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Finding Aid to the William Stern papers, 1915-1965
BANC MSS 2010/703
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Table of contents
Collection Title: William Stern papers
Date (inclusive): 1915-1965
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2010/703
Creators :
Stern, William, 1897-1965
Extent:
Number of containers: 6 cartons, 2 boxes, and 2 oversize boxes
Linear feet: 8.2
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 papers of Rabbi Willam Stern of Oakland, California. The collection includes files on Stern's involvement with various
local and national organizations, Jewish and non-Jewish; files from Stern's years at Temple Sinai; correspondence, including
letters of appreciation to Rabbi Stern for his efforts on weddings, bar mitzvot, funerals, and conversions; sermons and addresses,
some of which were for the Jewish Chautauqua Society, about religious, patriotic, and philanthropic matters, including The
California Jew in History; subject files; ephemera and clippings; certificates and commendations; and a small number of photographs.
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.
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. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library 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. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes. 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. Consent is
given on behalf of The Bancroft Library 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. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes. 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 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.
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], William Stern papers, BANC MSS 2010/703, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Stern, William, 1897-1965--Archives
Jewish Chautauqua Society
Temple Sinai (Oakland, Calif.)
Temple Sinai (Oakland, Calif.)--Anniversaries, etc
Jews--California--Oakland
Humanitarianism
Patriotism
Social service
Oakland (Calif.)--Religious life and customs
Jewish sermons, American--California--Oakland
Correspondence--California--Oakland.
Rabbis--California--Oakland.
Western Jewish History Center.$n270
Judah L. Magnes Museum.$nWJHC 1968.032
Bancroft Library. Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
The William Stern papers were gifted to The Bancroft Library by the Judah L. Magnes Museum in 2010.
No future additions are expected.
Collection is arranged into 9 series: Community Involvement, General Jewish; Community Involvement, General; Temple Sinai;
Correspondence; Sermons, Addresses, and Services; Subject Files; Ephemera and Clippings; Certification, Commendations, and
Plaques; and Photographs.
Processed by Judah L. Magnes Museum staff in 1968. Additional processing by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life staff
in 2011.
William Stern served as a rabbi of Oakland's Temple Sinai from 1934 to 1965. Before serving at Sinai, he was a rabbi at Congregation
United Hebrew in Fort Smith, Oklahoma, and at Temple Beth El, in South Bend, Indiana. During his tenure at Temple Sinai, Stern
was known for his knowledge, thoughtfulness, congeniality, and patriotism, and Sinai's membership increased greatly during
his rabbinate. He actively involved himself in the affairs of his community, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, immersing himself
in interfaith relations and doing what he could to combat anti-Semitism. He served with various civic organizations, including
the Citizens Committees for Better Schools, Better Dental Health and Urban Renewal; Travelers Aid; the Alameda County United
Fund; Rotary Club; the Jewish Community Relations Council (with which he was affiliated from 1952 to 1964); the Northern California
Board of Rabbis (from 1939 until his death); the Interfaith Committee on Release Time and Religious Education; the Jewish
Committee for Personal Service; the Jewish Welfare Federation of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties; and the Palestine Orchestra
Fund. In 1937, Rabbi Stern spoke for the Emergency Peace Campaign of Northern Foreign War Crusade. In 1942, he was elected
to the executive council for the Oakland Area War Fund.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection includes files on William Stern's involvement with various local and national organizations, Jewish and non-Jewish;
files from Stern's years at Temple Sinai; correspondence, including letters of appreciation to Rabbi Stern for his efforts
on weddings, bar mitzvot, funerals, and conversions; sermons and addresses, some of which were for the Jewish Chautauqua Society,
about religious, patriotic, and philanthropic matters, including The California Jew in History; subject files; ephemera and
clippings; certificates and commendations; and a small number of photographs.