finding aid navigation

Descriptive Summary Historical Note Scope and Content Note Arrangement Related Material Appendix: Index to Correspondence, Series III, Office of Historical Information Footnotes Restrictions Provenance Preferred Citation Access Points

Container List

Series I: American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, undated, 1952-1955 Series II: American Jewish Historical Society, undated, 1949-1954 Series III: Office of Historical Information, undated, 1953-1955 Series IV: Published material, undated, 1953-1955 Series V: Newspaper clippings, undated, 1952-1955 Series VI: Observance and Activities, undated Oversized Materials, undated, 1954

Center for Jewish History publicservices@cjh.org

American Jewish Historical Society reference@ajhs.org

Guide to the American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration Collection,
undated, 1949-1956
*I-11

Processed by Lyn Slome and Adina Anflick

American Jewish Historical Society

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16^th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 294-6160

Fax: (212) 294-6161

Descriptive Summary
Creator:	American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration
Title:	American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration Collection
Dates:	undated, 1949-1956
Abstract:	This collection documents the administrative planning, research, publicity, and activities surrounding the American Jewish Tercentenary celebration from its inception in 1948 to its closing in 1955. The collection includes a representation of materials used in planning and presenting the event including correspondence, programs, minutes, proposals, reports, clippings, press releases, filmstrips, photo reproductions of illustrations and a photograph.
Languages:	The collection is in English, with a small amount of materials in Yiddish and Hebrew.
Quantity:	4 linear ft., 8 manuscript boxes and 2 oversized folders.
Accession number:	I-11
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society

Historical Note

American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration (AJTC) (September 12, 1954-June 1, 1955)

On September 12, 1954, the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Jews settling in America was officially launched. The oldest existing congregation in the United States, Shearith Israel in New York City, also known as the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue, conducted a reconsecration service that was attended by over 800 people. The service included a promenade of Rabbis from various part of the US, Europe, and Latin America, a sermon by Rev. Dr. David Sola de Pool, and a procession of 14 Torah scrolls. The ceremony was broadcast over ABC television, and the first in a tercentenary series by the Jewish Theological Seminary began on NBC radio.1 For the next 8½ months, a plethora of programs, radio and television broadcasts, exhibits, and publications was made available on local and national levels, the climax of which was a dinner addressed by President Dwight Eisenhower. The following is an illustration of the range and size of this project:2

Press and publicity programs began early in 1953. The goal was to reach every American newspaper reader through a constant stream of news releases, editorials, photographs, feature stories, and other material. Articles were printed in Jewish press, Yiddish press, foreign press, entertainment magazines, military publications, and many other specialized periodicals. Popular magazines such as Time, Life, Newsweek, and the New York Times Magazine published feature articles and interviews with Tercentenary leaders were printed by newspaper and press associations.
The United States Information Agency with assistance of the Tercentenary Office arranged an ג€American Jewish Tercentenary Packet,ג€ that consisted of 39 articles, 50 photographs, booklets, pamphlets, programs, and other material. The packets were distributed to 77 overseas countries.
ֲ· A newsletter, titled 300, began appearing in January 1953 until March 1955, reporting on continuing Jewish Tercentenary developments. (Box 6, Folders 1-3)
Three series of network television dramatic programs, as well as commercial programs, on-the-spot news coverage, forum discussions, concerts, and President Eisenhower's address at the National Tercentenary Dinner were viewed by many. Local and national radio broadcasts featured concerts, addresses, interviews and ceremonies.
An Office of Historical Information, operated jointly by the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee and the American Jewish Historical Society, provided research guidance and factual information. Among its research requests were histories of Jewish communities in the United States, biographies of significant Jewish public figures, statistics of Jewish population in the United States and a list of Jewish congregations founded before 1840. (Series III: Box 4 and Box 5)
Approximately half a million copies of publications issued by the American Tercentenary Committee were distributed throughout the United States. Many outstanding publications produced by National Jewish organizations were also distributed. Types of materials consist of guides for celebration, bibliographies, exhibition catalogs, scripts, posters, filmstrips, teacher guides, and religious proclamations. (Series IV, Box 6 and Box 7)
Religious services, art exhibits, dinners, musical concerts, rallies, plaque dedications, and pageants were organized. Local Tercentenary committees in over 400 communities also produced a great variety of observances.

The massive three-year undertaking focused on American democratic ideals and Jews' achievements in such opportunities. Although observed in Jewish institutions and conducted by Rabbis and other Jewish leaders, the emphasis was not on Jews' achievements in a Jewish context, but Jews' contributions to American culture, politics, science, etc. The American Tercentenary Committee's emblem, a menorah, had no accompanying Hebrew and used five pointed stars rather than six.3 A brochure outlining the tercentenary events states;

We do not believe that the Tercentenary should be made a vehicle for propagation of any particular ideology in American Jewish life. Some among us may feel strongly that the identification of a Jew is solely in terms of his religion; others may lean toward a different interpretation. The celebration should not be committed to either philosophy. It should be neither Zionist, non-Zionist, nor anti-Zionist. It should not try to formulate or advance any particular definition of Jewishness. The Tercentenary belongs primarily to five million people who regard themselves as patriotic, loyal American Jews, whatever their definition or their philosophy; it should be broad enough to appeal to 158 million Americansג€¦4

Scope and Theme, American Jewish Tercentenary Committee

The image American Jews projected of themselves was both an indication of the world's feeling toward Jews and other minorities, and of future questions American Jewry would address. The threat of communism in the 1950s and the emergence of the United States as a world power developed a need to subdue radicalism and conform to democratic ideals; ideals that stressed civil rights, tolerance, and religious liberty. "Man's Opportunities and Responsibilities Under Freedom" was chosen as the theme for the tercentenary. A criticism could be made of the celebration's timing, a mere ten years after the Holocaust. Small mention is made of the Holocaust in Tercentenary literature. The postwar prosperity gave a boost to American Jews whose fathers suffered from social and employment obstacles. Longheld differences in the Jewish community were fading; class and immigrant/native born distinctions, Zionist and Socialist opinions were being replaced by a shared commitment to the new State of Israel, and a new obstacle: defining one's Jewishness. Did Jews need to downplay Jewish life and culture in order to be accepted as Americans? How could one then connect to the Holocaust as an American Jew? What was American Jews' primary loyalty, United States or Israel? The emission of Zionism, Israel, or Jewish traditions in tercentenary literature prudently leaves these issues unresolved and undefined. 5

Despite the insecurities and open questions the tercentenary suggests, the celebration deeply expressed American Jews' desire to learn more about their history in this country. Although there existed few academic positions for American Jewish Historians in the 1950s, one could say that the same feeling that led to the celebration of the tercentenary came to even greater fruition and expression in the 1960s, with the rise of ethnic studies in universities. 6 Furthermore, the fact Jews could publicly celebrate their anniversary in a country remarkably and unequivocally confirms their place in Society.

Chronology
December 1948	Rev. Dr. David de Sola Pool, leader of Congregation Shearith Israel and officer of the American Jewish Historical Society, proposes the idea of a celebration to the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS)
May 1949	AJHS 300^th Anniversary Committee meets to discuss provisional plans and time schedules.
April 18, 1950	AJHS calls a meeting of representatives of twenty-eight national Jewish organizations to present the plan.
May 1951	AJHS approaches the American Jewish Committee regarding funding for a Tercentenary organization to be under the Historical Society's auspices. The Committee on Organization Tercentenary Celebration of Jewish Settlement in the United States, provisional committee, is formed in December.
October 1951	Rev. Dr. de Sola Pool, Chairman of the AJHS 300^th Anniversary Committee, addresses all national Jewish organizations to begin planning their participation in the Tercentenary. A pamphlet suggesting plans is enclosed.
April 1952	Despite degrees of tensions between AJHS and the American Jewish Committee regarding control over the Tercentenary celebration, the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, an independent organization, is incorporated and professional staff begins work.
June 1952	The American Jewish Tercentenary Steering Committee begins formulating policy and financial plans. A finance committee strategizes funding opportunities (funding was provided primarily from Jewish Welfare and Federation Funds, individuals, and foundations).
November 1952	A membership committee finalizes a National Committee of 300 to represent American Jewry. The steering committee adopts the celebration's scope and theme formulated by the program policy committee.
April 11-12, 1953	The National Committee of 300 is invited to attend a National Planning Conference, which discusses plans, finances, and levels of community participation.
July 1953	The Office of Historical Information, a joint enterprise of the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee and the American Jewish Historical Society, begins operations.
September 12, 1954	The observance is officially launched with a reconsecration service at Congregation Shearith Israel.
June 1, 1955	The celebration concludes with a Public Assembly at Carnegie Hall. 7

References
American Jewish Committee. American Jewish Yearbook. Vol. 56, 1955; vol. 57, 1956.
American Jewish Historical Society. Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society. Vol. 45, 1955-1956.
Goldstein, Israel. American Jewry Comes of Age. New York: Bloch Publishing, 1955.
Goren, Arthur A. The Politics and Public Culture of American Jews. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.
Kohn, Eugene (editor). American Jewry: The Tercentenary and After. New York: The Reconstructionist Press, 1955.

Series I: American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, undated, 1952-1955.
The series is in English.
Box 1.
Arrangement: Material is arranged chronologically by type.
Scope and Content: Composed of correspondence, minutes, reports, and a speech transcript; this series provides a limited view into the workings of the independent committee founded in April 1952. The American Jewish Tercentenary Committee developed many working committees; the following are represented in this series: Committee on Organization, Steering Committee, National Tercentenary Committee of 300, Committee on Research and Publications, and the Committee on Military Participation. Material concerning the National Planning Conference that took place in April 1953 is also located here. Of interest is the evolution of the celebration's scope and theme, greetings from Catholic organizations, a table of contents for the US Information Agency Tercentenary packet, and a request (not to be fulfilled) for a US Commemorative stamp to be issued. Of note: the mention of a 10 volume documentary history of the American Jews was never completed. In 1963, the Jewish Publication Society of America published one section, The Jews of the United States, 1790-1840, edited by Joseph L. Blau and Salo W. Baron, in three volumes.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1	Bylaws, draft of call for celebration, etc.	[undated, 1953]
1	2	Minutes of Tercentenary Steering Committee	June 1952-October 1953
1	3	Minutes and reports of Tercentenary Committee on Research and Publications	November 1952-October 1953
1	4	Committee on Military Participation	[1954-1955]
1	5	Correspondence	October 1951-December 1953
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	6	Correspondence	1954
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	7	Correspondence	1955

Series II: American Jewish Historical Society, undated, 1949-1954.
The series is in English.
Boxes 2-3.
Arrangement: Material is arranged chronologically by type.
Scope and Content: The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), deeply involved in the planning from the beginning, continued to have a role in the project after the incorporation of the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee. This series records the growth of the Society's plans for the celebration, beginning with Rev. Dr. de Sola Pool's first mention of the need for a celebration in 1948, through the temporary Tercentenary committee AJHS organized, documenting the tensions that occurred between AJHS and the American Jewish Committee, and describing the work the Society conducted on various Tercentenary projects. Among the significant material in this series concerns the incorporation of the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, minutes of a meeting of representatives of National Jewish Organizations convened by AJHS in 1950, AJHS' provisional plans and time schedule created in 1950, a report by American Jewish Committee Vice-President Ralph E. Samuel, plans for a Dictionary of American Jewish Biography, correspondence describing the Office of Historical Information (see also Series III), and the program for the Conference of Historians held in 1954 (the proceedings of the Conference of Historians was published in vol. 46, no. 3 of Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society). Types of material in this series include correspondence, working and final drafts of pamphlets and proposals, meeting minutes, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, and press releases.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	1	Correspondence: Tercentenary Committee and Lee M. Friedman (AJHS)	[1951-1953]
2	2	Correspondence: American Jewish Tercentenary Committee and AJHS	[1950-1955]
2	3-4	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Correspondence	1949-1950 (2f)
2	5-6	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Correspondence	1951-1952 (2f)
2	7	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Correspondence regarding organizations, activities	1953 [1949, 1953-1954]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	1-2	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Conference of Historians	September 1954, [1953-1954] (2f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	3-4	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Conference of Historians	[1954] (2f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	5	AJHS Tercentenary Committee: Conference of Historians	[1954]

Series III: Office of Historical Information, undated, 1953-1955.
The series is in English.
Boxes 4-5.
Arrangement: Material is arranged chronologically by type.
Scope and Content: Supported jointly by the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee and the American Jewish Historical Society, the Office of Historical Information handled research requests, distributed educational material, assisted in the programming for National Jewish Week, and provided factual checking for the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee. This series is primarily composed of correspondence to and from the Office, in regards to research. A subject index of the correspondence, from Box 4, Folder 3 to Box 5, Folder 7, is available in the Appendix. Other material within this series includes articles, financial reports, and newspaper clippings.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	1	Newspaper clippings about the Office of Historical Information	[1954]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	2	Office of Historical Information: Financial reports	[1953-1954]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	3	Office of Historical Information: Reports and Correspondence	1953
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	4	Miscellaneous articles written by Office of Historical Information	[undated, 1954]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	5	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.[one document is restricted]	[January and February] 1954 (2f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	6	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.[one document is restricted]	[March] 1954
4	7	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[April] 1954
4	8-9	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[May] 1954 (2f)
4	10	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc. [two documents are restricted]	[June] 1954
4	11	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc. [one document is restricted]	[July] 1954
Box	Folder	Title	Date
5	1-2	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc. [one document is restricted in folder 1]	[August] 1954 (2f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
5	3	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[September] 1954
Box	Folder	Title	Date
5	4	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[October] 1954
Box	Folder	Title	Date
5	5	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[November] 1954
5	6	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[December] 1954
5	7	Office of Historical Information: Correspondence, etc.	[undated, 1955]
5	8	Office of Historical Information: H. Lamm to Salo Baron	[July-October 1954]

Series IV: Published material, undated, 1953-1955.
The series is in English with some materials in Hebrew.
Boxes 6-7.
Arrangement: Within each subject, material is organized chronologically.
Scope and Content: This series encompasses publications produced by the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee and offers a sampling of materials created by national Jewish organizations. Of significance in this series is a complete run of AJTC's newsletter 300 (Box 6, Folders 1-3). Educational materials, including filmstrips, created by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations are also of interest. Other appealing items consist of advertisements for special tercentenary book publications, a fact sheet on Jewish Chaplains in the military, how to manuals such as a Community Manual produced by AJTC for local Tercentenary committees, an article introducing the Tercentenary menorah symbol, an illustration on a Manischewitzmatza box of the arrival of the first group of Jews, and the program for the Public Assembly formally ending the celebration. Proposals, drafts and final issues of pamphlets, a photo reproduction from an illustration, newsclippings, plays, press releases, and a speech in Hebrew complete the series.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
6	1	Newsletter, (no. 1-11)	January-December 1953
Box	Folder	Title	Date
6	2	Newsletter, (no. 12-22)	January-December 1954
6	3	Newsletter, (no. 23-25)	January-March 1955
6	4	News Releases	[1953-1954]
6	5-7	Pamphlets and brochures published by the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee	[1953-1955] (3f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
6	8	Published material	[1953-1955]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
7	1-3	Materials published for local observance of Tercentenary [by the American Jewish Tercentenary Committee]	[1953-1955] (3f)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
7	4	Miscellaneous	[undated, 1952-1954]
7	5	Photographic reproduction of diorama depicting arrival of first group of Jews in New Amsterdam; Photographic reproduction of a view of Recife, Brazil in 17th century	[undated, 1954-1955]
7	6	American Jewish Archives, Union of American Hebrew Congregations-Tercentenary Publications	[undated, 1952-1954]
7	7	Union of American Hebrew Congregations filmstrip-"Through the Years: Jewish Women in American History" (including typed copies of texts)	[undated, 1954]
7	8	Union of American Hebrew Congregations filmstrip-"Judah Touro-Friend of Man" (including teacher's guide)	[undated, 1953]

Series V: Newspaper clippings, undated, 1952-1955.
The series is in English and Yiddish.
Box 8.
Arrangement: Material is arranged by language chronologically.
Scope and Content: Articles and newsclippings in English and Yiddish from National, Jewish, and Christian press are contained within this series. Reflections and criticisms regarding the Tercentenary's philosophy are of interest, as well as press coverage of President Eisenhower's Tercentenary Dinner speech. A majority of the newsclippings concern activities and historical writings, and include text of speeches and educational guides. A special issue of the children's magazine World Over and New York Teachers News is located here. In addition to writings, there is a press photograph, of Rabbis and Presidents of the fourteen oldest Jewish congregations in the US posed at Carnegie Hall.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	1	Newspaper clippings and material in English	(1952-1953)
8	2	Newspaper clippings and material in English (Oversized-OS1F and OS2F)	(January-August 1954)
8	3	Newspaper clippings and material in English (Oversized-OS1F)	(September 1954)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	4	Newspaper clippings and material in English	(October-December 1954)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	5	Newspaper clippings and material in English	(undated, 1955)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	6	Newspaper clippings and material in Yiddish	(1952-August 1954)
8	7	Newspaper clippings and material in Yiddish	(September-December 1954)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	8	Newspaper clippings and material in Yiddish	(undated, 1955)

Series VI: Observance and Activities, undated.
The series is in English.
Boxes 9-10.
Arrangement: Material is arranged by geographically or by organization within each subject.
Scope and Content: An insight into the variety and geographical range of events and publications can be glimpsed in this series which contains invitations, minutes to local Tercentenary meetings, exhibit catalogs, souvenir journals, religious programs, and bibliographies from National and Local Jewish, Christian, Universities and public organizations. A significant representation of the Shearith Israel Tercentenary programs and the National Tercentenary Dinner is available. Of interest is the program for the West Point Plaque dedication, and a manual created by a left wing organization called the Committee for the 300^th Anniversary of Jewish Settlement in the USA. Research corrections and results as well as additional postcard invitations are located in Morris U. Schappes' folder (Box 9, Folder 3).
Box	Folder	Title	Date
9	1	Committee for the 300^th Anniversary of Jewish Settlement in the USA	[undated, 1953-1955]
9	2	Correspondence in Yiddish from other organizations	[undated, 1953-1955]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
9	3	Correspondence and material of Morris U. Schappes regarding activities, research, and historical sources	[undated, 1953-1955]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
9	4	National Tercentenary Dinner, exhibits	[undated, 1954-1955]
9	5	State and Local Tercentenary Activities (Arizona - Connecticut)	[1953-1955]
9	6	State and Local Tercentenary Activities (District of Columbia-Massachusetts)	[1954-1956]
9	7	State and Local Tercentenary Activities (Michigan-New Jersey)	[1954-1956]
9	8	State and Local Tercentenary Activities (New York City and State)	[undated, 1954-1955]
Box	Folder	Title	Date
10	1	State and Local Tercentenary Activities (Ohio-Wisconsin)	[1952, 1954-1955]
10	2-3	Congregation Shearith Israel Tercentenary	[1953-1955] (2f)
10	4	Tercentenary activities-Universities	[1954-1955]
10	5	Tercentenary activities of various Jewish organizations	[1953-1955]
10	6	Tercentenary activities of various Jewish organizations	[undated, 1946, 1952-1955]

Oversized Materials, undated, 1954.
Oversized - OS1F
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	2	The Jewish Record, American Jewish Tercentenary Issue	January 21, 1954
8	3	Intermountain Jewish News	September 23, 1954
8	3	The Jewish Criterion	September 24, 1954
Oversized - OS2F
Box	Folder	Title	Date
8	2	"Tercentenary Leaders Visit President Eisenhower: Partial Press Coverage"

finding aid navigation

Guide to the American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration Collection, undated, 1949-1956*I-11

Processed by Lyn Slome and Adina Anflick

American Jewish Historical Society

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 294-6160

Fax: (212) 294-6161

Email: reference@ajhs.org

URL: http://www.ajhs.org

© 2013, American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY. All Rights Reserved.

Machine-readable finding aid created by Adina Anflick as MS Word. April 2002. Electronic finding aid converted to EAD 2.0 by Tanya Elder. May 2003. Description is in English.

Chronology

References

Access Restrictions

Use Restrictions

Preferred Citation

Subject Names:

Subject Organizations:

Subject Topics:

Subject Places:

Document types:

Other Names:

Series I: American Jewish Tercentenary Committee, undated, 1952-1955.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Series II: American Jewish Historical Society, undated, 1949-1954.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Series III: Office of Historical Information, undated, 1953-1955.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Series IV: Published material, undated, 1953-1955.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Series V: Newspaper clippings, undated, 1952-1955.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Series VI: Observance and Activities, undated.

Arrangement:

Scope and Content:

Oversized Materials, undated, 1954.

Guide to the American Jewish Tercentenary Celebration Collection,
undated, 1949-1956
*I-11

15 West 16^th Street