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Descriptive Summary
Creator:	Bernard C. Ehrenreich (1876-1955)
Title:	Bernard C. Ehrenreich Papers
Dates:	undated, 1871-1971
Abstract:	The Papers of Bernard Calonius Ehrenreich, a Rabbi and civic leader in Montgomery, Alabama, document his life and rabbinate over seven decades and highlights his involvment in a broad range of organizations and activities. The collection is valuable to those researching topics such as Zionism; Progressivism; boys' camps; Montgomery, Alabama's Jewish community; Christian-Jewish relations in the South; and soldiers' correspondence from World War I and World War II. In addition, Ehrenreich's involvment in organizations such as the National Jewish Welfare Board; National American Woman Suffrage Association; Intercollegiate Menorah Association; Federation of American Zionists; and Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity are documented within the collection as well as postcards displaying various Jewish images.
Languages:	The majority of the collection is in English with some materials in Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and French.
Quantity:	1.75 linear feet. (4 manuscript boxes, 1 oversized folder.)
Accession number:	P-26
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society

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Biographical Note

Rabbi Bernard Calonius Ehrenreich
(1876-1955)

A rabbi and scholar, Bernard Calonius Ehrenreich was born in Kis Szeben, Hungary on June 11, 1876 to an orthodox family. At the age of three Bernard, along with two other siblings, immigrated to the United States.

Educated as a child in the public school system, Ehrenreich had a flair for learning and a desire to continue his education. In 1900, he received both a bachelor's degree in philosophy from New York University as well as a rabbinical degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Known as an organizer throughout his years as a young scholar, Ehrenreich helped found the first Jewish college fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau (Zion Bemispat Tipadeh) in 1898. The fraternity served as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information and was committed to Zionist causes.

His first pulpit, in 1900, was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Congregation Beth Israel. Ehrenreich stayed there a year before moving on to Congregation Adath Jeshurun in Pennsylvania. He continued serving his congregations while furthering his education at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1902, he married Irma Bock, and together they had two children, Louis Sigmund and Rosemarie.

In 1906 Rabbi Ehrenreich took the pulpit of Congregation Kahl Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama. Zionism and progressivism pervaded his thoughts and he performed his work with a keen interest and optimism.

Already known for his ability to bring together people, Rabbi Ehrenreich led the community in a wide range of activities. Among the organizations he was involved in were the Federation of American Zionists, Jewish Welfare Board, Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Graduate Menorah Society and American Jewish Congress.

Although his civic duty and link to the community were prevalent in his many activities he never relinquished his commitment to the individual. His interaction with the soldiers of Camp Sheridan was a cornerstone in his life. The dedication and love that he gave to hundreds of boys in the camp is readily seen in the correspondence contained within the collection. These boys also helped Ehrenreich realize a much earlier dream, and he started Camp Kawaga in Wisconsin. This camp, started in 1915, became a summer camp for boys to enrich their lives and awaken their minds.

Rabbi Ehrenreich spent his life working toward the betterment of others. He strived for the ability to join people together and acknowledged the importance of the individual. Echoing throughout his sermons and teachings are messages of Zionism and reform. The people that Ehrenreich influenced is incalculable and when he died on March 11, 1955, he died a successful man having accomplished on one lifetime what many only dream.

References

Data was compiled from archival documents in the Papers of Rabbi Bernard C. Ehrenreich; Who's Who in American Jewry (1980); Jews of the South by S. Proctor, L. Schmier and M. Stern (pp. 45-63).

CHRONOLOGY
June 11, 1876	Born in Kis Szeben, Hungary, son of Henry Reuben and Hannah Ehrenreich
1879	Immigrated to the United States
1898	Founded Zeta Beta Tau (American Jewish Fraternal Organization)
1900	Received a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from New York University
	Received a Rabbinical degree from Jewish Theological Seminary
1900-1901	Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Atlantic City, NJ
1901-1906	Rabbi of Congregation Adath Jeshurun, Philadelphia, PA
1902	Married Irma Bock
1904	Louis Sigmund (son) is born
1906	Rosemarie (daughter) is born
1906-1921	Rabbi of Congregation Kahl Montgomery, Montgomery, AL
1915	Camp Kawaga opens
1915-1951	Director of Camp Kawaga
1917	Elected to the American Jewish Congress
March 11, 1955	Died

Additional Offices/Honors/Organizations

Central Conference of American Rabbis. Member.
Federation of American Zionist Federation. Recording Secretary.
Graduate Menorah Society. Founder.
International Order of B'nai B'rith. Member.
Israeli Bond Drive, Montgomery, Alabama. Chair.
Jewish Chautauqua Society. Member.
Jewish Welfare Board, Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, AL. Welfare Worker (World War I).
Masons. Member.
Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. Vice-Chair.
Romanian Anti-Semitism. Official Representative protesting at a convocation.

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Scope and Content Note

The Papers of Rabbi Bernard C. Ehrenreich contains documents and paraphernalia spanning approximately seven decades.

The collection is valuable to those researching Zionism; Progressivism; boys' camps; Montgomery, Alabama's Jewish community; Christian-Jewish relations in the South; soldiers' correspondence from World War I and World War II; National Jewish Welfare Board; National American Woman Suffrage Association; Intercollegiate Menorah Association; Federation of American Zionists; Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity; and postcards displaying various Jewish images.

Material includes correspondence, memoranda, minutes, ledgers, newspaper clippings, speeches, photographs, postcards, scrapbooks, telegrams, pamphlets, and other publications and handwritten notes. Of special interest is the scrapbooks documenting Ehrenreich's career, from 1898-1952 that contains newspaper clippings, his published articles and addresses, correspondence, programs, telegrams, memorabilia, and photographs (Box 1, Folders 1 and 2; see also Box 2, Folder 5 and Box 3, Folder 1, 3 and 5 for biographical information). Other unique items include correspondence from Jewish soldiers (World War I: Box 3, Folders 14-15; Box 4, Folders 1-2 and World War II: Box 3, Folder 4); letters from parents and campers at Camp Kawaga (Box 1, Folder 4); Irma Ehrenreich's women's suffragette movement material (Box 3, Folder 2), documents pertaining to Jewish life in Montgomery, Alabama (Box 1, Folders 1 and 2; Box 2, Folder 6 and 12); a photograph of World War I soldiers at a Seder in Montgomery, Alabama (Box 1, Folder 5); and Ehrenreich's collection of postcards portraying Jewish subjects (Box 3, Folders 6-13).

The majority of the collection is in English. The postcard collection contains some German (Box 3, Folders 6-7) as well as French and Yiddish (Box 3, Folder 12). In addition, there is a Yiddish newspaper clipping (Box 1, Scrapbook), an extract of German letter from the Actions Comite in the Federation of American Zionists (Box 2, Folder 7), and a Latin college diploma (Oversized Folder).

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Arrangement

The collection is divided into four boxes. Folders in each box are separated according to subject matter.

• Collection Box List, undated, 1871-1971
• Oversized Materials (Diplomas and Certificates), undated, 1900-1949

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.

Use Restrictions

Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: info@ajhs.org

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Related Material

Related materials can be found in the Papers of the Ehrenreich Family, P-096 and in the Papers of the Gottheil Family, P-049.

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Provenance

The Papers of Bernard Ehrenreich were donated to the Society by his wife, Irma Bock Ehrenreich (date unknown) and his daughter, Rosemary E. Krensky (1967.004).

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Bernard C. Ehrenreich Papers; P-26; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

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Access points

• Subject names:

  • Ehrenreich, Irma Bock
  • Kaplan, Mordecai M., 1881-
  • Obermayer, Leon J.
  • Wise, Stephen Samuel, 1874-1949

• Subject organizations:

  • Federation of American Zionist
  • Intercollegiate Menorah Association
  • Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity

• Subject topics:

  • Camps -- United States
  • Postal cards
  • Soldiers, Jews
  • Zionism

• Subject places:

  • Montgomery (Ala.)
  • Stockton (Calif.)

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Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Collection Box List, undated, 1876-1955.
The majority of the collection is in English with some materials in Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and French.
1.75 linear feet
Arrangement: See collection Arrangement Note.
Scope and Content: See collection Scope and Content Note.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1	Scrapbook (includes correspondence)	undated, 1898-1952
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	2	Scrapbook (includes correspondence)	undated, 1917-1952
1	3	National Jewish Welfare Board	undated, 1918
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	4	Camp Kawaga	undated, 1917-1941
1	5	Photographs	undated, 1911
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	1	Central Bureau of Federation of Zionist Societies of Greater NYC / Diary	undated, 1897-1901
2	2	Correspondence, World War I	undated, 1917
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	3	Correspondence, World War I	undated, 1918 January -April
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	4	Correspondence, World War I	undated, 1918 May -1919 February
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	5	Zeta Beta Tau - Members of the Rho Chapter	undated, 1931-1951
2	6	Jewish Community of Montgomery, Alabama	undated, 1910-1940
2	7	Minutes from the Executive Committee of Federation of American Zionists	1909-1910
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	8	New York University, Class of 1900	[1900]
2	9	Correspondence with Stephen S. Wise and Louis Waterman Wise	1904-1949
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	10	Camp Kawaga	undated, 1931-1947
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	11	Correspondence with Leon J. Obermayer	undated, 1927-1956
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	12	Correspondence with Henry Horwitz in re: Intercollegiate Menorah Association	1915-1917
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	1	Personal Correspondence / Citizenship Papers / Memorabilia	undated, 1905-1942
3	2	National American Woman Suffrage Association (Irma Bock Ehrenreich - materials relating to women's suffrage movement)	undated, 1913-1914
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	3	News clippings and Obituaries	1901-1955
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	4	World War II Correspondence and Ephemera	undated, 1943-1947
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	5	Miscellaneous Correspondence (includes letters from Mordecai Kaplan)	undated, 1919-1971
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	6	Collections of Bible Scenes (in German)	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	7	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures	undated, 1871
3	8	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Genesis	undated
3	9	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Moses	undated, 1908
3	10	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Ten Commandments - Decalogue	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	11	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Enforced Dress of Jews	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	12	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Modern Palestine	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	13	Images / Postcards, Selected pictures: Philanthropists and Scholars	undated
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	14-15	World War I Letters from Soldiers (4f)	undated, 1918-1919
Box	Folder	Title	Date
4	1-2	World War I Letters from Soldiers (4f)	undated, 1918-1919 continued

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Oversized Materials (Diplomas and Certificates), undated, 1900-1949.
The series is in English with one ordination certificate in Hebrew.
1 oversized folder
Arrangement: Arranged by size of material. All materials are located in OSF1 storage.
Scope and Content: Contains oversized diplomas or certificates.
Box		Title	Date
OSF1		Diploma, B.A., Philosophy, New York University	1900
OSF1		Two Diplomas/Ordinations, Jewish Theological Seminary, one in English and one in Hebrew	1905
OSF1		Citation from Adath Jeshurun Literary Society in Philadelphia	1906
OSF1		Certificate from Executive Committion for General Zionist Affairs for service during World War I	undated
OSF1		Jewish Welfare Board for Service [in recognition of his service in World War I]	undated
OSF1		Diploma, M.A., Hebrew Literature, Jewish Theological Seminary	1949

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