Manuel F. Lisan papers
Scope and Content Note
The Papers of Manuel Lisan reflect American Zionist activities in the first-half of the twentieth century.
This collection includes drafts and chapters from Lisan's memoirs, which document his experiences in Czarist Russia, his life as a Zionist in Philadelphia, and the struggle for the establishment of a Jewish State. Also includes Zionist documents and publications from the 1910s and 1920s, and some correspondence.
The collection is valuable to researchers studying: American Zionism, the Age of Migration, and pogroms carried out against Russian Jewry.
The collection is primarily in English, with minimal Hebrew publications and correspondence.
Dates
- Creation: undated, 1902-1911, 1920-1927, 1936, 1946-1958, 1968-1969
Creator
- Lisan, Manuel F., 1882-1968 (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is predominantly in English, with some Hebrew.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers, except items that may be restricted due to their fragility or privacy.
Use Restrictions
No permission is required to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection, as long as the usage is scholarly, educational, and non-commercial. For inquiries about other usage, please contact the Director of Collections and Engagement at mmeyers@ajhs.org.
For reference questions, please email: inquiries@cjh.org
Biographical Note
Manuel Lisan (1882-1968)
Manuel Lisan was born on December 3, 1882 to Feivel and Chase (Russacoff) Lisan near Odessa, Russia. There, he attended yeshiva before his migration to the United States in 1900. In Russia, Lisan had begun to associate himself with the Zionist movement, and, in Odessa, he was a member of the Zionist Youth Organization.
In the United States, Lisan settled in Philadelphia. There, he worked as a garment manufacturer and retailer. He joined the city's Committee on Propaganda & Organization for the Federation of American Zionists in 1907; organized many Zionist societies across Pennsylvania; and he joined the Zionist Organization of America, and the Federation of Jewish Charities.
Lisan He died in 1968.
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box)
Abstract
Collection contains a typescript of memoirs (some sections in several drafts) covering the period until 1907, describing Lisan's youth in Russia, his journey to America, his early years in Philadelphia, and his travels throughout Pennsylvania. The memoirs also relate in some detail Lisan's Zionist activities in Russia and America, and his reaction to world Jewish events.
Materials include: correspondence covering the years 1902-1969 dealing with Lisan's Zionist activities, announcements (1909-1910) of the Maccabean Zionist Society in Philadelphia, receipts and a Land Certificate from the American Zion Commonwealth, and a share certificate from the Jewish Colonial Trust.
Arrangement
The collection consists of a single series arranged by topic.
Provenance
Manuel Lisan donated his papers to the American Jewish Historical Society in 1972 and 1973.
Subject
- American Zion Commonwealth, Inc (Organization)
- Maccabean Zionist Society (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of Manuel F. Lisan (1882-1968), undated, 1902-1911, 1920-1927, 1936, 1946-1958, 1968-1969 *P-138
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Jason Schechter (January 3, 2002)
- Date
- © 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Revision Statements
- April, July 2020: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
