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Bernstein (Mashey) papers
Mss 355
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Title: Mashey Bernstein papers
Identifier/Call Number: Mss 355
Language of Material:
English,
Hebrew.
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Physical Description:
1.67 Linear Feet
(4 document boxes)
Creator:
Bernstein, Mashey Maurice (1946-)
Date (inclusive): 1959-2008
Date (bulk): 1959-1993
Abstract: This collection consists of the diaries, correspondence, and other materials, of writer, teacher, literature and film critic
Mashey Bernstein (1946-).
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
The collection is open for research.
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University
of California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and
is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Gift of Mashey Bernstein, 2018, 2022.
[Identification of Item], Mashey Bernstein papers, Mss 355. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Mashey Bernstein (1946-) grew up in an orthodox Jewish home in Dublin Ireland, and attended Trinity College, where he earned
his degree in English language and literature, and a diploma in Education. Bernstein was deeply involved in Jewish student
and community organizations, and wrote for both college and community publications. Bernstein spent time in Israel from 1965
to 1966, and moved to the United States on a scholarship, where he received his MA and Ph.D. in American Literature (with
special emphasis on the works of Norman Mailer) from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1978.
Bernstein was Education Director at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, in Kansas City. Bernstein taught at the University of Michigan
and returned to the University of California, Santa Barbara, to teach in the Writing Program. During his time at UCSB, he
led a film studies class to the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.
With numerous articles published in literary and academic journals, including
The Mailer Review,
Studies in Jewish American Literature,
The San Francisco Review of Books, and the
London Jewish Chronicle, Bernstein received a Simon Rockower award for Excellence in Jewish Journalism. Much of Bernstein's writing has been on
Norman Mailer, a friend with whom he corresponded from 1978 to 2007, the year of Mailer's death. Topics of that correspondence
included religion (Judaism), literature, and sexuality. Bernstein also corresponded with Jack Henry Abbott, regarding the
latter's interest in converting to Judaism. Bernstein retired from teaching in 2015.
Bernstein was a founding member of
Outrageous, a Santa Barbara-based Gay and Lesbian film festival (1995-2015), and served as a co-chair of the Santa Barbara Jewish Film
Festival, among numerous other civic, social, and philanthropic engagements related to the arts, Judaism and the Jewish Community,
and the Gay and Lesbian Community in Santa Barbara. Bernstein curated a special sidebar on Israeli cinema for the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival.
Bernstein was recognized in 2013 by the Santa Barbara Independent as a Local Hero for his work with
Outrageous.
This collection consists of the diaries, correspondence, and other materials, of writer, teacher, literature and film critic
Mashey Bernstein (1946-). The thirty-five spiral-bound diaries, comprising the bulk of the collection, span a period of thirty-two
years, and cover three themes: Place, Religion (Judaism), and Sexuality.
Correspondence includes aerogrammes (outgoing) to family ("Ma," "Pa," "Om" and others) in Dublin, Ireland, written by Bernstein
during his years in Israel (1965-1966); letters (incoming) to Bernstein from Rabbi A. Gurwitz of County Durham, England, on
the orthodox Jewish response to being gay (1972).
Other materials include newsletters, bulletins, reviews, programs, and clippings from Bernstein's years at Trinity College,
Dublin, and clippings from
Jewish Film World (2007-2008). Newsletters and bulletins include
Chadashot,
Dublin Jewish Student's Union,
Jewish Student Review,
Loshin Horror, and
Dublin Jewish News (1965-1973). High school material comprises a small selection of English Composition notebooks (1959-1965).
Correspondence between Bernstein and Norman Mailer may be found in the Norman Mailer Papers (MS-02643), at the Harry Ransom
Center, The University of Texas at Austin. These papers also include Bernstein's correspondence with Jack Henry Abbott.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Jewish college teachers -- United States -- Diaries
Jewish authors -- California -- Santa Barbara -- Correspondence
Jews -- Israel -- Correspondence
Judaism -- United States
Male homosexuality -- Religious aspects -- Judaism
Dublin (Ireland)
Santa Barbara (Calif.)
Diaries
Personal correspondence
Bernstein, Mashey Maurice (1946-) -- Diaries
Bernstein, Mashey Maurice (1946-) -- Correspondence
University of California, Santa Barbara