Western States Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004

Summary

Creators:

Stern, Norton B., Kramer, William M., and Western States Jewish History Association

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.

Extent:

186 boxes.

Language:

Finding aid is written in English.

Background

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.

Biographical / historical:

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 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 .

Acquisition information:

Gift of the Western States Jewish History Association, 2004.

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 themselves (i.e. Norton and Stern) and others potentially renamed/created by someone else (i.e. the archivists at WSJHA). Because of the authorship/collector was difficult to determine, the titles given to have been retained. Some titles that have multiple files have been collapsed into a single folder or box. The research files are divided into subseries based on what type of information they contain, falling into 5 large categories: Biographies, Institutions/Organizations, Places (both by-state and by-country), Topics (events and themes), and Congregations (primarily within the state of California).

The materials not included in specific files scattered throughout the collection fall into the category of "source material." While the Huntington received the Society's collection of books, thousands of newspaper articles, pamphlets, sermons, speeches, maps, book excerpts, journal articles, photos, and other resources are included in the source material category. Also included are the collections' audio and visual materials, including microfilm rolls of several historical newspapers, as well as recordings of a variety of educational and religious events. While some of the other source materials appear in their original form, many of the books and newspaper clippings are reproductions and copies.

Kramer and Stern's personal papers both include drafts and manuscripts of their written work, as well as their research related and personal correspondence. Both had a hand in creating the research files, and their notes appear scattered throughout the research materials. Kramer's papers include far more materials related to his life and work, including photos and personnel files from his various pulpits and appointments. These materials related to his various jobs are organized by the occupation and the institution, each Temple at which he served as well as each school at which he taught corresponding to a folder. Stern, on the other hand, worked more diligently to catalogue his own research, and his papers include research write-ups and reports on interviews that the WSJHA has helped to organize into bound volumes.

The WSJHA has its own additional series, including folders for various regular contributors to the Quarterly as well as legal documents, unpublished records and correspondence pertaining to their parent organization, the Southern California Jewish Historical Society. Notes, correspondence, drafts and other documents that cannot be ascribed to Stern or Kramer are housed in this category (ex. typed with no author listed). This folder also holds clippings from the Western States Jewish History Quarterly (the Society's publication).

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.

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Location of this collection:

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library

A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library

Box 951575

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US

Contact:

(310) 825-4988

AskLSC@library.ucla.edu

Website