Edward L. Israel Papers

Manuscript Collection No. 119

1913-1970. 2.8 Linear ft.

ACCESS AND PROVENANCE
The Edward L. Israel Papers were donated to the American Jewish Archives by Charles E. Israel and Edward L. Israel, Jr. in 1982. Property rights to the materials are held by the American Jewish Archives. Literary rights have not been dedicated to the public. Literary rights to materials authored by Israel are held by the Israel heirs, others are held by the individual author or his/her heirs. Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Director of the American Jewish Archives.
The Edward L. Israel Papers are open to all users, however, folders 9 and 10 in Box 1 are restricted. The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH top
Edward L. Israel, rabbi, social justice activist and labor Zionist, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1896 to Charles and Emma (Linz) Israel. He was educated at Harvard University and received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1917 as well as a Bachelor of Hebrew Letters from the Hebrew Union College where he was also ordained as a rabbi. He then became the rabbi of B’rith Sholom Congregation in Springfield, Illinois in 1919-1920, and from 1920-1923 he served as rabbi of the Washington Avenue Temple in Evansville, Indiana. In 1923, he was called to become senior rabbi of Har Sinai of Baltimore, Maryland. He remained in that post until his retirement in 1941, a few months before his death. Following retirement, he was called to serve as executive director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Israel was a strong and consistent supporter of labor and served as a one-man arbitrator in the men’s clothing industry in arguments with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. He was selected by both the employers and the union for the settling of disputes. A well-known liberal , Israel resigned in 1940 from the advisory committee of the American Youth Congress, and four years earlier resigned from the national executive board of the American League for Peace and Democracy. He charged both groups with having fallen into communist hands.

Israel was the chairman of the Synagogue Council of America and an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis as well as the chair of its Commission on Social Justice from 1923-1933. He was also a member of the executive committee of the World Jewish Congress, the executive boards of the National Public Housing Conference, the National Housing Commission and the National Religion and Labor Foundation. Israel was also on the administrative committee of the Zionist Organization of America, executive committee of the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundations, national co-chairman of the United Services Organization, and a member of the Hebrew Union College Board of Governors. Many other organizations of religious or civic purposes received his aid as a committee member or official.

In 1919, Israel married Amelia Dryer of Cincinnati. They had two sons, Charles and Edward L. Israel, Jr.

Edward L. Israel died suddenly on October 19, 1941 just after he was installed as the executive director of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE top

The Edward L. Israel papers (1913-1970) contain the correspondence, sermons, addresses, and personal items of Edward L. Israel, a rabbi, Zionist and social activist. The bulk of the correspondence regards his work as a social activist and rabbi, mostly from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Also included are newspaper clippings of Israel’s career and his diaries from the 1930s. Box X-210 contains a wealth of photographs from all periods of Israel’s life which, combined with his diaries, provides a full picture of his life. Other personal items include his wife Amelia’s bride book and his son Edward L. Israel, Jr’s baby book. Abraham I. Shinedling’s memoir of Israel is also an important part of this collection.
Box 1 folders 9 and 10 are restricted to Charles E. Israel.
BOX AND FOLDER LISTING top
BOX  FOLDER	CONTENTS


1	1	A-J, General.
	2	Baltimore, Maryland. Har Sinai Congregation. 1923-1942.
	3	Brandeis, Louis D. 1935, 1940.
	4	Hebrew Union College. 1919.
	5	Israel, Amelia (wife). 1919.
	6	Israel, Amelia (wife). 1942-1949, n.d.
	7	Israel, Amelia (wife). Interview regarding husband. n.d.
	8	Israel, Charles and Emma (parents). 1932-1941, n.d.
	9	Israel, Charles E. (son). 1941-1947. (Restricted)
	10	Israel, Charles E. (son). 1948-1949, 1961. (Restricted)
	11	Israel, Edward L., Jr. (son). 1924, 1939-1949.
	12	Jewish Welfare Board. Chaplaincy. 1918-1919.
	13	L-S, general.
	14	Lansburgh, Sidney. 1937.
	15	Philipson, David. 1918-1923.
	16	Schulman, Samuel. 1935-1936.

2	1	T-Z, General.
	2	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1941.
	3	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, A-B. 1941.
	4	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, C-E. 1941.
	5	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, F-G. 1941.
	6	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, H-K. 1941.
	7	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, L-M. 1941.
	8	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, N-R. 1941.
	9	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, S-T. 1941.
	10	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, U-Z. 1941.
	11	Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Congratulatory letters, unidentified. 1941.
	12	Wise, Stephen S. 1934-1936.
	13	Unidentified correspondence. 1916-1941, n.d.
	14	Letters of Condolence, A-E. 1941-1942.
	15	Letters of Condolence, F-K. 1941-1942.

3	1	Letters of Condolence, L-R. 1941-1942.
	2	Letters of Condolence, S-Z; unidentified. 1941-1942.
	3	Memoir (by Abraham I. Shinedling). 1970.
	4	Memorials. 1941.
	5	Memorials. 1942-1949, 1955.
	6	Memorials, n.d.
	7	Memorials, n.d.
	8	Obituaries. 1941.
	9	Prayers. 1919, n.d.
	10	Sermons and Addresses. A-B. 
	11	Sermons and Addresses. C-E.
	
4	1	Sermons and Addresses. F-I.
	2	Sermons and Addresses. J-L.
	3	Sermons and Addresses. M-N.
	4	Sermons and Addresses. O-Q.
	5	Sermons and Addresses. R.
	6	Sermons and Addresses. S.
	7	Sermons and Addresses. T-U.
	8	Sermons and Addresses. V-Z.
	9	Sermons and Addresses. Untitled. 1920-1941.		
	10	Sermons and Addresses. Untitled. n.d.
	11	Sermons and Addresses. Untitled fragments. n.d.
		
5	1	Accounting register. 1938-1943.
	2	Accounting register. 1944-1948.
	3	Accounting register. 1946.
	4	Accounting register. 1947.
	5	Baby book. Edward L. Israel, Jr. 1924.
	6	Bride’s Book. 1919.
	7	Clippings.
	8	Clippings.
	9	Clippings.
	
6	1	Diaries. 1930, 1935, n.d.
	2	Har Sinai Congregation (Baltimore, Md.). Yearbook. 1842-1942.
	3	Harvard University. Exam books. 1916.
	4	Life cycle functions.
	5	Miscellaneous. 1926-1944. n.d.
	6	Prayerbooks. 1917, 1919.	
	7	Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio). Yearbook. 1913.

X-210	1	Awards, memorials, photographs.
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Copyright © 2003 The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives