Finding Aid for the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Records
LSC.2340
Finding aid prepared by Max Daniel, 2019.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Online finding aid last updated 2019 May 14.
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Language of Material:
Multiple languages
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel records
Creator:
Sephardic Temple Tifereth
Israel (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.2340
Physical Description:
42 Linear Feet
(53 boxes, 7 cartons, 6 shoe boxes, 14 flat boxes, 1 tube, 1
oversize flat box, 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1905 to 2017, bulk
1920-2005
Abstract: Collection consists of records from the
organized Sephardic Jewish community of Los Angeles and other materials related to Sephardic
life in 20th century Los Angeles.
Language of Material: Primarily in English and Ladino.
Some materials are in Spanish, Hebrew, and French.
Physical Location: Portions of the collection stored
off-site. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. All requests to access
special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on
this page. Oversize materials (Boxes 76, 78, 79, 83) held on-site. Box 69 held on-site for
preservation reasons.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in
advance using the request button located on this page.
Access to digital materials is available on-site in the Special Collections reading room.
Requests to access digital materials must be made at least 2 days in advance. Once request
has been made, please confirm viewing arrangements with Special Collections reference desk
staff.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All
other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not
hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel records (Collection 2340). UCLA
Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library. University of California,
Los Angeles.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Alex Rachmanony, STTI President, 2016.
Custodial History
Materials in this collection were collected by Maurice Hattem and an archival team made up
of members of STTI. The bulk of these materials were collected in the 1980s.
Processing Information
General
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biographical / Historical
After centuries of established life on the Iberian Peninsula, Jews were formally expelled
by Spanish royal decree in 1492. With many refugees settling in North Africa and the Ottoman
Empire, these Jews developed a distinct Sephardic (meaning Spanish, in Hebrew) culture and
community that included the retention and development of a unique hybrid language, known as
Judeo-Spanish or Ladino. At the outset of the 20th century, these Sephardic Jews sought
better futures elsewhere, such as in sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe, South America, and
the United States. In search of economic opportunity and respite from political turmoil in
the crumbling Ottoman Empire, many of these Sephardic Jews found their way to Los Angeles, a
rapidly growing commercial and industrial metropolis. Throughout the century, the Sephardic
community in Los Angeles would expand and come to include Jews from various backgrounds,
notably North African, Israeli, and Persian Jews. By the end of the century, Los Angeles had
solidified its status as a center of Sephardic life worldwide.
The Comunidad Sefardi de Los Angeles (Sephardic Community of Los Angeles) was officially
formed in 1920 by a few dozen young immigrant men, though its roots go back to 1912 with the
formation of Ahavat Shalom (Love of Peace). Catering to members from cities along Turkey's
Mediterranean coast - like Istanbul, Bursa, and Izmir - these organizations were
simultaneously religious, social, cultural, and economic in nature. Soon after in 1921,
another Sephardic organization, Haim vaHessed (Life and Kindness), was formed and later
changed its name to the Sephardic Brotherhood. The center of Sephardic life was to be found
primarily in and around downtown until the 1930s, when it moved southwest towards South Los
Angeles and the Exposition Park area. The Community's synagogue, Tifereth Israel, was
inaugurated in 1932 and built on Santa Barbara Avenue, now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
In 1959, a congregational merger created the Sephardic Community and Brotherhood of Los
Angeles. Beginning in 1967, plans for a new temple in Westwood were underway that were
ultimately realized during a final dedication ceremony in 1981. Over time, the organization
and synagogue names would both be identified as the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel (STTI),
as it is known at the time of processing (2019).
Parallel to and closely intertwined with STTI is another Sephardic congregation in Los
Angeles that was formed in 1917 as Sociedad Pas i Progreso (Peace and Progress Society) and
consisted mainly of Jews from the Island of Rhodes. In 1935, after inaugurating a synagogue
in South Los Angeles at 55th St. and Hoover, they changed their name to the Sephardic Hebrew
Center. After moving their temple to Ladera Heights in the late 1960s, SHC changed their
name to Sephardic Beth Shalom in 1992, only to merge with Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
(STTI) in 1993.
These organizations each had their own women's groups - known as Sisterhoods or Ladies'
Auxiliaries - that catered to their members' social, philanthropic, and communal needs.
Through the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Brotherhood, Community, Sephardic Hebrew Center,
and their corresponding women's groups joined together in a short-lived Council of Sephardic
Organizations, which mainly coordinated fundraising and social events.
Other Sephardic organizations represented in this collection are the Maccabeans - a
semi-independent young adult group - and the Sephardic Benevolent Society, alongside the Los
Angeles Sephardic Home for the Aged (LASHA) and other local, national, and international
Sephardic and Jewish organizations, programs, and groups.
Scope and Content
The Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel records consist of materials related to the Sephardic
Temple Tifereth Israel (STTI) and its lay and religious leadership and congregants, as well
as items of broader relevance to Sephardic and Jewish life in Los Angeles, California, the
United States, and abroad. The collection includes organizational records, such as board
meeting minutes, correspondence, event programs and tribute journals, publications,
ephemera, photographs, scrapbooks, subject and research files, assorted awards and honors,
1/4 inch audiotapes of Sephardic, Balkan, and Turkish music collected by Emily Sene, and VHS
and audiocassettes of STTI events. The bulk of the collection is in English and to a lesser
extent Ladino.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series and subseries:
- Series 1: Institutional records, 1920-2017
- Subseries 1.1: Minutes, 1920-2005
- Subseries 1.2: Building and financial records, 1929-2017
- Subseries 1.3: Organizational records, committee records, and official
correspondence, 1920-2009
- Series 2: Publications, newsletters, and programs, 1932-2015
- Subseries 2.1: Newsletters and publications, 1946-2015
- Subseries 2.2: Programs, yearbooks, events, 1932-2015
- Series 3: Subject files, 1905-2014
- Subseries 3.1: Maurice I. "Bob" Hattem papers, 1922-2005
- Subseries 3.2: Personal files, 1911-2014
- Subseries 3.3: Place files, 1905-2003
- Series 4: Photographs, scrapbooks, and clippings, circa 1910-2004
- Subseries 4.1: Photographs, 1910-2001
- Subseries 4.2: Scrapbooks and clippings, 1910-2004
- Series 5: Audiovisual, 1951-2004
- Subseries 5.1: Sene collection, 1953-1980
- Subseries 5.2: Other audiovisual materials, 1951-2004
- Series 6: Awards, artwork, and ephemera, 1911-2002
- Subseries 6.1: Awards, plaques, certificates, drawings, 1911-2002
- Sub-eries 6.2: Ephemera, 1913-1990
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO AND AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Materials will require assessment and
may need further processing for safe access. All requests to access special collections
materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
PORTIONS OF THIS COLLECTION HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED. Please consult digital facsimiles instead
of originals.
Separated Materials
Ladino books have been individually cataloged in the UCLA Library online catalog. Records
for these items may be found by searching this keyword string: "Sephardic Temple Tifereth
Israel records."
Existence and Location of Copies
PORTIONS OF THIS COLLECTION HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED. Please consult digital facsimiles instead
of originals.
Related Materials
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sephardim --
California -- Los Angeles
Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
(Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Archives
Series 1: Institutional records
1920-2017
Scope and Contents
This series contains minutes, tax and financial records, official correspondence,
membership information, architectural/building records, and legal records of a few
interrelated Sephardic organizations, mostly based in Los Angeles. These include the
Comunidad Sefardi/Sephardic Community/Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, Haim
vaHessed/Sephardic Brotherhood, the Sephardic Hebrew Center/Sephardic Beth Shalom, the
Council of Sephardic Organizations, the Sephardic Benevolent Society, and the Sephardic
Sisterhood (affiliated with the Community).
Subseries 1.1: Minutes
1920-2005
Language of Material: Minutes are mostly in
Ladino/Spanish through 1940, and afterwards in English.
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 1.1 contains the minutes of general, special, committee, and board
meetings of the various Sephardic groups mentioned above, with the bulk relating to
the Comunidad/Community/STTI.
box 1, folder 1
Comunidad minutes
1920-1938
box 1, folder 2
Comunidad minutes
1938-1946
box 1, folder 3
Comunidad minutes
1947-1949
box 2, folder 1
Community minutes
1949-1956
box 2, folder 2
Community minutes
1956-1959
box 2, folder 3
Community minutes
1959-1960
box 3, folder 1
Community and brotherhood board meeting minutes
1961-1965
box 3, folder 2
Community and brotherhood board meeting minutes
1965-1971
box 3, folder 3
Community and brotherhood board meeting minutes
1971-1974
box 3, folder 4
Community and brotherhood general meeting minutes
1960-1986
box 4, folder 2
STTI board meeting minutes
1978-1987
box 4, folder 1
STTI board and board of directors meeting minutes
1987-1990
box 4, folder 3
STTI board and board of directors meeting minutes
1991-1999
box 4, folder 4
STTI board and board of directors meeting minutes
2000-2005
box 5
Sephardic Hebrew Center minutes
1942-1960
box 5, folder 1
Sephardic Hebrew Center minutes
1968-1976
box 5, folder 2
Sephardic Sisterhood minutes
1958-1960
box 5, folder 3
Sephardic Benevolent Society minutes
1961-1971
Subseries 1.2: Building and financial records
1929-2017
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 1.2 contains institutional, building, legal, and financial records
relating to STTI, much of it from the papers of Richard J. Amado (born 1902 in
Smyrna/Izmir, Ottoman Turkey and died 1984 in Los Angeles). Amado was a lawyer and
local lay leader in the Sephardic and Jewish community, particularly in the
Comunidad/Community and the Council of Sephardic Organizations, where he was president
for several years. Sub-series 1.2 also contains some of Amado's correspondence and
other documents relating to his other communal roles from the 1930s through the
1970s.
box 6, folder 2
Sephardic Community Santa Barbara Ave Temple construction
1929-1933
box 6, folder 4
Sephardic Community Santa Barbara Temple Planning and
Groundbreaking
1929-1932
box 6, folder 1
Sephardic Community tax exemption case
1941-1943
box 6, folder 3
Sephardic Community and Brotherhood Temple site search
1965-1966
box 6, folder 5
Sephardic Community/STTI financial miscellany
1956-1992
box 6, folder 6
STTI Westwood temple zoning
1967-1968
box 6, folder 7
Temple construction and miscellaneous
1967-1970
box 7, folder 2
Westwood temple construction and plans
1969-1972
box 6, folder 8
STTI Michael Alcana Youth Lounge
1984
box 6, folder 9
STTI Tour Guides and other miscellaneous
1975-2000
box 7, folder 1
STTI Library and Museum
1977
box 7, folder 3
STTI Finances and Stocks
1972-1978
box 7, folder 4
Richard J. Amado papers: STTI finances and stocks
1957-1976
box 7, folder 5
Richard J. Amado papers: STTI securities
1972-1979
box 8, folder 1
Richard J. Amado papers: correspondence, miscellaneous
1959-1973
box 8, folder 2
Richard J. Amado papers: correspondence, miscellaneous
1960-1973
box 8, folder 3
Richard J. Amado papers: correspondence, miscellaneous
1971-1975
box 9, folder 4
Richard J. Amado papers: incorporation, taxes, exemption
1959-1980
box 9, folder 3
Richard J. Amado papers: tax exemption
1963-1976
box 9, folder 2
Richard J. Amado papers: gifts and memorials
1968-1980
box 9, folder 1
Richard J. Amado papers: Sephardic Home for Aged
1956-1979
box 10, folder 1
Richard J. Amado papers: temple finances, Gorme-Lawrence documents, secret
fund
1973-1984
box 10, folder 2
Richard J. Amado papers: Israel bonds, creditor claim
1960-1976
box 10, folder 3
Richard J. Amado Papers: Malinow and Silverman Mortuary
1973-1980
box 10, folder 4
Richard J. Amado papers: STTI building and construction
1969-1978
box 11, folder 1
Richard J. Amado papers: Old temple heritage site, sanctuary construction,
re-dedication
1980-1981
box 70, folder 3
Tentative architectural plans for STTI - Leroy Miller AIA
architecture
1967
box 75
STTI museum and library architectural plans
1976
Physical Description: Architectural plans are rolled,
but in good condition.
box 15, folder 1
Sephardic Sisterhood financial documents
1961-1978
box 70, folder 1
Sephardic Sisterhood financial documents
1975-1977
Subseries 1.3: Organizational records, committee records, and official
correspondence
1920-2009
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 1.3 contains material of relevance to the institutions of Sephardic life
in Los Angeles, such as those related to constitutions and by-laws, membership,
committees, events, fundraising, and correspondence with other local, national, and
international organizations. These are mostly from STTI, but some are from the
Sephardic Sisterhood, the Council of Sephardic Organizations, and the Sephardic Hebrew
Center.
box 11, folder 2
STTI Temple dedications
1932, 1970, 1985
box 11, folder 3
STTI membership dues and lists
1921-1997
box 11, folder 4
STTI membership lists and guide to Sephardic Los Angeles
1990-1998
box 11, folder 5
STTI membership lists
2006, 2009
box 12, folder 1
STTI constitutions and amendments
1930-1995
box 12, folder 2
STTI constitutions and amendments
1920-1952
box 12, folder 3
STTI Board of Directors
1957-2003
box 12, folder 4
Committees: Talmud Torah and education
1956-1999
box 12, folder 5
Committees: Adult education
1979-1993
box 12, folder 6
Committees: Membership lists
1951-1990
box 13, folder 2
Committees: Burial
1937-2001
box 13, folder 3
Committees: Archives
1983-2000
box 13, folder 4
Committees: Publications and El Shofar
1979-1993
box 13, folder 5
Committees: Elections, Religious, Special
1956-2002
box 12, folder 7
Maurice Amado Scholarship Award
1973-1980
box 13, folder 1
STTI correspondence
1929-1965
box 14, folder 3
STTI correspondence
1970-2001
box 14, folder 1
Fountain pen from STTI cornerstone
1931
box 14, folder 2
Documents from STTI Cornerstone
1920-1931
box 14, folder 4
United Sephardic Organizations/Council of Sephardic Organizations
documents
1938-1950
box 14, folder 5
Merger of Sephardic Community and Brotherhood and ephemera
1952-1965
box 71
Sisterhood history
1924-1935, 1999
Physical Description: Oversize, pages contained in
leather souvenir container. Fragile paper.
box 15, folder 2
Sephardic Sisterhood: constitutions, correspondence, membership
lists
1931-1997
box 15, folder 3
Sisterhood documents
1971-1996
box 15, folder 4
Suzanne Amado papers and other Sisterhood items
1936-2015
box 16, folder 1
Haim vaHessed Society
1933-1936
box 16, folder 2
Sephardic Hebrew Center: constitutions, correspondence, events
1938-1982
box 16, folder 3
STTI-Sephardic Hebrew Center merger
1992-1993
box 16, folder 4
Affiliated organizations: Alliance Israelite Universelle, American Sephardi
Federation, Bureau of Jewish Education
1956-2000
box 16, folder 5
Affiliated organizations: City of Hope, Home of Peace, Israel Bonds, Jewish
war veterans, the Ladinos, Los Angeles Sephardic Home for the Aged
1934-2000
box 17, folder 1
Affiliated organizations: Los Amigos Sefaradis, Los Hermanos, Los Merecidos
award, Material for Palestine, the Maccabeans
1948-1997
box 17, folder 2
Affiliated organizations: Mt. Sinai hospital, Senior Citizens, Sephardic
Education Center, United Jewish Welfare Fund, World Sephardi Federation
1935-2002
Series 2: Publications, newsletters, and programs
1932-2017
Scope and Contents
This series contains various publications and newsletters from Los Angeles-based
Sephardic organizations, from the 1940s until 2017. Most are from the Sephardic
Community and Brotherhood/STTI, and their
El Shofar monthly bulletin
features a near-complete collection through the 2000s from its first issue in 1980. Its
long-time editor, Bob Hattem, also served as the STTI main archivist. Other publications
include those from the Sephardic Hebrew Center and the Los Angeles Sephardic Home for
the Aged (LASHA). This series also includes items related to cultural, religious, and
social events and programs organized by or with various Sephardic organizations in Los
Angeles.
Subseries 2.1: Newsletters and publications
1946-2015
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 2.1 contains printed newsletters and bulletins from Los Angeles Sephardic
groups, primarily from the Sephardic Community/Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
(variously published as
Tifereth Israel Bulletin, La Vida Sefardi, Sephardic
Messenger, STTI News, STTI Bulletin,
and
El Shofar). Other
items include publications from the Sephardic Hebrew Center (variously published as
Sephardic Hebrew Center Monthly, Sephardic Star, Sephardic News), the
Council of Sephardic Organizations, the Sephardic Sisterhood, and the Los Angeles
Sephardic Home for the Aged's
LASHON.
box 17, folder 3
Sephardic Hebrew Center Monthly, Sephardic Star, Sephardic
News
1963-1985
box 17, folder 4
Sephardic Council News
1956
box 17, folder 5
Tifereth Israel Bulletin, La Vida Sefardi
1946-1966
box 18, folder 1
Sephardic Messenger
1960-1962
box 18, folder 2
Sephardic Messenger
1963-1968
box 18, folder 3
Temple Tifereth Israel Bulletin
1966-1971
box 18, folder 4
Sephardic Messenger, STTI News, STTI Bulletin
1972-1979
box 19, folder 1
Sephardic Sisterhood News Bulletin
1948, 1974-1976
box 24, folder 3
Miscellaneous publications
1982-2015
Subseries 2.2: Programs, yearbooks, and events
1932-2015
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 2.2 features programs, brochures, flyers, and other items related to
community events and celebrations. Includes Sephardic Heritage Award journals from
STTI, annual yearbooks from the Sephardic Hebrew Center, as well as items related to
outside organizations like the Maccabeans, Los Angeles Sephardic Home for the Aged,
and the Sephardic Hebrew Academy (now the Gindi Maimonides Academy). Sub-series 2.2
also contains some curricular and liturgical items from STTI.
box 25, folder 6
The Maccabeans - Miss Sephardic
1954-1964
box 26, folder 1
Sephardic Community and Brotherhood event programs and journals
1935-1964
box 26, folder 2
Sephardic Community and Brotherhood event programs and journals
1966-1970
box 26, folder 3
STTI dinner journals
1975-1976
box 26, folder 4
LASHA 30th anniversary journal
1986
box 26, folder 5
Cantor Isaac Behar journal
1997
box 26, folder 6
Sephardic Hebrew Academy scholarship dinner journal
1992
box 27, folder 1
STTI dinner journals
1977-1978
box 27, folder 2
STTI tribute journals and event programs
1980-1983
box 27, folder 3
STTI event programs and journals
1983-1988
box 27, folder 4
Sephardic Heritage Award journal
1988
box 27, folder 5
STTI event programs and journals
1989-1994
box 28, folder 1
STTI events and journals
1993-1997
box 28, folder 2
STTI events, programs, and journals
1998-2000
box 28, folder 3
STTI events, programs, and journals
2002-2004
box 28, folder 4
Miscellaneous events and ephemera
1958-2015
box 28, folder 5
Events: Holocaust memorial, Sephardic Heritage Award, Voice of the Turtle,
Sephardic Fiesta '79, Sephardic singles, 75th anniversary
1977-2015
box 28, folder 6
STTI memorial books
1976-1980
box 29, folder 1
STTI memorial books
1981-1992
box 29, folder 2
STTI memorial books
1997-2015
box 29, folder 3
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1967-1975
box 29, folder 4
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1976-1978
box 30, folder 1
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1980-1981
box 30, folder 2
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1982, 1984
box 30, folder 3
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1985-1987
box 30, folder 4
Sephardic Hebrew Center journals and yearbooks
1988-1989
box 31, folder 1
Sephardic Hebrew Center/Sephardic Beth Shalom journals and
yearbooks
1990-1992
box 31, folder 3
Sephardic Community and Brotherhood, Council of Sephardic Organizations
events and invitations
1932-1979
box 31, folder 4
Events and invitations
1980-1990
box 32, folder 1
Events and invitations
1991-2000
box 32, folder 2
Events and invitations, weekly calendars
1991-2004
box 32, folder 3
Shabbat Shalom fliers
1978-1987
box 32, folder 4
Shabbat Shalom fliers
1988-1993
box 33, folder 1
Shabbat Shalom fliers
1994-2002
box 33, folder 2
Shabbat Shalom fliers
2003-2005, 2014
box 33, folder 3
Talmud Torah materials
1961-2001
box 33, folder 4
Talmud Torah materials
1939-1991
box 34, folder 1
Religious materials: High Holidays and Passover
1963-1990
box 34, folder 2
Religious materials: Shabbat and other holidays
1981-1998
box 34, folder 3
Prayers for Israel and miscellaneous religious items and songs
1930-1999
Series 3: Subject files
1905-2014
Scope and Contents
Series 3 contains subject files on certain individuals (most of whom were active
members of STTI) and places of Jewish and/or Sephardic relevance, compiled by Maurice I.
"Bob" Hattem (1919-2014) and his archival team. Some of Hattem's personal papers and
research materials are included here. Of particular interest are the personal
correspondence, including many letters in Ladino, that date as early 1911 and reach
places like Izmir, New York, Jerusalem, Athens, and Los Angeles. This series also
contains newspaper and journal clippings, as well as some published items.
Subseries 3.1: Maurice I. "Bob" Hattem papers
1922-2005
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 3.1 contains correspondence, research materials, and other personal
documents of Maurice I. "Bob" Hattem. Hattem was the STTI archivist and editor of the
temple's
El Shofar monthly bulletin for many years. He was also active
in Los Angeles, Southern California, and various Jewish, Crypto-Jewish, and Spanish
historical societies.
box 34, folder 5
Research, speeches, and other
1970-2005
box 35, folder 2
Genealogical resources
1990-2005
box 35, folder 3
Research materials
1922-1999
box 35, folder 4
Research materials
1972-2009
box 35, folder 5
Research materials
1977-2004
Subseries 3.2: Personal files
1911-2014
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 3.2 contains documents by or about individuals connected to the Los
Angeles Sephardic community. In addition to documents related to their lives in the
temple, many files contain personal correspondence.
box 36, folder 1
Eunice Pena Alisea, Maurice Amado, Richard Amado, Ralph S.
Amado
1930-1982
box 36, folder 2
Albert J. Amateau
1983-1996
box 36, folder 3
Morris Angel, Hy Arnesty
1981-2011
box 36, folder 4
Al Azus, Dr. Irving Benveniste, Art and Louis Benveniste
1935-2003
box 37, folder 1
Cantor Isaac Behar, Victor Behar, Aronico Chico (alias of Harry J. Cohen),
Isaac Cantos, Jack Cohen
1920-1993
box 37, folder 3
Peter (Perahia) Alhadeff
1933-1934, 1972
box 37, folder 4
Sue Halfon, Moshe Lazar, Leon Ligier
1928-1987
box 37, folder 5-6
Leon Ligier manuscript
1972
box 38, folder 1-2
Leon Ligier manuscript
1975
box 38, folder 3
Cantor Haim Mizrahi, Jack Nehama, Rabbi Jacob Ott
1954-2011
box 38, folder 5
Stella Rugetti, Irene Rugetti
1951-1981
box 39, folder 1
Jack Seror, Haym Solomon Day
1954-1988
box 39, folder 2
Nissim Saul and Sarah Reby letters
1911-1915
box 39, folder 3
Nissim Saul and Sarah Reby letters
1913-1944
Subseries 3.3: Place files
1905-2003
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 3.3 contains research materials collected by Bob Hattem and the archival
team at STTI relating to places of Jewish and Sephardic interest, especially
Spain.
box 39, folder 4
Chinese Jews, Cuba, Egypt, Salonica (Greece), Rhodes (Greece),
Greece
1944-2003
box 39, folder 5
Holland, Israel, Mexico
1947-1975
Scope and Contents
Holland section contains: Besso, Henry V.
Dramatic Literature of the
Sephardic Jews of Amsterdam in the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries.
New York:
Hispanic Institute in the United States, 1947.
box 40, folder 1
Spain - Columbus, Spain - Girona
1981-1992
box 40, folder 2
Spain - Inquisition and Expulsion
1992
Scope and Contents
Contains: Raphael, David T.
The Expulsion 1492 Chronicles: An Anthology of
Medieval Chronicles Relating to the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain and
Portugal.
North Hollywood, Calif: Carmi House Press, 1992.
box 40, folder 3
Spain - The Augustan Society, Spain Inquisition
1983-1997
box 40, folder 4
Spain and Portugal travel guides
1992-1997
box 40, folder 5
Spain - miscellaneous
1970-1992
box 41, folder 1
Spain - Royal visit documents
1951-2000
box 41, folder 2
Spain - Royal visit book
1988
box 41, folder 3
Tunisia, Turkey
1981-1992
box 41, folder 4
United States of America
1969-1990
box 41, folder 5
California and Los Angeles
1905-1991
Series 4: Photographs, scrapbooks, and clippings
circa 1910-2001
Scope and Contents
Series 4 contains photographs and scrapbooks from STTI official events and functions,
as well as those relating to individuals and families associated with the congregation.
Labeling, condition, and type of photograph and scrapbook vary considerably - some are
in excellent condition, while others fairly poor. While most items were produced in Los
Angeles, several originate from New York or Seattle, and still others abroad. The
scrapbooks in subseries 4.2 contain newspaper clippings from local, national, Jewish,
and general publications over a considerable date range that relate to STTI or Los
Angeles Sephardic life, featuring many from the local Jewish publication,
B'nai
B'rith Messenger
.
Subseries 4.1: Photographs
1910-2001
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 4.1 contains photographs and negatives from Sephardic community affairs,
events, and celebrations, as well as personal and family photographs from community
members.
box 42, folder 2
City of Hope, dignitaries,
El Shofar Staff,
Girona-Spain
1940-1983
box 42, folder 3
Archives staff, board of directors, Israel bond drive, cantors, Veteran's
Day committee
1948-1991
box 42, folder 4
Sue Halfon dinner, past presidents, Sol Halfon estate
1910-1992
box 43, folder 2
Holidays and events, Amateau, individuals, Leo Saul collection
1930-1993
box 43, folder 3
Installations, Ladinos/Turkish night, LASHA, Los Merecidos award, Alliance
Israelite Universelle, Mt. Sinai, 1980s events, musical events
1934-1989
box 43, folder 4
Past presidents, rabbis, Sephardic brotherhood, Sephardic Hebrew Center,
trip to Las Vegas
1920-1990
Scope and Contents
Contains photo of Rabbi Jacob Ott with Governor Ronald Reagan, signed by the
latter.
box 44, folder 1
Board of directors, Mother's Day luncheon, sisterhood, TTI dedication,
temple construction
1930-1980
box 44, folder 2
Temple staff, Talmud Torah, United Jewish Welfare Fund
1944-1989
box 45, folder 2
Los Merecidos award - Ted Negrin
1990
box 45, folder 3
Sisterhood Torah fund, bank breaking
1985-1999
box 45, folder 4
Sisterhood Torah fund, officer installation
1990-1999
box 46, folder 1
Sephardic Heritage Award Louis Alcalay, Al Azus, special award to Isaac R.
Caraco, award to Carroll O'Connor, visit of California Senator Pete
Wilson
1980-1981, 1990
box 46, folder 2
Yehoram Gaon concert
2000
box 42, folder 1
Miscellaneous, Bar Mitzvah, banquets, awards
1935-1985
box 44, folder 3
Youth synagogue, miscellaneous, loose captions
1940-1991
box 46, folder 4
STTI temple family album
1930-1987
box 46, folder 3
Photograph slides: main sanctuary - old design
1977
box 44, folder 4
Photographs: miscellaneous and unlabeled
1930-1997
Scope and Contents
Contains black-and-white family and wedding photographs, some provided with names.
Also contains: STTI past presidents, photograph of Haham Salomon Gaon, Dr. I. E.
Benveniste, and Bob Hattem; STTI Archives Crew; Caraco-Varon wedding; Rabbi Bouskila
Basketball team; Rabbi Ott with local political dignitaries; Albert Amateau 100th
birthday party. Also includes a few unlabeled photographs from Greece.
box 50
Photographs: banquets, anniversaries, celebrations
1925-1990
box 51
Photographs: miscellaneous and unlabeled, past STTI presidents
1919-1985
Scope and Contents
Several large photographs. Some include portraits of individuals like Caden
Alhadeff, Bar Mitzvah classes, Talmud Torah, family photographs, and portraits of
past STTI presidents.
One item is a Sephardic Theater cast photo for the Queen Esther play performed in
Ladino at Washington Hall on 14th and Fir, Seattle, WA, circa 1919. The play was
directed by Rabbi Sabatai Israel of Izmir.
box 43, folder 1
Negatives
1920-1988
Scope and Contents
Negatives of STTI events, past presidents, El Transito synagogue in Spain, some
negatives donated by Joseph Moche.
box 79
Blown-up reproductions
1932-1936
Subseries 4.2: Scrapbooks and clippings
1910-2004
Scope and Contents
Subseries 4.2 contains various scrapbooks from STTI members and groups, such as the
youth-oriented Juniors of Temple Tifereth Israel and the Ladinos group. These items
contain photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, fliers, and other ephemera.
box 46, folder 5
Miscellaneous STTI clippings
1951-2000
box 47, folder 4
Scrapbook: Yolande Alcana Gross
1957-1992
box 47, folder 5
Scrapbook: Yolande Alcana Gross
1969-1997
box 47, folder 1
Juniors of Temple Tifereth Israel (JTTI) reunion scrapbook
1940-1990
box 48, folder 3
Ladinos scrapbook
1931-1934
box 48, folder 2
Ladinos V yearbook
1965-1966
box 49
The Ladinos scrapbook
1966-1969
box 49
The Ladinos scrapbook
1970-1972
box 46, folder 7
Sisterhood scrapbook
1935-1986
box 52
Irene Rugeti, STTI Sisterhood president scrapbook
1966-1968
box 48, folder 1
Jewish War Veterans scrapbook, Rabbi Jacob Ott album
1910-2004
box 60
Rabbi Jacob Ott scrapbook
1946-1954
box 61
Virginia Caraco Aldef scrapbook
1957-1985
Series 5: Audiovisual
1951-2004
Scope and Contents
Series 5 contains audiovisual materials covering STTI events, such as lectures and
cultural nights, interviews, live and studio music recordings, and a few commercial and
other non-temple items.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO AND AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Materials will require assessment
and may need further processing for safe access. All requests to access special
collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this
page.
PORTIONS OF THIS COLLECTION HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED. Please consult digital facsimiles
instead of originals.
Subseries 5.1: Sene Collection
1953-1980
Scope and Contents
Subseries 5.1 contains lyric books collected by Emily Sene and 197 1/4 inch
audiotapes. Most of these feature Isaac Sene singing and playing the oud alongside
other musicians, recorded and notated by Emily Sene.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO MATERIALS: Materials will require assessment and may need
further processing for safe access. All requests to access special collections
materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
box 48, folder 4-6
Sene lyric sheets
1953-1980
box 53, folder 1-3
Sene lyric books
1955-1977
box 62-68
Sene audio reels
1955-1977
Scope and Contents
Contains a total of 197, 1/4-inch audiotapes.
Subseries 5.2: Film, VHS, and audiocassettes
1951-2004
Scope and Contents
Subseries 5.2 contains 80 VHS tapes, 1 Betamax, and 93 audiocassettes of relevance to
STTI, Sephardic, and Jewish life. Many of the VHS tapes are recordings of events held
at STTI, as are the cassette recordings, while some are interviews or oral histories
with individual community members. Some are commercial or professional recordings,
while most are amateur recordings. Many of the items are of relevance to Sephardic
history, culture, and music. A few audiocassettes in Box 58 feature Emily and Isaac
Sene.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO AND AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: Materials will require
assessment and may need further processing for safe access. All requests to access
special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
PORTIONS OF THIS COLLECTION HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED. Please consult digital facsimiles
instead of originals.
box 69
The End of the Night film
1955
Physical Description: Film reel in fragile
condition.
Conditions Governing Access
Access to digital materials is available on-site in the Special Collections reading
room. Requests to access digital materials must be made at least 2 days in advance.
Once request has been made, please confirm viewing arrangements with Special
Collections reference desk staff.
Scope and Contents
One reel of 16mm film.
Documentary-dramatization film on the philanthropic efforts of the French-based
Alliance Israelite Universelle on behalf of Jews in Morocco.
Credits read as follows: Alliance Israelite Universelle presents an Omnium Français
du Film Production
The End of the Night (Le Sixième Jour) Copyright
1955 by Omnium Français du Film with Serge Baty and The Inhabitants of the Village
of Illigh, South Morocco Cameraman – Paul Fabian Film Editors – Georges Alepee,
Denise Charven Sound Engineer – Paul Boistelle English commentary and dialogue
written by Sidney Shelley Music by Josepha Kosma Written, Produced and Directed by
Jean-Claude Huisman
Existence and Location of Copies
A digital reproduction of the film is available on-site in the Special Collections
reading room.
box 54-56
VHS tapes
1989-2004
Scope and Contents
Contains 80 VHS tapes and one Betamax, mostly of amateur recordings of STTI events
in the 1990s but also includes some copies of documentaries of Sephardic
interest.
Other Finding Aids
box 57-59
Audiocassettes
1951-2003
Scope and Contents
Contains 93 audiocassettes of interviews, lectures, performances from STTI and its
members, as well as a few commercial recordings.
Other Finding Aids
Series 6: Awards, artwork, and ephemera
1911-2003
Scope and Contents
Series 6 contains several certificates, awards, artwork, renderings, plaques, and
commemorative items related to STTI and associated individuals.
Subseries 6.1: Awards, plaques, certificates, and drawings
1911-2002
Scope and Contents
Subseries 6.1 contains a range of awards, honors, certificates, plaques,
commemorations, and related documents of relevance to the Sephardic Community, its
groups and efforts, and its individual members. Several are from Los Angeles city,
county, and California state official bodies. This subseries also contains some
drawings, designs, and artwork related to the temple.
box 72
Plaques and awards
1956-1984
box 76
Plaques and awards
1955-1991
Scope and Contents
Includes framed letter on behalf of President Richard Nixon honoring Rabbi Jacob
Ott on receiving the Sephardic Heritage Award in 1971. Includes signed photo of
President Richard Nixon.
box 70, folder 6
Honors and certificates
1931-2002
box 70, folder 7
Jewish National Fund plaque
1964
box 70, folder 2
Morris Passy Ottoman Birth certificate and Abraham Caraco rabbinic
certificate
1911-1912
box 70, folder 4
Watercolor designs for sanctuary
box 70, folder 5
Temple Board caricature
circa 1950s
box 77
United Jewish Appeal commemorative medals, Ted Hasson award and
key
1963-1966
box 78
Daily Prayer of Maimonides plaque, gift of King of Spain
1987
box 81
Oversize key - "Sephardic Community of LA, Feb 21, 1932"
1932
box 83
Artist's rendering of STTI, STTI architectural plans, 1921 photocopy of
Peace and Progress picnic, Marilyn Simon drawings
1921-1990
Subseries 6.2: Ephemera
1913-2012
Scope and Contents
Sub-series 6.2 contains various ephemera in the STTI records, including Bob Hattem's
archival index cards and Jewish calendars from Turkey.
box 73-74
Archival index notecards
undated, likely 1980s
box 80
Fez, photocopy of Megilat Saragossa
box 82, folder 1
Life-cycle event prayer booklets
1986-2012
box 82, folder 2
Turkish Jewish calendars
1966-1968
box 70, folder 8
The California Jewish Voice
1947-1949
Scope and Contents
Includes: Vol. 26, No 13 (December 5, 1947); Vol. 26, No. 36 (May 14, 1948); Vol,
26, No. 44 (July 9, 1948); Vol. 27, No. 35 (May 9, 1949)
