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Guide to the National Conference of Christians and Jews Records
MS-0172
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Collection Title: National Conference of Christians and Jews Records
Dates: 1959-1977
Bulk Dates: 1968-1975
Identification: MS-0172
Creator:
National Conference of Christians and Jews (San Diego, Calif.)
Physical Description: 6.25 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Founded in 1928, The National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) was a human rights organization focused on combating
intereligious prejudice. NCCJ's origins can be traced back to 1924, when the convention for the Federal Council of Churches
of Christ began to discuss the growing power of the Ku Klux Klan. As a result, a committee on goodwill between Christians
and Jews was developed.
As NCCJ's foundation was rooted against racial and religious prejudice, the official organization was created after the defeat
of Al Smith in the 1928 election. After Smith's defeat, the Christian and Jewish committees of goodwill decided to develop
a program encouraging positive interfaith relations. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes presided over these first
conferences, promoting diversity and tolerance among the committee.
In 1962, Dr. Jacob Cunningham, along with several other prominent San Diegans, formed a chapter for San Diego. The chapter
worked with community agencies in the area, developing human relations workshops related to labor management issues. Many
of these issues included equal opportunity for employment, wage negotiation, and employee education. In 1966, Cunningham was
replaced by Nathan Jerald. It was then that the San Diego chapter developed more intensive youth/adult relations programs
and community relations programs. The youth/adult program promoted equality with regard to age, focusing on the interactions
between the youth, parents, teachers, and state representatives. The community relations program provided training for law
enforcement, promoting cooperative action at the neighborhood level. Cunningham took over as President in 1971, and Dennis
C. Hart took over in 1975.
The basic programs of the National Conference of Christians and Jews are divided into seven program areas; all of which are
used to fight bigotry, racism, and inter-group prejudice. The programs include inter-religious relations, youth and adult
relations, issues about equal opportunity, education, community relations, religious news service, and publication programs.
To better represent the breadth of the organization, NCCJ changed their name to The National Conference for Community and
Justice in 1990. It is still in operation today.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
National Conference of Christians and Jews -- Archives
National Conference of Christians and Jews. San Diego Region -- Archives
Organizational Records
San Diego Region (Calif.) -- Ethnic relations -- History -- Sources
Cunningham, Jacob H. -- Correspondence
Jerald, Nathan R. -- Correspondence
Christianity and other religions -- Judaism -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
The copyright interests in the materials found in this collection have been transferred to San Diego State University. Special
Collections and University Archives can only grant permission to publish materials for which it is the copyright holder.
For further information, please consult the section on copyright in the rules for using the collections, or contact the United
States Copyright Office at (202) 707-3000 or http://www.copyright.gov.
This collection is open for research.
Identification of item, folder title, box number,
National Conference of Christians and Jews Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
The
National Conference of Christians and Jews Collection documents the organization's social, financial, and political activities from the late 60's to the mid 1970's. The majority
of the material is devoted to the San Diego chapter's events, administration, and committee meetings. Documentation includes
correspondence, professional diaries, biographical notes, press releases, minutes, and financial statements.
Highlights of the collection include documentation of the 44th Anniversary Dinner, biographies of major figures related to
the organization, and inter-religious seminar documentation. Also presented is detailed documentation about the Equality
and Quality of Education Conference, including correspondence about the affirmative action workshop and youth relations committees.
The majority of the materials are organized chronologically.