well as news clippings;
awards and certificates; and various chronological and event-based scrapbooks.