http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt796nf323 No online items Finding Aid for the Western States Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004 Processed by Caroline Luce in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Elizabeth Sheehan and Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2009; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé. UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Manuscripts Division Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box 951575 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/ © 2009 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid for the Western States 1739 1 Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004 Descriptive Summary Title: Western States Jewish History Archive Date (inclusive): 1800-2004 Collection number: 1739 Creator: Stern, Norton B. Creator: Kramer, William M. Creator: Western States Jewish History Association Extent: 186 boxes. Abstract: The Western States Jewish History Archive contains the compiled research and activities of the Society's two founders, Dr. Norton Stern and Rabbi William Kramer. The bulk of the collection includes research files on individuals, institutions and organizations, and synagogues throughout California. These vary in their breadth and specificity, some offering original primary source materials, while others largely comprised of newspaper clippings and research notes. Files from institutions and organizations, as well as synagogues, often contain internal documents -meeting minutes, memos, and legal and financial records- in addition to newsletters, pamphlets and other public materials. Kramer's personal papers are also in the collection as well, including drafts of his oral and written work, personnel records from his various employments, and photos and ephemera of his family. Language: Finding aid is written in English. Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections. Los Angeles, California 90095-1575 Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information. Restrictions on Access COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information. Restrictions on Use and Reproduction Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary 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. Provenance/Source of Acquisition Gift of the Western States Jewish History Association, 2004. Processing Note Processed by Caroline Luce in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Elizabeth Sheehan and Kelley Wolfe Bachli, 2009. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Western States Jewish History Archive (Collection Number 1739). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. Biography The Western States Jewish History Association, originally named the Western States Jewish Historical Society, began as an offshoot of the Southern California Jewish Historical Society, a local branch of the American Jewish Historical Society. The Association's founder, Norton Stern, and was appointed to create and publish a journal, The Western State Jewish History Quarterly in 1968. Norton Stern was closely affiliated with the Santa Monica Temple, and an amateur researcher whose interest in history began as a hobby. He conducted massive amounts of genealogical/biographical research on Jews in the West, writing several articles and books, as well as a weekly column entitled "Our Pioneer Heritage," published in the Northern California Jewish Bulletin. His pursuits largely related to recovering the Judaism of many characters in early-American California (i.e. post-Gold Rush, mid 19th onward) as he canvassed cemeteries, early newspapers, business directories, and temple records to construct a richer narrative. Stern also conducted an extensive and highly valuable oral history project, interviewing many of the older Jewish residents in LA and the surrounding areas before his death in 1992. Because Norton Stern's research interests extended beyond Southern California Jewish history, Stern broadened the focus of the journal to the entire American West, highlighting particularly the "pioneer phase" of Jewish arrival into areas in West Finding Aid for the Western States 1739 2 Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004 in the 19th century. His research trips and interviews served as the basis of the Quarterly's early content, Stern and Kramer working closely to write and publish as much as they could. As popular and academic interest in both the history of the American West and Jewish history in the West expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, dozens of researchers and librarians became part of the Western Jewish History Association's network, submitting articles and essays of their own and assisting with Stern's research. These contributors also appear in the collection. William Kramer began as one such contributor, but soon began to play an integral role in Stern's publication. Kramer served as the scribe, helping Stern to craft longer essays and books about his research. Kramer and Stern published several books together, and lectured together at synagogues and organizations throughout Los Angeles. As a rabbi, Kramer served at Temple Israel of Hollywood and later Temple Beth Emet in Burbank, as well as other congregations throughout the U.S. before he arrived in Los Angeles, and late in his life, an online community he called B'nai Bill. His work with the Temple Israel religious school promoted his involvement with a variety of Jewish educational committees, including the Western Association of Temple Educators and the Bureau of Jewish Education. Kramer also involved himself in other activities within the Jewish Community, serving in the Bureau of Jewish Education and several Reform and Liberal Judaism councils. He was also on the faculty at Hebrew Union College and California State University, Northridge. Many of the research files on Jewish organizations and institutions in Los Angeles contain materials he collected through his various commitments. Kramer also had an avid interest in Jewish art, writing frequently about local artists such as Hans Burkhart and Harry Lieberman. Much of Kramer's material in the collection was gathered in preparation for his autobiography, which was unfortunately never completed, as Kramer died in 2004. The network of researchers, historians, and interested community members that Kramer and Stern created in the Western Jewish History Association continues to this day. As of 2008, the Quarterly began its 40th year of publication, thanks largely to the efforts of Gladys Sturman, David Epstein, and the Association's volunteers. Ms. Sturman and the volunteers worked to gather all of Stern and Kramer's research materials, distributing them to libraries throughout Southern California, including UCLA, the Autry National Center, and the Huntington Library. The Western States Jewish History Archive is but one of the portions of the materials they gathered, for a full list of libraries, refer to the Association's webpage, www.wsjhistory.com . Scope and Content The bulk of the collection is organized into research files of materials Kramer and Stern compiled about individuals, institutions and organizations, and synagogues throughout California. These research files vary in their breadth and specificity, some offering original primary source materials, while others largely comprised of newspaper clippings and research notes. Files from institutions and organizations, as well as synagogues, often contain internal documents -meeting minutes, memos, and legal and financial records- in addition to newsletters, pamphlets and other public materials. The scope of these research files cannot be underestimated. They include a wide variety of organizations and institutions, as well as nearly 500 individuals and families and nearly every major Jewish congregation in California. There is also an abundance of source material related to individuals and topics outside of those contained in the research files. The collection contains an assortment of journal and book excerpts, newspaper clippings, pamphlets and tracts, sermons and speeches, and a few maps and photos. In addition to the written materials, there are audio and visual materials, including several roles of microfilm from Stern's collection. There is large amount of Kramer's personal papers in the collection as well, including drafts of his oral and written work, personnel records from his various employments, and photos and ephemera of his family. The collection also contains similar legal and financial records and correspondence of the Association. Organization and Arrangement The collection is divided into 5 large series: research files, source materials, William Kramer's papers, Norton Stern's papers, and the papers of the Western States Jewish History Association. The majority of the material had been previously organized into research topics - some obviously created by the researchers