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Descriptive Summary
Creator:	Aaron Gorovitz
Title:	Aaron Gorovitz, papers
Dates:	undated, 1910-1956
Abstract:	Rabbi Aaron Gorovitz was born in Lithuania in 1870. He immigrated to New York at the age of 22. Before moving to Boston, he was one of the founders of Etz Chaim Yeshiva (later the Rabbi Isaac Elchonon Rabbinical College) and Yeshiva Jacob Joseph, organized the St. John, New Brunswick branch of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and served as a rabbi in St. John, New Jersey, North Adams, Massachusetts and Woonsocket, Rhode Island before moving to Boston in 1907. Until the end of his life he was rabbi of Congregation Sons of Abraham in Roxbury. Aaron Gorovitz died in 1956.
Languages:	The collection is in English and Hebrew.
Quantity:	.75 cubic feet (3 document boxes)
Identification:	P-87
Repository:	American Jewish Historical Society
Location:	Located at AJHS, Boston, MA.

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Biographical Note1

Aaron Gorovitz (1870-1956)

Aaron Gorovitz was born in Lithuania in 1870; he received rabbinical training and was ordained there. He immigrated to New York at the age of 22. Over the next fifteen years, he would assume rabbinical responsibilities in many U.S. cities. He was one of the founders of Brooklyn's Etz Chaim Yeshiva (later the Rabbi Isaac Elchonon Rabbinical College), as well as Manhattan's Yeshiva Jacob Joseph. He organized the St. John, New Brunswick branch of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and served as a rabbi in St. John, New Jersey, North Adams, Massachusetts and Woonsocket, Rhode Island . He settled in Boston with his family in 1907.

In Boston, Gorovitz was a member of the United Orthodox Congregations of Cambridge and Somerville, serving as a rabbi to Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Askenaz, Congregation Novay Zedeck and Congregation Atereth Israel; in 1924 he became rabbi of Roxbury's Congregation Sons of Abraham, a position he remained in until his death. In addition, he was a chaplain at Deer Island House of Correction in Billerica and at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, treasurer of the Boston branch of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis, and Vice President of the Assembly of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States.

An ardent Zionist, Gorovitz acted as Vice President of the Federation of American Zionists, a delegate for the World Zionist Conference in Switzerland in 1903 (where he voted against the Uganda Scheme), attended the seventh Zionist Congress in 1905, as well as serving as a delegate for the eighth Zionist Congress in 1907, and as rabbi for the Zionist Yavne Congregation in the West End in 1910.² Aaron Gorovitz died in 1956.

• Footnotes

• ¹ Biographical information taken from http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/USA/gorovitz.htm
• ² Sarna, Jonathan, Ellen Smith, and Scott-Martin Kosofsky. The Jews of Boston. New Haven & London: Yale University, 2005. Print.

Chronology
1869	Aaron Gorovitz born in Svir, Lithuania.
1890	Rabbi Gorovitz immigrates to America.
1903	Gorovitz serves as Rabbi to Congregation Bnai Israel in Woonsocket, R.I.
1903	Gorovitz serves as delegate for the World Zionist Conference in Switzerland.
1907	Aaron Gorovitz moves to Boston.
1907	Gorovitz serves as delegate for the Eighth Zionist Congress in The Hague, Holland.
1910	Aaron Gorovitz serves as rabbi for the Yavne Congregation in the West End.
1924	Gorovitz becomes rabbi of Congregation Sons of Abraham in Roxbury.
1953	Gorovitz makes his third trip to Israel.
1956	Aaron Gorovitz dies.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection contains Aaron Gorovitz' sermons and marriage records, as well as a selection of photocopied newspaper clippings.

Note: The sermons are written in Hebrew. One manuscript volume has been noted as missing from this collection.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged into two series as follows:

• Series I: Ledgers, undated, 1910-1918
  • Subseries I: Sermons, undated
  • Subseries II: Marriage Records, 1910-1918
• Series II: Newspaper Clippings, undated, 1936

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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 Director of Library and Archives 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: reference@ajhs.org

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Related Material

Congregation Beth Israel, Cambridge, MA (I-51)
Jewish Community Relations Council, Boston, MA (I-123)

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Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Aaron Gorovitz, papers; P-87; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY.

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Acquisition Information

Accession information is unknown.

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Access Points

• Subject Topics:

  • Jewish sermons, Hebrew
  • Marriage records--Massachusetts

• Subject Places:

  • Boston (Mass.)
  • Roxbury (Boston, Mass.)
  • West End (Boston, Mass.)

• Document Types:

  • Ledgers
  • News clippings

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Container List

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

Series I: Ledgers, undated, 1910-1918.
The Series is in English and Hebrew.
Box 1, Folders 1-8; Box 2, Folders 1-6, and Box 3, Folders 1-4.
Arrangement: Arranged into two subseries.
Scope and Content: This series contains handwritten sermons by Aaron Gorovitz. An accomplished Hebrew scholar, Gorovitz wrote all sermons in Hebrew.
Subseries I: Sermons, undated.
The Subseries is in Hebrew.
Box 1, Folders 1-8; Box 2, Folders 1-6.
Scope and Content: This subseries contains handwritten sermons in Hebrew by Aaron Gorovitz.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	1-8	Sermons	undated
		(contains Hebrew)
Box	Folder	Title	Date
2	1-6	Sermons	undated
		(contains Hebrew)
Subseries II: Marriage Records, 1910-1918.
The Subseries is in English.
Box 3, Folders 1-4.
Scope and Content: This subseries contains records of marriages performed by Aaron Gorovitz. The subseries is in English. Note: The Aaron Gorovitz Boston Marriage database can also be accessed on http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/USA/gorovitz.htm
Box	Folder	Title	Date
3	1-4	Marriage Records	1910-1918

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Series II: Newspaper Clippings, undated, 1936.
The Series is in English and Hebrew.
Box 1, Folder 9.
Scope and Content: This series contains photocopied newspaper articles about Aaron Gorovitz, most of it memorials given after his death in 1956. Of particular interest is Rabbi Israel Kazis' transcribed eulogy for Gorovitz, describing his accomplishments and his view of Judaism. One article is written in Hebrew.
Box	Folder	Title	Date
1	9	Newspaper Articles	undated, 1936
		(contains Hebrew)

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