Guide to the Meyer Greenberg Papers
undated, 1936-1978

P-358

Finding Aid was created by Rachel Alexandra Tutera

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.

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

Email: reference@ajhs.org

URL: http://www.ajhs.org

© 2015, American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY. All Rights Reserved.

Electronic finding aid was encoded in EAD 2002 by Rachel Alexandra Tutera in 2012. Description is in English.

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 from 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 through 1977, and 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.

Scope and Content Note

The content in this collection is more institutional than personal. It is thus important that researchers have a sense of the context and history of 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 (with ping pong, shuffleboard and juke box), library, TV room, music room, lounge, study room and kitchen. Many photographs of undergraduates utilizing these facilities can be found in the Photograph Series.

The Hillel is the Jewish community on the campus, representing all Jewish students. It offers religious, cultural, social and counseling service. According to statistics from 1972, University of Maryland Hillel enrollment was 35,000, with Jewish student enrollment at 4,500. The Hillel directly served 2,500-3,000 of the school's population. Its objectives were to "preserve and intensify the Jewish identity of Jewish students on the campus" as well as faculty and graduate students.

"All Jewish students are automatically members of Hillel. Students are asked also to register with Hillel and to accept a measure of responsibility for their community thru [sic] payment of $2 annual dues." (From the pamphlet Hillel Welcomes You, which can be found box 1, folder 3). Hillel's Constitution outlined: the aims of the Hillel as: 1) to impart to Jewish students an understanding and appreciation of our religious and cultural heritage, 2) to encourage religious participation and creativity, 3) to develop an interest in current Jewish problems and a desire to participate actively as leaders in the community, 4) to share in the joy of Jewish life thru [sic] song, dance and the arts, and 5) to develop harmonious relations with all groups on campus.

This collection also includes minutes of the University of Maryland Chapel Staff and Religious Life Committees, as well as census data pertaining to Jewish students on campus. This collection also contains materials relating to Greenberg's activities as Hillel Director at City College, Queens College and Yale University (1944-1945), and as 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) as well as some of his publications.

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

Access and Use

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society.

Use Restrictions

The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility. For more information, contact:

American Jewish Historical Society
Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY, 10011
email: reference@ajhs.org

Related Material

National Association of Hillel Directors Records 1949-1975, I-41

North American Jewish Student Appeal (NAJSA) Records, I-338/I-338A

Jewish Student Organizations Collection, I-61

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Meyer Greenberg Papers; P-358; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.

Access Points

• Individuals:

  • Arendt, Hannah, 1906-1975
  • Greenberg, Meyer, 1914-
  • Macdonald, Dwight
  • Podhoretz, Norman
  • Wiesel, Elie

• Organizations:

  • B'nai B'rith
  • B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation Chapter (University of Maryland, College Park)
  • City College of New York
  • Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington
  • Jerusalem, Hebrew University
  • Queens College (New York, N.Y.)
  • United Jewish Appeal
  • University of Maryland at College Park
  • Yale University
  • Yavneh (Association)

• Subjects:

  • College Students Religious Life

• Places:

  • Maryland

• Document Types:

  • administrative records
  • black-and-white photographs
  • color photographs
  • minutes
  • negatives (photographic)
  • newsletters
  • scrapbooks
  • transcripts

Container List