Jacob K. Shankman Papers

Manuscript Collection No. 693

1920-1983. 4.4 Linear ft.

ACCESS AND PROVENANCE

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The Jacob K. Shankman Papers were originally donated by Mrs. Jacob K. Shankman, New Rochelle, N.Y., in 1986. An additional supplement of papers were donated to the American Jewish Archives by Sue Shankman of Cincinnati, Ohio in June of 2001. Property rights have been assigned to the American Jewish Archives. All literary rights to materials authored by Jacob Shankman are held by the Shankman heirs. Literary rights to materials authored by 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 Jacob K. Shankman Papers are open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH top

Jacob Kestin Shankman was born on October 22, 1904 in Chelsea, Massachusetts to Isaac and Dina Shankman. At the age of 14 he was admitted to Harvard University where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1923 and a master’s degree in 1925. In 1930 Shankman graduated from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was ordained as a rabbi. During his studies at HUC, Shankman served as president of the student body and awarded honors for having the highest scholastic record.

Shankman began his rabbinical career at Berith Sholom in Troy, New York before coming to Temple Israel in New Rochelle, New York in 1937. After twenty years at Temple Israel Shankman was granted life tenure in November of 1957. In 1962, the Temple moved from their synagogue on Webster Avenue to their current location at 1000 Pinebrook, a move encouraged and lobbied for by Shankman.

During World War II, Shankman took leave from Temple Israel to serve as a chaplain with the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1943-1946. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and remained interested in the military chaplaincy throughout his life.

Shankman was involved with the New Rochelle Council of Social Agencies, Community Chest, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Council for Unity, PTA and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He served as President of the Association of Reform Rabbis of New York, the Westchester Council of Rabbis, and the Alumni Association of Hebrew Union College.

As a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Shankman served as a member of its executive board, its Commission on Ceremonies, and as chairman of its Committees on Church and State, Relations of Rabbis and Congregations, Meditations and Ethics. He was the American director of the World Union for Progressive Judaism from 1957-1964, being chairman of the American board at the same time. In 1959, he became chairman of the World Union’s Executive Committee.

Shankman was included in Who’s Who in America and the Encylopaedia Judaica. He wrote a history of Temple Israel, a history of his mother’s family--the Kestins–to the 1400s, and was published in numerous periodicals including American Judaism, Liberal Judaism, and The Jewish Layman.

In 1937, he married Miriam Frankenstein. Together they had two daughters: Judith and Diane, as well as one son Michael.

Jacob K. Shankman died on February 6th, 1986.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE top

The Jacob K. Shankman Papers are comprised of materials collected by Jacob Shankman over the course of his rabbinical career. The nearprint contains biographical material and photographs of the rabbi. There is also one box of correspondence – both personal and professional – that chronicles Shankman’s continued involvement with HUC-JIR and professional organizations such as the Central Conference on American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism.

Sermons over the course of Shankman’s tenure at Temple Israel, as well as those given while he was a chaplain in the U.S. Naval Reserve, can be found among Shankman’s other writings. Shankman was a prolific reader and his readings often led to private meditations and notes that would transform into sermons. A substantial portion of the writings are Shankman’s own notes and drafts or articles and sermons. Much of the material in this portion of the collection is not dated, though researchers should be able to surmise dates from the newsclippings and articles on which Shankman began his initial writings. Whenever possible, sermons and writings are put into chronological order. When this is not possible, the sermons and writings have been put into order by title, with untitled material – including Shankman’s poetry – placed at the end of the series.

An extensive portion of the collection is dedicated to the day-to-day functions of Temple Israel in its various forms, as well as material covering Shankman’s active participation in professional organizations and his life-long interest in military chaplaincy.

The collection spans the dates 1920-1983.

ARRANGEMENT top

The Jacob K. Shankman Papers are arranged initially by subject and chronologically within the corresponding subjects. The collection is divided into five (5) series:

A. CORRESPONDENCE AND NEARPRINT

B. SERMONS, WRITINGS, POETRY, AND MEDITATIONS.

C. CONFIRMATION CLASS NOTES, SERMONS, AND SCRAPBOOKS.

D. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHAPLAINCY INVOLVEMENT.

E. TEMPLE ISRAEL AND PINEBROOK OPERATIONS.

SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE AND NEARPRINT. The correspondence and nearprint series consists of two Hollinger boxes of correspondence, biographical information, newsclippings, and materials relating to Shankman’s community activism, as well as two scripts of radio and television broadcasts.

SERIES B. SERMONS, WRITINGS, POETRY, AND MEDITATIONS. This series consists of five Hollinger boxes containing the sermons, personal notes and meditations, poetry, and writings of Rabbi Shankman over the course of his career. The material is in chronological and subject order. Often what would start as a meditation would lead to the drafting of a sermon or article and researchers of Shankman’s papers will find the occasional overlap.

SERIES C. CONFIRMATION CLASS NOTES, SERMONS, AND SCRAPBOOKS. This series is made up of one Hollinger box and contains Shankman’s confirmation class lists, notes, and sermons, as well as a scrapbook presented to him by the students of his 1938 confirmation class.

SERIES D. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHAPLAINCY INVOLVEMENT. This portion of the collection is composed of two Hollinger boxes and deals with Shankman’s involvement in various professional organizations such as the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Also included are Shankman’s notes and papers regarding his role as a chaplain in the United States Naval Reserve from 1943-1946 and the interest he maintained in the military chaplaincy throughout the remainder of his career.

SERIES E. TEMPLE ISRAEL (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.). This series contains one Hollinger box and is material authored or collected by Shankman during his career at Temple Israel in New Rochelle, New Jersey. There are several documents illustrating Shankman’s interest in the musical programs conducted at the Temple, as well as public relations material used at various times by the congregation.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING top

Box 	Folder			Contents


SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE AND NEARPRINT.


1		1			General correspondence, A-Z
		2			Braude, William G., 1928-1983.
		3			British closing of Palestine (telegrams), 1938.
		4			Chaplaincy correspondence, 1941-1960.
		5			Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1942-1976, n.d.
		6			German Refugees, 1938-1942.
		7			Liebman, Joshua Loth, 1934-1937.
		8			Prayer in schools [New York State], 1951-1952.
		9			Raizen, Charles and Patricia, 1955-1959.
		10			Rosett, Louis, 1937-1938.
		11			Congratulatory letters on 30th Anniversary of Shankman as ordained rabbi, 1960.				
		12			Shankman, Jacob K., 1936-1982.
		13			Silver, Samuel, 1953.
		14			Wohl, Samuel, 1930-1939.
		15			World Union for Progressive Judaism, 1955-1981.

2		1			Nearprint.
		2			Photographs.
		3			Community activism.
		4			Sach, Nelly and Agnon, S.Y. Nobel Prize articles and interviews.
		5			Television and radio appearances.
		6			Periodicals.
		

SERIES B. SERMONS, WRITINGS, POETRY AND MEDITATIONS.


3		1			Sermons and notes, 1930-1931.			
		2			Sermons and notes, 1931-1932.
		3			Sermons and notes, 1932-1933
		4			Sermons and notes, 1933-1934.
		5			Sermons and notes, 1934-1935.
		6			Adler, Cyrus sermon, 1941.
		7			"Looking Forward to Life Post-World War II," 1941.
		8			World War II sermons, 1942.
		9			"1000 Years After the Death of Saadra Gaon," 1942.
		10			"Dragonseed," 1942.
		11			"Jews and The Saturday Evening Post series" sermons, 1942.
		12			"Norwegian Resistance to Nazis" sermons, 1942.
		13			Sermons and notes, 1946.
		14			Sermons and notes, 1947.

4		1			Sermons and notes, 1947.
		2			Sermons and notes, 1947.
		3			Sermons and notes, 1947.
		4			Sermons and notes, 1948.
		5			Purim sermons. 
		6			"Pageant of Light" sermon.
		7			"Prayers and Prayerbooks of Jews" sermon.
		8			 The Psalms.
		9			Notes for Shabbat sermons, misc. dates.
		10			Misc. sermons and notes.
	
5		1			High Holy Days sermon and notes, misc. dates.
		2			"Antisemitism in America."
		3			"Bridge Between the Generations."	
		4			"The Deputy" reactions and meditations.
		5			"Gentleman's Agreement" reactions.
		6			"God Issues and Meditations." 
		7			Reactions to the Holocaust.
		8			Meditations on intergroup relations.
		9			Reactions to intermarriage, 1944-1970.
		10			"Isaac M. Wise: American and Jew," 1941.
		11			Meditations on Israel.

6		1			Meditations on Judaism and Christ, 1937-1956.
		2			"Judaism and a Better World."
		3			Meditations and sermon on Love Story (both the film and novel), 1971.
		4			"Lessons of Religion."
		5			Notes and interpretations of Mendlessohn's "Elyah and Athalia"
		6			"The Moon is Down," meditation and sermon. 
		7			Post-Pearl Harbor sermon and reflections.
		8			Thoughts on propaganda.
		9			Thoughts on race relations. 
		10			"Reform Judaism is Dangerous."
		11			"Samson and Delilah," (an opera).
		12			Wishnick family notes, reflections, and poetry.
		13			Miscellaneous writings, 1925-1954.
		14			Miscellaneous writings, 1955-1965.
	
7		1			Miscellaneous writings, 1967-1972.
		2			Miscellaneous writings, n.d.	
		3			Poetry, n.d.
		4 			Poetry, n.d.
		5			Poetry, n.d.
		6			Misc. notes and reflections.
		7			Drafts of sermons and notes.	
				
8		1			Eichmann, Adolf.
		2			Six Day War. 
		3			Soviet Jews.
			
SERIES C. CONFIRMATION CLASS NOTES, SERMONS, AND SCRAPBOOKS	

		4			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1920-1929.
		5			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1930-1939, including scrapbook from 1938.
		6			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1940-1949.	
		7			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1950-1959.
		8			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1960-1969.
		9			Confirmation notes and sermons, 1970-1979
		10			Confirmation notes and sermons, n.d.

SERIES D. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHAPLAINCY INVOLVEMENT.

9		1			American Jewish Committee.
		2			Anti-Defamation League. Denver Budgets, 1977-1979.
		3			Kudan, Harod L./Bronstein, Herbert controversy
		4			Central Conference of American Rabbis 75th anniversary. Speech "Changing Role of the Rabbi."
		5			Jewish Community Relations Committee
		6			World Union for Progressive Judaism, speeches made as president.
		7			WUPJ misc. material.

10		1			"Facing the War Post-Peace."
		2			War and peace meditations.
		3			Chaplaincy, 1943-1944.
		4			Chaplaincy, 1944-1945.
		5			Chaplaincy, 1950-1960.
	
SERIES E. TEMPLE ISRAEL (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.)

11		1			Temple annual reports. 
		2			Early history of Temple Israel, 1932.
		3			Temple Israel Choral Club.
		4			Musical programming, 1946-1959.
		5			Temple social events.
		6			30th Anniversary as Rabbi at Temple Israel, 1968.
		7			Temple Israel anniversary.
		8			Temple Israel Heritage "The House That Jacob Built," 1973.
		9			Misc. Temple Israel information.
		10			Transition to Pinebrook.
		11			Pinebrook consecration.
		12			Retirement and transition.
		13			Temple Israel and Pinebrook public relations.

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