Lowenthal-Goldfarb family papers, bulk 1975-1999

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Summary

Title:
Lowenthal-Goldfarb family papers
Dates:
bulk 1975-1999
Creators:
Goldfarb, Robert, 1945- and Goldfarb, Yehudit Dana
Extent:
7.4 linear feet (4 cartons, 1 box, 1 flat box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Lowenthal-Goldfarb family papers, BANC MSS 2010/876,The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

Contains genealogical materials relating to the Lowenthal, Anixter, Blumenfeld, and Goldfarb families; biographies; obituaries; an interview with Morris Lowenthal (1976); correspondence; original greeting cards; poetry chapbooks; periodicals; fliers; "To Be A Jew" and "Fourteen Sonnets" by Reuven Goldfarb; Yehudit Goldfarb's dissertation: "The Quest for Selfhood in Saul Bellow's Novels: A Jungian Interpretation" (1975); articles on "Judaism's New Renaissance" with photographs by Yehudit Goldfarb; and photographs of family members and family burial sites in the Jewish cemeteries of Colma, California. This collection also contains materials relating to Aqaurian Minyan, CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education), and other Jewish organizations.

Biographical / historical:

Nathan Lowenthal, whose surname originally was Lebowitz, left Vilna, Lithuania, as a child. He and his family first emigrated to England, and then to the U.S. He married Lillie Friedman, a niece of Harris Anixter, in San Francisco (1908). He was a tailor in San Francisco and a Freemason in Los Angeles. Nathan's son, Morris, married Juliet Blumenthal after they both had graduated from Boalt Hall Law School at the University of California in Berkeley (1934). Morris Lowenthal was among San Francisco's leading trial and appellate attorneys; a leader in the Zionist movement in San Francisco; a president of the Northern California Division of the American Jewish Congress; and a member of many legal and civic organizations. In 1950, Morris and Juliet created the firm Lowenthal and Lowenthal. Juliet handled primarily non-litigation matters; she also wrote poetry, some of which was incorporated in unique annual greeting cards. Their son, Martin, obtained a doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley and became a psychotherapist and teacher in Massachusetts. Morris and Juliet's daughter, Yehudit, received a doctorate in English and became a writer, editor, teacher, and photographer. She helped found the Aquarian Minyan and the Jewish Community House of Berkeley, and she directed the Joys of Jewishing camp (1982-1984). In 1977, she married the poet, editor, and actor Reuven Goldfarb. In 1981, Reuven became a founder and editor of Agada, an illustrated Jewish literary magazine. Yehudit and Reuven Goldfarb became officers in the Aquarian Minyan and active in the Jewish spiritual renewal movement.

Acquisition information:
The Lowenthal-Goldfarb family papers were transferred to The Bancroft Library from the Judah L. Magnes Museum in 2010
Processing information:

Processed by Presley Hubschmitt in 2025 with funding from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation.

Arrangement:

Carton 1 & Flat Box 1 contain primarily personal/family materials. Cartons 2-4 & Box 1 contain materials relating to various Jewish organizations.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many Bancroft Library collections are stored off-site and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Presley Hubschmitt
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-02-07 23:55:52 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: RESTRICTED fragile material. Access copies may be requested through Bancroft Public Services.

Terms of access:

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

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Lowenthal-Goldfarb family papers, BANC MSS 2010/876,The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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