Stern (William) papers, 1915-1965

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Summary

Title:
William Stern papers
Dates:
1915-1965
Creators:
Stern, William, 1897-1965
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.
Extent:
Number of containers: 6 cartons, 2 boxes, and 2 oversize boxes Linear feet: 8.2
Language:
Collection materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[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.

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Acquisition information:
The William Stern papers were gifted to The Bancroft Library by the Judah L. Magnes Museum in 2010.
Processing information:

Processed by Judah L. Magnes Museum staff in 1968. Additional processing by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life staff in 2011.

Arrangement:

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.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

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.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding Aid written by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life staff.
Date Prepared:
© 2011
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid generated by Finding Aid author(s) via EAD XPress; markup validated by The Bancroft Library staff using OAC validation tools; Date of source: May 2011

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[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.

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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