Guide to the Papers of Sam Camhi,
1930-2008

ASF AR 14

Processed by Kaitlyn Medley

as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation.

American Sephardi Federation

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16th Street

New York, NY 10011

Phone: 212-294-8350

Fax: 212-294-8348

Email: info@AmericanSephardiFederation.org or Rbelinfante@ASF.CJH.org

URL: http://www.AmericanSephardiFederation.org

© 2010 American Sephardi Federation All rights reserved.

Center for Jewish History, Publisher.

Electronic finding aid was encoded in EAD by Kaitlyn Medley in 2010.Description is in English.

Biographical Note

Born on November 22, 1920 in Chicago, Sam Camhi grew up in Chicago and later New York City during his teenage years. As a young adult during the Depression, Camhi apprenticed in the textile trade. In 1942 Sam Camhi was drafted into the U.S. Army as a Private and served over seas in an administrative role following the end of the war. When he was discharged from his military position in 1946, he was serving as a First Lieutenant in the Air Force. Then in 1948 Camhi moved to San Francisco, where he still resides today, to find a job to make ends meet. A few years after making San Francisco his new home, Camhi was invited to join the Concordia-Argonaut Club, a primarily Ashkenazi Jewish institution dating back to the 1850s, and later he joined the Club's Board. As a member for some 40 years, Camhi has written numerous articles for their monthly publication "The Concordian."

The parents of Sam Camhi immigrated to the United States from Turkey in 1906. Ladino was the principal language spoken at home and while in Chicago the Camhis were part of a small Spanish-Judeo community. Growing up in a Sephardic family and community, Sam Camhi developed an interest and devotion to the study of Mediterraneon and history and Sephardim. He also developed a particular love for music from his father's mandolin playing in Camhi's youth. Sam Camhi was married for 37 years and later in life befriended a woman of Sephardic heritage from Aden, whose Jewish community is considered by some to be the oldest surviving community of Judaism. Many of these details of Camhi's personal life appear in his research and records found throughout this collection.

Scope and Content Note

The Papers of Sam Camhi are largely comprised of materials related to Mr. Camhi's involvement and membership with numerous Jewish organizations. These materials primarily include correspondence, newsletters, and circulars but also include other multimedia such as compact discs, audio cassettes, and photographs. Some of the more prominent organizations in the collection include The American Sephardi Federation, the Congregation Shearith Israel-the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue of New York, and the Los Angeles Sephardic Home for the Aging (LASHA). Much of Sam Camhi's involvement with the Congregation Shearith Israel-the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue involvesx frequent correspondence with Rabbi Marc Angel. Also included are the notes and drafts created by Sam Camhi for written articles published in "The Concordian," by Concordia-Argonaut. These records make up the majority of Series I: Organization and Subject Files, but the series includes, in addition, records collected and created by Sam Camhi in his research on Judaism, especially Sephardic Jewry. Records worthy of noting included two folders within this series written in Rashi script and in the Ladino language.

Series II: Clippings includes both newspaper and magazine clippings collected by Sam Camhi that discuss a number of topics, including World War II, Jewish communities in a number of geographic locations, and the Catholic Church. These files are arranged by alphabetically by topic. Series III: Publications, includes books, smaller reports, and serials acquired by Sam Camhi through his affiliations with Jewish organizations and his research. The final series, Series IV: Ephemera, contains a few physical objects donated by Sam Camhi with the collection. These include silverware, coins, a handkerchief, and a few other personal items.

Arrangement

Organized in four series as follows:

• Series I: Organization and Subject Files, 1950-2008
• Series II: Clippings, c. 1990s
• Series III: Publications, 1930-2005
• Series IV: Ephemera, undated

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open to researchers.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact American Sephardi Federation, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 email: ASFinquiries@cjh.org

Related Material

• Additional materials located at the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) related to Sam Camhi and Sephardim can be found in the following locations:
  • ASF AR-6 American Sephardi Federation. Records, 1972-1978, 1983-2000, located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City
  • ASF AR-6 Records of the World Sephardi Federation, 1975-1998, located at the Center for Jewish History in New York City

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Sam Camhi Papers; DS 135.S7 A5 C34 2001; box number; folder number; American Sephardi Federation.

Acquisition Information

The Papers of Sam Camhi were contributed to the American Sephardi Federation by Mr. Sam Camhi.

Access Points

• Individuals:

  • Angel, Marc
  • Camhi, Sam

• Organizations:

  • American Sephardi Federation
  • Concordia-Argonaut (Club)
  • Congregation Sherith Israel (San Francisco, Calif.)
  • Los Angeles Home for the Aging

• Subjects:

  • Ladino Language
  • Sephardim

• Document Types:

  • Bulletins
  • Circular Letters
  • Correspondence
  • Newsletters
  • Photographs
  • Prayer Books
  • Publications
  • Serials (Publications)

Container List