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Guide to the David L. Lieber Papers, American Jewish University Archives
CLJ4
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Identifier/Call Number: CLJ4
Title: David L. Lieber Papers, American Jewish University Archives
Date (inclusive): ca. 1935-2009 inclusive
Collector:
Lieber, David L.;
Repository:
University Archives and Ostrow Library, American Jewish University
15600 Mulholland Dr.
Bel-Air. California 90077
Extent:
51 Boxes
Location: Physical files are housed at the Ostrow Library of the American Jewish University.
Abstract: The David L. Lieber Papers is a collection of documents, publications, addresses, speeches, writings, index cards, and media,
all created or gathered by Dr. Lieber throughout his life.
Language: Materials are in English, Hebrew and German.
This collection has been digitized and is available in digital form.
Researchers interested in accessing the digital copies can contact the Archive or the Library (library@aju.edu).
Administrative Information
This collection is open for research with permission from the Ostrow Library staff. Some materials may be restricted. Contact
the Archive or the Library (library@aju.edu).
Additions to this collection may be transferred.
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.
[Identification of item], David L. Lieber Papers, American Jewish University Archive, American Jewish University.
Collected by David L. Lieber throughout his life.
The David L. Lieber Papers is a collection of thousands of documents, subject files, index cards, and media all created or
gathered by Dr. Lieber throughout his life. The materials include publications, addresses, speeches, writings, correspondence,
teaching materials and school papers. Dr. Lieber collected and created quotes, articles, bibliographies, and notes covering
a vast amount of subjects, including Judaism, ethics, philosophy, religion, Israel, education and much more. The collection
provides insight into Dr. Lieber’s life, his work, research and vast knowledge.
The collection has been kept mostly in
its original order, including original folders and titles. The collection contains 8 series.
- David L. Lieber Papers, American Jewish University Archives
- 1. School Papers, 1944-1978
- 1.1 Course Material
- 1.2 The Ethics of Henry Sidgwick
- 2. Teaching Materials (Courses and Seminars), 1957-2007
- 3. University of Judaism, President’s Office, 1964-1983
- 4. Addresses, Speeches, and Writings, 1935-2008
- 4.1 Addresses, Speeches, and Writings
- 4.2 Eulogies and Tributes
- 4.3 Publications
- 4.3.1 Written by Dr. Lieber
- 4.3.2 Collected by Dr. Lieber
- 4.4 Reviews
- 5. Personal, ca. 1940-2009
- 5.1 Biographical Materials
- 5.2 Personal Materials
- 5.3 Retirement and Tributes
- 6. Subject Files, ca. 1945-2008
- 6.1 A-Z
- 6.2 Bible
- 6.2.1 A-Z
- 6.2.2 Books of the Tanakh
- 6.2.3 Scholars
- 6.3 Jewish Holidays
- 6.4 Travel
- 7.Subject Files - Index Cards
- 7.1 Bible
- 7.2 Philosophy
- 7.2.1 Philosophy 1
- 7.2.2 Philosophy 2
- 7.2.3 Philosophy 3
- 7.3 Bibliographical References
- 7.3.1 Bibliographical References 1
- 7.3.2 Bibliographical References 2
- 7.3.3 Bibliographical References 3
- 7.3.4 Bibliographical References 4
- 7.3.5 Bibliographical References 5
- 7.4 Prayers and Sermons
- 7.5 Writing
- 7.5.1 Writing 1
- 7.5.2 Writing 2
- 8. Audio-Digital Content
- 1. School Papers, 1944-1978
David L. Lieber Biographical Note:
Dr. David Leo Lieber was a family man, a beloved rabbi and a renowned Bible scholar. Born in Poland, he came to the United
States at the age of 2. He graduated from the College of the City of New York and in 1948 was ordained as a Conservative rabbi
at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), where he also received a doctorate in Hebrew literature. Dr. Leiber also
pursued post-graduate studies at Columbia University, the University of Washington in Seattle, and UCLA.
Dr. Lieber served for 29 years as president of the American Jewish University (formerly University of Judaism). As president,
he had helped build the University into a nationally recognized educational institution complete with an undergraduate college,
graduate programs in education, Jewish studies, non-profit management, and rabbinic studies. He had also overseen the University's
acquisition of its current 25-acre campus.
After he retired from the presidency, he continued to teach and to work on his new Torah commentary, Etz Hayim: Torah and
Commentary, first published in 2001. Widely used in Conservative synagogues, this commentary embodies the Conservative ideals
of tradition and change.
Dr. Lieber served as a congregation rabbi, was a leader in the Jewish camping movement, and received many awards from a grateful
Jewish community. He published over 50 articles and mentored innumerable students and colleagues. He touched countless lives
with his scholarship and with his menschlikheit.
In a December 2008 obituary in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, Rabbi Harold Schulweis is quoted as saying: “Rabbi David Lieber
was a dear friend. In every one of his conversations, there was a compassionate and caring soul. He leaves a remarkable legacy,
not only in the public arena, in his scholarship and leadership, but in the personal relationship that he had with everyone
— colleagues, congregants, students and contributors.” His AJU colleague and successor as president, Dr. Robert Wexler, said:
“To know David Lieber was to know kindness. To know David Lieber was to know wisdom. To know David Lieber was to experience
a quiet, steadfast faith in God and in the divine potential of all human beings.”
| February 20, 1925 | Born in Stryj, Poland, and came to the United States at age two. |
| 1944 | Dr. Lieber received his bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in 1944 from the College of the City of New York, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. |
| He received a Bachelor of Hebrew Letters degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America that same year. | |
| 1945 | Drs. David and Esther Lieber marry. |
| 1947 | Dr. Lieber was awarded a master's degree in philosophy from Colombia University. |
| 1948 | Dr. Lieber was ordained as a rabbi at Jewish Theological Seminary of America. |
| 1950-1954 | Dr. Lieber was a spiritual leader of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. |
| Dr. Lieber served as University Chaplain for the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation at the University of Washington. | |
| 1951 | Dr. Lieber received a Doctor of Hebrew Literature degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary. The decade Dr. Lieber spent at the Jewish Theological Seminary was an extraordinary time to be at the intellectual center of the Conservative movement, and it made a great impression on him. He studied under the tutelage of some of the foremost Jewish scholars of the time, including Talmudist Saul Lieberman, Jewish Bible scholar H.L. Ginsberg, and philosopher Mordecai Kaplan. |
| 1954-1956 | Dr. Lieber served as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force. |
| 1955-1956 | Dr. Lieber served as University Chaplain for the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation at Harvard University. |
| 1956-1963 | Dr. Lieber was appointed Dean of students at the University of Judaism, a position he held until he assumed the presidency. |
| 1957-1990 | Dr. Lieber was a visiting member of the Near Eastern Language Department of UCLA. |
| 1964-1993 | After 29 years of service, Dr. Lieber retired as president of the University of Judaism. |
| He continued to teach at the university as the Flora and Arnold Skovron Distinguished Service Professor of Biblical Literature and Thought. | |
| 1982 | In recognition of his work, Dr. Lieber was awarded the "Doctor of Humane Letters" degree, honoris causa, by the Hebrew Union College. |
| 1984 | Dr. Lieber was awarded the "Torch of Learning" award by the Hebrew University at Jerusalem. |
| 1996-1998 | Dr. Lieber was the first president of the Rabbinical Assembly to hail from the west coast. Dr. Lieber served on the assembly's Executive Committee and chaired its Strategic Planning Committee. |
| 2001 | Dr. Lieber was the general editor of Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, first published in 2001, sponsored jointly by the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Publication Society. |
| December 15, 2008 | Dr. David Lieber died at age 83 on December 15, 2008 due to a lung illness. |
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 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 photobgraphs 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.
- 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/
Note
(Library of Congress Subject Headings)
Personal and Corporate Names:
American Jewish University
Brandeis-Bardin Institute (Brandeis, Simi Valley, Calif.)
University of Judaism
Adat Ari El (Synagogue : Valley Village, Calif.)
American Jewish Committee (AJC)
Camp Ramah
Columbia University
Hebrew Union College
Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
National Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (U.S.)
Rabbinical Assembly
Sinai Temple (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Stephen S. Wise Temple (Los Angeles, Calif.)
University Women of the University of Judaism
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
Lieber, David L.
Alexander, Hanan A., 1953-
Artson, Bradley Shavit
Band, Arnold J.
Bergman, Ben Tsiyon
Buchler, Justus, 1914-
Clinton, Bill, 1946-
Cohen, Gerson D. (Gerson David), 1924-
Dinin, Samuel, 1902-
Dorff, Elliot N.
Edman, Irwin, 1896-1954
Feinstein, Dianne, 1933-
Funkenstein, Amos
Ginsberg, H. L. (Harold Louis)
Glazer, Miriyam, 1945-
Gordis, David M.
Gordis, Robert, 1908-
Greenberg, Simon, 1901-
Heschel, Abraham Joshua, 1907-1972
Kaplan, Mordecai Menahem, 1881-1983.
Kaufmann, Yeḥezkel, 1889-1963.
Kohn, Jacob, 1881-1968
Leslau, Wolf
Morgenbesser, Sidney, 1921-2004.
Nagel, Ernest, 1901-1985
Ostrow, Jack
Pressman, Jacob
Randall, John Herman, Jr., 1899-1980.
Riemer, Jack
Schrecker, Paul, 1889-
Schulweis, Harold M.
Sidgwick, Henry, 1838-1900
Sidorsky, David
Shub, Louis
Vorspan, Max
Wilson, Pete, 1933-
Wise, Aaron M.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
General Subjects:
Authors.
Bible
Bible. Old Testament.
College administrators
College presidents.
Conservative Judaism.
Education.
Ethics.
Faculty, University
Fasts and feasts--Judaism.
Hebrew language
Humanities.
Israel.
Jewish college presidents
Jewish college teachers
Judaism.
Philosophy.
Prayer.
Rabbis.
Religion.
Scholars.
Zionism and Judaism.
- Collection Overview
-
Collection Details
- Descriptive Summary
- Alternate Form of Material:
- Scope and Content:
- Organization:
- David L. Lieber Biographical Note:
- Chronology
- American Jewish University:
- The Bel and Jack M. Ostrow Academic Library:
- The Burton Sperber Memorial Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles:
- The Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Center:
- The University Archives:
- Subjects: