Access and Provenance Biographical Sketch Scope and Content Note Box and Folder Listing

A Finding Aid to the Sigmund S. Hecht Papers Manuscript Collection No. 700 1877-1919. 0.4 Linear ft.

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The Sigmund S. Hecht Papers were donated by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles, Calif., and their administrator, Stephen E. Breuer, in 2003. The Wilshire Boulevard Temple and Stephen E. Breuer, Los Angeles, Calif., by the act of donating the Sigmund S. Hecht Papers to the American Jewish Archives, assigned the property rights to the American Jewish Archives. All literary rights to material authored by Sigmund Hecht are held by the Hecht heirs. All literary rights to material authored by others are retained by the individuals and their heirs. Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Executive Director of the American Jewish Archives.are open to all users.

The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH top

Sigmund S. Hecht was born on August 1, 1849 in Hlinik, Hungary, the son of Moritz Hecht. Educated privately by his father at Zsolna, Hungary, Hecht also attended the high school, seminary and university at Vienna. Hecht’s rabbinical diploma was granted by the rabbi of Bistrizt, Hungary. Hecht later received additional instruction in New York and was awarded a D.D. in 1886 from the University of Alabama.

Hecht was rabbi at Montgomery, Alabama from 1876-1888 and at Temple Emanu-El in Milwaukee from 1888-1899. Hecht then moved to Los Angeles where he became rabbi at Congregation B’nai B’rith, the forerunner of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. Hecht remained in Los Angeles until his retirement in 1919, when he became rabbi emeritus. Hecht’s successor at Congregation B’nai B’rith was Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin, who had served as Hecht’s assistant since 1916.

Sigmund S. Hecht died on June 27, 1925 at the age of 76.


(Note: This sketch relied heavily on an entry for Sigmund Hecht in the American Jewish Year Book (5) 1903-1904, p. 62).

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE top

The Sigmund S. Hecht papers consist entirely of sermons written by Rabbi Sigmund S. Hecht (1849-1925). The span dates for the collection are 1877-1919. The sermons are written for a variety of occasions, though most are for the High Holidays and the Sabbath. The collection also includes Hecht’s farewell sermon delivered in 1919 (1/4).

The collection was donated by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple of Los Angeles, arriving together with papers of Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin. Magnin served as Hecht’s assistant at Congregation B’nai B’rith for three years then succeeded him at the congregation, remaining there for over 60 years. Most of Hecht’s sermons are handwritten, though a few are typed. The majority of the sermons are in English though there are eight sermons, covering the years 1877-1884, that are in German. All of the sermons were numbered, dated, and titled by Hecht.

When the collection arrived at the AJA there was no discernable arrangement to the sermons. As a result, it was decided to file them in alphabetical order by title. The Appendix at the end of this inventory contains a full alphabetical listing, by title, of all the English language sermons. The Appendix also notes the holiday or occasion for the sermon, as provided by Hecht. The German language sermons are kept together in a separate file (1/5). There is no listing of the German language sermon titles.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTING top

Box	Folder		Contents
	
1	1		Sermons, A-E
	2		Sermons, F-K
	3		Sermons, L-R
	4		Sermons, S-W
	5		Sermons (German), 1877-1884