Wyner Archives

Administrative Records

These records relate specifically to the administration of Temple Israel. They include but are not limited to correspondence, meeting minutes and reports, mailings and notices, brochures, finance reports, and supplemental photographic material. The collection includes:

• Minutes of the Board of Trustees, December 1861-present
• Annual and Special Congregational Meetings, 1942-present
• Membership Committee, 1861-present (with gaps)
• Temple Committee, 1944-1990
• Bylaws/Legal Committee, 1923-present
• Treasurer’s Reports, 1921-present
• Fundraising/Development records, 1925-present (with gaps)
• President and Executive Director papers, 1918-1994 (with gaps)
• Membership files (for inactive members only)

Anniversaries Collection

This collection contains material related to important temple anniversaries, including planning records, publicity, programs, photographs, and so forth.

Audio, Audio-Visual, and Visual Collection

This collection contains audio and video recordings of temple services, rabbinic sermons, special events, and other functions/activities related to the temple, as well as a large amount of physical and digital audio and visual material. Formats include: photographs, lantern slides, glass slides, magnetic tape recordings (cassette, VHS, reel to reel, etc.), vinyl records, and CDs/DVDs.

Biographical and Subject Files

The archives maintains informational files about the temple, American Judaism, Jewish Boston, and select congregants, staff, and clergy. The files include some correspondence, pamphlets, brochures, clippings, and other secondary sources.

Book Collection

This collection includes prayer books, books of sermons, books written by Temple Israel clergy and staff, and selected books written by temple members.

Buildings Collection

This collection contains records regarding the various buildings Temple Israel has owned and occupied over its 150-year-plus history. Material includes fundraising records, architectural and construction plans, deeds of ownership, maintenance records, and a significant collection of photographs for the following buildings:

• Pleasant Street (1854-1885) (no plans or images)
• Columbus Ave. (1885-1902)
• Commonwealth Ave. (1907-1968)
• Longwood Ave. (1928-present)

Cemetery Records

Temple Israel’s cemetery in Wakefield, Massachusetts, was founded in 1859. The archives contains a variety of records pertaining to this historic cemetery, including burial records, maps and plans, legal deeds, maintenance records, and photographs. It also contains the records of the temple’s cemetery committee and programs for the annual Memorial Day service.

Club and Committee Records

Temple Israel has always offered a variety of social and cultural activities and community service opportunities for its members, including, among others:

• Women of Reform Judaism (formerly Sisterhood), 1920s-present
• Brotherhood, 1949-1986
• Social Action Committee, 1959-present
• Israel Committee, 1959-1986
• Garden Club, 1940s-1990s
• Art Committee, 1900s-1980s
• Couples Club, 1958-1984
• College Club, 1959-1982
• Music Committee, 1920s-present

Educational Programs

Temple Israel’s educational programs for both children and adults have been a central focus throughout the synagogue’s history. Documentation is incomplete, but includes material concerning the religious school curriculum; consecration, bar/bat mitzvah, confirmation, and graduation services; youth programs and activities; the PTA; the education committee; and the nursery school. A large amount of material is also available regarding the temple’s continuing/lifelong education programs, lecture series, and library.

• Education committee, 1948-1963
• Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center, 1989-present
• Religious School, 1870s-present (bulk 1950s-1980s)
• Parent/Teacher Association, 1950s-1980s
• Confirmation, 1950s-present
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah, 1950s-present
• Continuing Education Committee, 1920s-present
• Youth programs (youth committee, RYFTI, NEFTY, FASTY), 1930s-present
• Library and Library Committee, 1940-present
• Adult Education Committee, 1940-present
• Temple Israel Lifelong Learning Initiative (TILLI), 2009-present
• Samuel Nemzoff Papers, 1942-1974

Holidays and Festivals Collection

This collection contains material related to various holidays and festivals, including but not limited to Passover, Purim, and High Holidays. Material includes programs; prayer books; pamphlets, brochures, and other printed material; and photographs.

Life Cycle Records

These include records of births, baby naming, bar/bat mitzvah, marriages, and deaths, all generated by the rabbinic staff.

Oral History Collection

This collection includes audio recordings and some transcripts of oral history interviews with various temple clergy, staff, lay leaders, and congregants from the 1970s through the present day. It also includes material from the “Women Whose Lives Spanned the Century” oral history project.

Print Collection

The Archives contains a large collection of prints documenting congregational life at Temple Israel from the 1870s. Included are portraits of significant clergy, administrators, and congregants; photographs of special events and holidays in the temple and religious school; and prints of the temple’s various buildings.

Publications Collection

The Archives holds numerous publications produced by Temple Israel administrators, clubs and committees, the religious school, and congregants, including:

• Histories of Temple Israel and affiliated groups
• Temple Israel Bulletin, 1907-present
• “Friday Night Handouts,” 1981-present
• Religious service programs
• Torchbearer (religious school yearbook), 1947-1972
• Confirmation, Post-Confirmation, Hebrew School, and Graduation service programs, 1900-present
• Annual reports, catalogs, and promotional literature (pamphlets, brochures, programs)

Rabbinical Collections

The Archives contains records from many members of the clergy generated during their time at Temple Israel. The collection includes biographical sketches in the vertical files, miscellaneous documents, or published books. There are also photographs of rabbis in the portrait files. In certain cases, we hold more extensive material that documents some rabbis’ personal lives and professional careers outside of the temple. Here are some highlights for the senior rabbis:

Joseph Sachs (1854-1856): portraits; biographical file

Joseph Shoninger (1856-1874): portraits; biographical file

Solomon Schindler (1874-1894): portraits; photographs (including family album); some correspondence, sermons, and other documents; Messianic Expectations (1886); biographical file; (also see manuscript collection at American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati)

Charles Fleischer (1894-1911): portraits; correspondence; installation materials; biographical file

Harry Levi (1911-1939): portraits; audio recordings; correspondence; reports to board; sermons and speeches; life cycle records (marriages 1911-1913, deaths 1911-1913, confirmations 1912-1953); clippings, history of TI under his rabbinate, anniversary booklet, A Great Adventure and A Rabbi Speaks (books of sermons); obituary; prayer books; biographical file

Joshua Loth Liebman (1939-1948): portraits; audio recordings; correspondence; sermons; materials related to the book Peace of Mind (1946); memorial tributes; life cycle records (weddings and funerals); 1988 museum exhibit materials; biographical file; (larger manuscript collection at Boston University Archives)

Abraham J. Klausner (1949-1953): portraits; audio recordings; sermons; clippings; correspondence; reports to board; life cycle records; installation materials; biographical file

Roland B. Gittelsohn (1953-1977): portraits; photographs; audio recordings; sermons; memos and reports; life cycle records; biographical file; (also see manuscript collection at American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati)

Bernard H. Mehlman (1977-1999): portraits; photographs; audio and audio-visual recordings; correspondence; sermons; reports; life cycle records; biographical files; (also see manuscript collection at American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati)

Ronne Friedman (1999-2016): Portraits; photographs; audio and audio-visual recordings; correspondence; day files; life cycle records; education director materials; biographical file

Elaine S. Zecher (2016-): portraits; photographs; audio recordings; correspondence; sermons; reports; day files; life cycle records; biographical file

In addition, we have many materials for the following Assistant Rabbis and Cantors:

Assistant Rabbis:

• Samuel Wolk (1923-1929)
• Beryl D. Cohon (1930-1939)
• Leo A. Bergman (1940-1942)
• Albert A. Goldman (1946-1948)
• Irving A. Mandel (1948-1950)
• Earl A. Grollman (1950-1951)
• Maurice L. Zigm0nd (1951-1954)
• Leon A. Jick (1954-1957)
• Robert W. Shapiro (1957-1960
• Charles A. Kroloff (1960-1963)
• Harvey J. Fields (1963-1968)
• Frank M. Waldorf (1968-1971)
• Paul J. Menitoff (1970-1973)
• Paul J. Citrin (1947-1978)
• Jeffrey Perry-Marx (1983-1985)
• William L. Berkowitz (1985-1990)
• Ruth Alpers (1994-1999)
• Jonah D. Pesner (1999-2006)
• Jeremy Morrison (2001-2015)
• Stephanie D. Kolin (2006-2010)
• Matthew Soffer (2010-2019)
• Jen Gubitz (2016-2021)

Cantors:

• Herbert Fromm (1941-1972)
• Murray Simon (1972-1983)
• Roy Einhorn (1983-2020)

Mission Statement

Temple Israel is the second oldest congregation in the Boston area, and the largest Reform congregation in New England. Founded in 1854, Temple Israel has a long history that details the evolution of Boston’s Jewish community. The Temple Israel Archives serves as the repository for records, documents, publications, and images relating to the history and administration of Temple Adath Israel of Boston. These records document the history of the congregation and its members. Together they provide primary source materials that are useful to the clergy, staff, members of the synagogue, and other researchers. The Archives also serve as a resource for researchers interested in the history of Boston’s Jewish community and family research.

Collecting Policy

We actively collect institutional records from administrators and other staff, clergy, religious school, preschool, committees, synagogue members, lay leaders, the Riverway Project, the Frances Jacobson Early Childhood Center, and other auxiliaries. This includes the following: administrative records, manuscripts and papers, meeting minutes, bulletins, religious school yearbooks, photographs and digital images, audio and video recordings, scrapbooks, and memorabilia.

Donating Material to the Archives

The archives accepts any material that will make its collections useful for staff and researchers. We welcome material related to the temple’s various committees and clubs, the clergy, the religious school, and various events over the years. We are also interested in material concerning the lives of congregational members. Please contact the archivist for more information if you are interested in donating materials to the archives.

Access to the Collections

The Temple Israel Archives is open to all members of the temple community, as well as the general public, and we actively encourage the use of our collections as a cultural and historical resource. Office hours are Monday through Friday by appointment only. Researchers are required to register before using the materials and to observe established policies and procedures that ensure the security and preservation of the collections (see the Collections Access and Handling Policy below). The archivist may also request a preliminary conversation prior to your visit to discuss your research topic so that relevant materials can be located and taken out. Finding aids and inventories are available for a small number of the collections. Copies may be requested by contacting the temple archivist.

Handling Policy

• All archival materials must be used in the archives.
• Researchers must fill out a research request form (below) and have it approved by the archivist prior to their visit. This form helps to track materials consulted in the course of your research. The forms also serve as a record of use for the archives.
• No food or drink is allowed near the materials.
• Researchers must use pencils to take notes—no other writing instruments are allowed. The archivist can provide you with a pencil and note paper if necessary. Cell phones and laptops are permitted in the archives.
• Please inform the archivist prior to your visit if you would like to photograph any items. The archivist will examine the materials to determine whether images are permitted.
• Finding aids and inventories exist only for a very limited number of collections. If one is available, please review it in advance of your visit to help you locate specific items. More effort will be required to locate relevant materials for less processed collections.
• Only one folder of material is allowed on the table at a time.
• Items should not be removed from folders. If you see something you would like to have copied, mark its location with a slip of acid-free paper (provided), and make a note of the item, folder name, box name and/or number, and collection in your own notes. If the item is photocopied, mark the same info on the back of the copy to ensure easy retrieval of the item(s) in the future.
• Many of the materials in the archives are very fragile. The archivist will decide if a particular item may be photocopied. If it cannot be photocopied, the archivist may be able to make other arrangements.
• Please be aware that all copies and photographs are for research purposes only. If you decide that you would like to use an image in a publication, you must make a separate request to use that image.
• Gloves (provided) must be worn at all times when looking at photographs to protect them from fingerprints.
• There are many unidentified photographs in the collection. If you are able to identify people, places, events, and/or occasions in an unlabeled image, we would be very grateful for your help. Please inform the archivist, who will provide you with paper flags that you can use to note the appropriate information.

Access Restrictions

The following items in the collections may have access restrictions:

• Material with sensitive personal and/or financial information (may be restricted or redacted at the archivist’s discretion).
• Materials in poor physical condition (may be restricted for their protection if necessary).

The following items in the collections are closed:

• Administrative records from the last 35 years that contain confidential information, especially those from the Board of Trustees.
• Membership records are closed to researchers who are not family members unless they have the written permission of the specific member or their families. For more information, contact the temple archivist.