Guide to the Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah Book of Life,
circa 1915-1916

I-601

Processed by Rachel Brill

American Jewish Historical Society

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16^th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 294-6160

Email: inquiries@cjh.org

URL: http://www.ajhs.org

© 2019  American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY. All Rights Reserved.

Electronic finding aid was encoded in EAD 2002 by Noa Kasman in 2018. Description is in English.

Historical Note

Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah Book of Life

The Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah was founded in 1915 in Yorkville, a neighborhood in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NY. In 1912, Kehilath Jeshurun, a synagogue on 85th street, began making plans to create the institute, having been encouraged by the success of a Talmud Torah (religious school) which was affiliated with but independent of the synagogue. Kehilath Jeshurun planned to open a Talmud Torah that also included a Jewish community center modeled after the 92nd Street Y. This combination of a religious school and community center was unique at the time. The Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah was located at 125 east 85th street In the course of its creation and construction, the Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah was renamed the Central Jewish Institute.¹ The Central Jewish Institute was active throughout the 1920s. In 1937, it seems to have been replaced by the Ramaz School, a still-active Jewish day school associated with Kehilath Jeshurun.

• References

• ¹Kaufman, David. “Shul with a Pool: The ‘synagogue-center’ in American Jewish History.” Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life, 1999.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of around thirty digitized pages from the Yorkville Jewish Institute Book of Life. Books of Life are a relatively common method of fundraising in synagogues whereby donors get their names inscribed as a reward or show of gratitude for their generosity. Donors inscribed in this Book of Life include Kehilath Jeshurun president Harris Mandelbaum; prominent businessmen such as Harry Fischel, Jonas S. Scheff, and Israel Lidz; and the Social Welfare Circle and Sisterhood of Kehilath Jeshurun.

This Book of Life was desecrated with graffiti in the 1980s. After the pages were separated from the bound book and digitized, the book was discarded. Although the Book of Life itself is undated, two events occurring in May 1915 and May 1916 – the cornerstone laying and the dedication of the Central Jewish Institute – are noted in its pages.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into a single series.

• Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah Book of Life, circa 1915-1916

Access and Use

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

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known); Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah Book of Life; I-601; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, New York, NY.

Acquisition Information

The Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah Book of Life was donated by Sheila Bachman in October 2013.

Preservation Note

Digitized pages from a Book of Life from the Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah. The Book of Life was desecrated with graffiti. Pages were removed from the bound book; contains approximately 30-40 pages. After pages were separated from the bound book, the book was discarded.

Access Points

• Organizations:

  • Central Jewish Institute (New York, N.Y.)
  • Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (New York, N.Y.)
  • Yorkville Jewish Institute and Talmud Torah

• Subjects:

  • Jewish community centers
  • Synagogue fund raising
  • Synagogues
  • Talmud Torah (Judaism)

• Places:

  • Yorkville (New York, N.Y.)

• Document Types:

  • Books of Life

Container List

Click the box in the request column to open the form that allows you to request a box for onsite viewing in the reading room at the Center for Jewish History, New York, NY.