Meyer Greenberg Papers
Scope and Content Note
The content in this collection is more institutional than personal. The Hillel at the University of Maryland, which was located near campus, at 7505 Yale Avenue in College Park. Its facilities included a chapel-auditorium, game room, library, TV room, music room, lounge, study room, and kitchen. Many photographs of students utilizing these facilities can be found in the Photograph Series. In 1972, the University of Maryland-College Park Hillel enrollment was 35,000, with Jewish student enrollment at 4,500.
This collection includes minutes of the University of Maryland Chapel Staff and Religious Life Committees, and census data pertaining to Jewish students on campus. It also includes materials relating to Greenberg's activities as Hillel Director at City College, Queens College, and Yale University (1944-1945); Hillel Counselor at Gallaudet College for the Deaf (1950-1967); President of the American Alumni of Hebrew University (1939-1941); Chairman of the Board of Education of the Hebrew Academy of Washington (1951-1974); Chairman of the Juvenile Court Advisory Committee of Prince George's County, MD (1951-1955); and some of his publications.
Dates
- Creation: undated, 1936-1978
Creator
- Greenberg, Meyer, 1914- (Person)
Language of Materials
This collection is in English and 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
Meyer Greenberg was born on January 11, 1914 to Aaron and Blanche Bernzweig. He received a B.A. from Yeshiva College in 1934. He also attended Columbia graduate school from 1934-1936; Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 1937-1938; the graduate school of Yeshiva College from 1938-1939; and lastly, the Jewish Institute of Religion (with a focus on Hebrew Literature), from which he graduated in 1944 as Rabbi and Master of Hebrew Literature.
Meyer Greenberg served as the Director of the Hillel Foundation at Yale University and Queens College, 1944-1945. "While at Yale he conducted a survey of the religious attitudes of the Jewish students there, which [was] published by the Yiddish Scientific Institute and included [in] the YIVO Annual of Jewish Social Science" (which can be found in box 18, Folder 7).
Meyer Greenberg also served as the Director of the B'nai B'rith Hillel at the University of Maryland (College Park) from 1945-1977. This collection largely represents his work in this capacity.
Rabbi Greenberg arrived at the University of Maryland in 1945, and was appointed to the faculty of the university to teach Hebrew in the Language Department in February of 1946. Notably, it was the first time in the 140-year history of the University of Maryland that Hebrew was taught as a modern language with full credit.
Extent
10 Linear Feet
Abstract
The Meyer Greenberg Papers document the activities of the B'nai B'rith Hillel at the University of Maryland-College Park during Meyer Greenberg's time as Director, 1945-1977. This collection contains correspondence with officials of B'nai Brith Hillel, other Jewish organizations and individuals, the administration of the University of Maryland; minutes of the Student Executive Council, Building Corporation and Community Board of the Hillel Chapter at the University of Maryland; program and financial reports; publications; tape recordings of symposia and photographs and newspaper clippings relating to the activities at Hillel. This collection also contains papers related to Meyer Greenberg's directorships of the Hillels at Yale University and Queens College from 1944-1945.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into five series:
- Series I: Biographical Papers, undated, 1944, 1949-1950
- Series II: Correspondence, 1945-1976
- Series III: B'nai B'rith Hillel at the University of Maryland, 1946-1977
- Subseries 1: Administrative Papers of the Hillel, 1951-1977
- Subseries 2: Programming Papers and Subject Files, 1959-1972
- Subseries 3: Photographs, undated, 1946-1978
- Series IV: Meyer Greenberg's Other Work, 1939-1975
Subject
- Arendt, Hannah, 1906-1975 (Person)
- Greenberg, Meyer, 1914- (Person)
- Macdonald, Dwight (Person)
- Podhoretz, Norman (Person)
- Wiesel, Elie, 1928-2016 (Person)
- B'nai B'rith (Organization)
- B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation Chapter (University of Maryland, College Park) (Organization)
- City University of New York. City College (Organization)
- Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington (Organization)
- Universiṭah ha-ʻIvrit bi-Yerushalayim (Organization)
- Queens College (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- United Jewish Appeal (Organization)
- University of Maryland at College Park (Organization)
- Yale University (Organization)
- Yavneh (Association) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Meyer Greenberg Papers, undated, 1936-1978 P-358
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding Aid was created by Rachel Alexandra Tutera
- Date
- © 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation. This collection was processed by Rachel Alexandra Tutera with the assistance of Katie Rovanpera.
Revision Statements
- June, October 2020: EHyman: post-ASpace migration cleanup.
Repository Details
Part of the American Jewish Historical Society Repository
