Twice Blessed collection, circa 1966-2000

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Summary

Creators:
Abush, Johnny and Jewish Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Archives
Abstract:
The collection consists of materials documenting the Jewish lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender experience, circa 1966-2000, collected by the Jewish Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Archives, founded and operated by Johnny Abush. The collection consists of clippings from print and online sources, conference and event materials, newsletters, religious service texts, promotional materials, videotapes, photographs, drawings, memorabilia, reference materials, and administrative files.
Extent:
24.5 Linear Feet 18 record boxes, 1 map-case drawer, 39 VHS (TM).
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Box #, folder/item #, Twice Blessed Collection, Coll2010-003, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of materials documenting the Jewish lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender experience, circa 1966-2000, collected by the Jewish Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Archives, founded and operated by Johnny Abush. The collection consists of clippings from print and online sources, conference and event materials, newsletters, religious service texts, promotional materials, videotapes, photographs, drawings, memorabilia, reference materials, and administration files.

Clippings comprise the bulk of the archives and the Faces Project is its centerpiece. The Faces Project provides meticulously cataloged and displayed clippings of those in the Jewish LGBT community who have had their picture appear in print, 1966-2000. The name files supplement this material, providing expanded coverage to any online and print material by or about a member of the Jewish LGBT community, 1977-2000. The subject files provide coverage of online and print material on Jewish LGBT related subjects, 1970-2000. The publications files contains clippings on Jewish LGBT individuals, organizations, and topics organized by the serial publication of origin, 1967-2000. Note that duplication should be expected across the materials in the Faces Project, name files, subject files, and publications files. Undated materials in these files can be expected to fall within the date range listed for the series.

The organization and event files consist of print and online materials produced by Jewish LGBT congregations, community organizations, and conference sponsors, 1977-2000. The videotapes consist of film and television recordings regarding a Jewish LGBT individual, organization, or subject matter, circa 1985-1995. Memorabilia consists of buttons, clothes, jewelry, magnets, photographs, pins, posters, print material, and other miscellaneous materials of a Jewish LGBT nature, circa 1982-2000. The administrative files document the reference work, archival management and outreach, and volunteer work performed by Johnny Abush, 1992-1999. The personal files document Johnny Abush's life beyond the archives, circa 1977-2000.

Note that the number of archival items gradually increase as dates approach the founding of the archives in the early 1990s, then tapers off by the end of the decade.

Biographical / historical:

Johnny Abush was born in Toronto, Canada on April 7, 1952. He was a quiet and private computer systems analyst, but in the 1980's became an activist in gay causes. He later said that he had become proud of being gay, but he was ashamed of being Jewish.

In 1989 Johnny was diagnosed with AIDS. The crisis prompted him to re-evaluate his entire way of thinking about himself and led him to began a personal quest to discover a sense of pride in being Jewish. Johnny said that he "learned that in order to feel good about yourself, the major components of who you are have to be a source of pride" (Gil Kezwer, "Gay archives immortalize Jewish celebrities, artifacts," Jewish Bulletin, May 3, 1996).

When Johnny was forced to retire from his job in 1990 due to AIDS-related complications, he took advantage of the extra time to begin a search for information about the experiences of other LGBT Jews. The first book he purchased on this subject was Twice Blessed by Christie Balka and Andy Rose. Johnny identified with the message of this book and eventually came to see that he was blessed twice by being both Jewish and gay.

Frustrated by the general lack of Jewish LGBT materials, Johnny Abush began a long, arduous, but ultimately award-winning work to collect, catalogue and make available everything that is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and Jewish. In addition to the countless hours he devoted to building the collection, he spent well over $30,000 of his own savings to build what became the Jewish Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives. He later developed a Web site entitled "Twice Blessed" to make his collections available internationally.

In 1995 the Toronto Centre for Lesbian and Gay Studies presented him with a special Achievement Award for his internationally important work to create and develop the Jewish GLBT Archives. Although he suffered painful neuropathy related to AIDS, he continued the work to build the Archives until it became the largest repository on Jewish LGBT topics in the world. In 1997, realizing that he did not have long to live, Johnny Abush decided to ensure the continuance of his life work by donating his entire archives and computer databases to ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. Though quite ill, Johnny continued to work on his Web site until two days before his death on November 26, 2000.

In addition to his work with the Archives, Johnny Abush volunteered with Keshet Shalom, Jewish Queer Culture Committee, and various AIDS support services in his native city of Toronto.

Written by Walter L. Williams and Marie Robertson, edited by Kyle Morgan

Acquisition information:
The Jewish LGBT Archives was gifted to the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives by Johnny Abush upon his passing in 2000. The Jewish LGBT Archives was boxed and transferred to ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives in 2001.
Processing information:

The Twice Blessed Collection had been intermingled with the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives Jewish LGBT subject files. When apparent, materials not native to the Twice Blessed Collection were removed. However subject file materials indistinguishable from Twice Blessed Collection materials may have been integrated into this collection.

Collection processed by Kyle Morgan, 2010.

Arrangement:

Files are arranged in the following series:

Series 1. Faces Project, 1966-2000

Series 2. Name Files, 1977-2000

Series 3. Subject Files, 1970-2000

Series 4. Publications Files, 1967-2000

Series 5. Organization and Event Files, 1977-2000

Series 6. VHS (TM), circa 1985-1995

Series 7. Memorabilia, circa 1982-2000

Series 8. Administrative Files, 1992-1999

Series 9. Personal Files, circa 1977-2000

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).

Preferred citation:

Box #, folder/item #, Twice Blessed Collection, Coll2010-003, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Location of this collection:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007, US
Contact:
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
Website