East Tennessee State University
Archives of Appalachia
Box 70295
Johnson City, TN 37614-0138
Request Information here.
Telephone: (423) 439-4338
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Title: |
CONGREGATION B'NAI SHOLOM RECORDS |
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Collection Number: |
Accession No. 83 |
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Physical Description: |
7 linear feet (14 Hollinger boxes) |
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Creator: |
CONGREGATION B'NAI SHOLOM |
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Repository: |
Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University |
Provenance: The records of the B'nai Sholom Congregation of Blountville, Tennessee were placed in the Archives of Appalachia on August 24, 1980 by Basil Saffer, the congregation's president for 1980-81.
Access: The records are open for research.
Processing Information: B.Culp completed processing in 1987.
The B'nai Shalom Congregation is the Jewish synagogue-community serving the Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City triangle of upper East Tennessee. Since it is the only organized body of Jewry in the larger triangle formed by Roanoke, Virginia on the North, Asheville, North Carolina to the south and east, and Knoxville, Tennessee to the south and west, it serves a diverse Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform constituency.
The origins of the community date to the turn of the twentieth century when Nathan and Minnie Stern settled in Bristol in 1884 and Herman Hecht settled there in 1894. Nephews of S. A. Gump settled in Johnson City in 1892, followed by Benjamin Thorys in 1902, and Ben Zion Heller in 1903.
The Jews gathered for public worship as early as 1904, but the King Street Temple, their first synagogue located at King and Second Streets in Bristol, was not completed until September 9, 1927. The congregation was notified in December, 1952, that the King Street property was in the line of a proposed through-way. The congregation made immediate plans to relocate to a more centralized location in the Tri-City area. On May 18, 1958, the congregation dedicated newly acquired property in Blountville, Tennessee, the Armand Hecht, Community Center (in memory of Armand Hecht a leader in the Jewish community), and all services were held at the center by June 1960.
Ideologically, B'nai Sholom Congregation is a Conservative-Reform mixture. Rabbi Isadore Franzblau, the congregation's first permanent rabbi (hired in May 1946), introduced the Reform liturgy (Union Prayer Book) and other liberal Jewish practices. Following Franzblau's departure in 1953, the congregation followed Conservative leadership from 1953-1970 (from rabbis Guttman to Duchon) and joined the United Synagogue of America, the national association of Conservative Synagogues. Duchon served as B'nai Sholom's last permanent rabbi when the Reform constituency saw to the acquisition of a student-rabbi from Hebrew Union College, the Reform seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. To this form of leadership the congregation still adheres.
(Information for this sketch was taken from E. A. Siegel's, A History of the B'nai Sholom Congregation, a thesis presented to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1972.)
The B'nai Sholom Congregation Records consists of administrative records (constitution, minutes, deeds, publications, etc.); correspondence; financial records (ledgers, passbooks, statements, receipts, check stubs, etc.); and publications (bulletins, articles, etc.) of the congregation and its auxiliaries, the B'nai Sholom Sisterhood. The collection comprises material dating from 1905-1983, but the bulk of the material falls between 1945 and 1965. Gaps in the collection include the following:
Organization: The records are divided into four series: Series I, Congregation Records; (including Religious School); Series II, Joseph Strauss Lodge Records; Series III, B'nai Sholom Sisterhood Records; and Series IV, Publications.
The following oversize documents have been removed from the collection and stored in map cabinets by accession number.
Blueprint, B'NAI Sholom School Building.
Blueprint, Cemetery Lots.
Annes, Pierce
Appalachian Region--Religion
Atlas, Seymour
B'nai B'rith. Joseph Strauss Lodge No. 1480
Cantor, Bernard H., 1920-
Congregation B'nai Sholom (Blountville, Tenn.)
Fienberg, Bernard
Franzblau, Isadore
Grossman, Joel
Guttman, Henry
Hecht, Armand, 1902-1957
Jewish religious education--Tennessee, East
Jewish councils and synods
Jewish law--Reform Judaism
Judaism--Appalachian Region, Southern
Robbins, Robert
Saffer, basil
Synagogues--Tennessee
Thrope, Mitchell
This series is divided into five subseries covering organizational records, correspondence files, subject files, and a file on the B'nai Sholom Religious School and the founding of the Betty Frances Ginsberg Memorial Library.
Subseries I-A, ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS, 1905-1978, Box 1.
Subseries I-A contains the congregation's constitution and by-laws (including revisions), deeds, insurance policies and minutes. The files are arranged first alphabetically by type of document and then chronologically.
Subseries I-B, CORRESPONDENCE FILES, 1927-1966, Box 2.
Subseries I-B includes routine office correspondence and incoming and outgoing correspondence of the congregation's presidents and rabbis. Subjects covered include the search for rabbis, the establishment of the Joseph Strauss Memorial, national Jewish affiliations, and financial matters. The files are arranged chronologically within three groups, general, presidential, rabbinical.
Subseries I-C, SUBJECT FILES, 1927-1972, Box 3.
Subseries I-C consists of building specifications and bidding agreements, cemetery records, certificates, a prayer book for Jewish worship, membership information, newsclippings, and congregational government and history. Arrangement is alphabetically by subject/by type of material.
Subseries I-D, FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1927-1972, Boxes 4-7.
Subseries I-D contains the congregation's financial records. The files are arranged under four general categories: budgets; assets (pledges-contributions, funds); liabilities (bank notes); and documents (check stubs, invoices, passbooks, petty cash expenditure). A final miscellaneous category includes material such as a prospectus by Joseph Strauss for the King Street Temple, a treasurer's files for 1959-60, and a committee reports.
Subseries I-E, B'NAI SHOLOM RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND BETTY FRANCES GINSBERG MEMORIAL LIBRARY FILE, 1962-1971, Box 7.
Subseries I-E consists of organizational records, correspondence, and financial records of the religious school. Also included are financial records (donations, statements) for the Betty Frances Ginsberg Memorial Library. The files are arranged as listed above.
Series II covers the men's auxiliary of B'nai Sholom Organizational materials, correspondence, and financial records are included. The files are organized into three groups: (organizational records, correspondence, financial records) and arranged within each group first alphabetically by type of record and then chronologically.
Series III covers the women's auxiliary of Bnai Sholom. Organizational material, (Sisterhood Minute Book), correspondence, and financial records are included. Also included is the Sisterhood Scrapbook. The files are organized into three groups: organizational, correspondence and financial records and arranged within each group first alphabetically by type of record/subject and then chronologically. The scrapbook is filed at the end of the series.
Series IV consists of issues of the "Monthly Bulletin" of the congregation, publications for public worship (model seder), and publications of other organizations important to the life of the congregation. The files are first arranged alphabetically by subject/type of publication and then chronologically.
This series is divided into five subseries covering organizational records, correspondence files, subject files, and a file on the B'nai Sholom Religious School and the founding of the Betty Frances Ginsberg Memorial Library.
Subseries I-A, ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS, 1905-1978.
Box 1 - Folder #:
1. Constitution and by-laws, July 1, 1957.
2. Constitution and by-laws, revision, July 1, 1978.
3. Deeds, Licenses, September 1905; November 3, 1958-September 1975.
4. Insurance policies, July 20, 1945; June 7, 1952-July 22, 1955.
5. Minutes, Historical Minutes, 1916-27.
6. Minutes, and/or financial records, February 10, 1942-November 18, 1956.
7. Minutes, January 23, 1957-June 24, 1958.
8. Minutes, August 12, 1958-November 22, 1959.
9. Minutes, June 5, 1960; January 7, 1962-October 22, 1966.
10. Minutes, directors and Membership meetings, March 21, 1960-November 19, 1961.Subseries I-B, CORRESPONDENCE FILES, 1927-1966.
Box 2 - Folder #:
- 1. Correspondence, general, January 19, 1927-February 19, 1930.
2. Correspondence, general, September 20, 1943-October 23, 1944.
3. Correspondence, general, July 25, 1946-November 30, 1950.
4. Correspondence, general, March 3, 1952-December 3, 1954.
5. Correspondence, general, October 10, 1956-December 2, 1959.
6. Correspondence, general, January 4, 1960-December 1, 1961.
7. Correspondence, general, July 26, 1963-May 20, 1966.
8. Correspondence Bernard Cantor, Chairman of Pulpit Committee following resignation of Rabbi I. Franzblau- October 24, 1952-August 13, 1953.
- 9. Correspondence, Rabbis, Isadore Franzblau, February 12, 1947-March 2, 1953.
10. Correspondence, Rabbis, Henry Guttman, July 15, 1953-July 8, 1955.
11. Correspondence, Rabbis, Seymore Atlas, March 7, 1956-March 8, 1957.
12. Correspondence, Rabbis, Pierce Annes, March 31, 1959-May 10, 1961.Correspondence, Presidents of B'nai Sholom Congregation, Incoming-Outgoing, 1951-62*.
- 13. Correspondence, Rabbis, Armand Hecht (1951-52), July 3, 1951-February 15, 1952.
14. Correspondence, Rabbis, Robert Robbins (1955-56; 1959-60), March 29, 1956-June 8, 1960.
15. Correspondence, Rabbis, Robert Robbins, and Armand Hecht, Pulpit Committee, following resignation of Rabbi Henry Guttman,- February 22, 1956-June 25, 1956.
- 16. Correspondence, Rabbis, Basil Saffer (1956-57; 1957-58), May 29, 1956-May 20, 1958.
17. Correspondence, Rabbis, Bernard Cantor (1958-59),March 31, 1959-July 15, 1959.
18. Correspondence, Rabbis, Joel Grossman (1960-61), June 3, 1960-March 7, 1961.
19. Correspondence, Rabbis, Mitchell Thorp, vice president as interim president, April 1, 1961-June 14, 1961.
20. Correspondence, Rabbis, Bernard Feinberg (1961-62), August 22, 1961-October 27, 1961.
21. Correspondence, Financial, February 8, 1947-February 5, 1951.
22. Correspondence, Financial, caretaker's house fund, December 14, 1960-March 20, 1961.*Dates within parentheses note term of office.
Subseries I-C, SUBJECT FILES, 1927-1972.
Box 3 - Folder #:
- 1. Brief congregational history, 1945-53.
2. Cemetery, B'nai Sholom Congregation, May 10, 1950-May 28, 1954.
3. "Congregational Family Information" B'nai Sholom Congregation, ND.
4. A History of the B'nai Sholom Congregation, by E. A. Siegel, 1972.
5. Letterhead stationary with envelope, B'nai Sholom Congregation, ND.
6. Mailing list, B'nai Sholom Congregation, 1952-63.
7. Membership directories with membership applications, ND.
8. Memorials, information on, with memorial bulletin from Ahavath Sholom Congregation, Bluefield, West Virginia, 1937.
9. "National Young Judea", B'nai Sholom Congregation, 1961.
10. Newspaper Clippings, B'nai Sholom Congregation 1927-68.
11. Officers and Committee lists, 1959-65, 1968-69.
12. Rabbinical Certificate, ND.
13. Rules proposed for governing Armand Hecht Community Center, ND.
14. Schedules, B'nai Sholom Congregation, 1957-58.
15. Services, order of holiday, B'nai Sholom Congregation, July 17, 1957-July 29, 1957.
16. Specifications and bidding agreements, Sunday School Building and Social Hall, B'nai Sholom Congregation, July 17,- 1957-July 29, 1957.
- 17. Union Prayer Book for Jewish Worship, B'nai Sholom Congregation pulpit copy, ND.
Subseries I-D, FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1927-1972, Boxes 4-7.
Box 4 - Folder #:
- 1. Budget, 1959-60; proposed, 1964-65.
2. Budget, pledges, pledge lists, 1956-67.
3. Assets, pledges, 1951-53.
4. Assets, pledges, 1954-55.
5. Assets, pledges, 1956-57.
6. Assets, pledges, 1960-61.
7. Assets, pledges, balance sheets, June 30, 1947- April 8, 1958.
8. Assets, pledge lists, 1951-64.
9. Assets, improvement fund, Armand Hecht Community Center Ledger, December 5, 1959-March 18, 1962.
10. Assets, improvement fund, Armand Hecht Community Center passbook with deposit slips and balance sheets,- December 5, 1959-July 2, 1960.
- 11. Improvement fund, Armand Hecht Community Center, pledges 1960-61.
12. Joseph Strauss Memorial Fund, 3/61.
13. Liabilities, bank notes, December 16, 1960-March 16, 1961.
14. Documents, check stubs, October 1949-December 17, 1952.
15. Documents, check stubs, August 9, 1951-April 22, 1952.
16. Documents, check stubs, May 21, 1953-May 29, 1954.Box 5 - Folder #:
1. Documents, check stubs, June 5, 1954-June 24, 1955.
2. Documents, check stubs, August 13, 1955-April 14, 1958.
3. Documents, check stubs, April 14, 1958-June 17, 1958.
4. Documents, check stubs, November 11, 1963-February 24, 1968.
5. Documents, invoices, "A-B", January 6, 1947-June 24, 1968.
6. Documents, invoices, "B", August 28, 1946-May 16, 1947.
7. Documents, invoices, "B", May 31, 1947-December 31,1947.
8. Documents, invoices, "B", January 16, 1948-August 31, 1948.
9. Documents, invoices, "B", September 16, 1948-May 31,1949.
10. Documents, invoices, "C, D, E, F" December 12, 1946-March 21, 1949.
11. Documents, invoices, "K, L, M, N" November 5, 1946-June 1, 1949.
12. Documents, invoices, "P, R, S, T, W" December 31, 1946- August 31, 1949.Box 6 - Folder #:
1. Documents, invoices, "A, B" August 11, 1949-December 31, 1951.
2. Documents, invoices, "C, D" August 5, 1949-December 18, 1951.
3. Documents, invoices, "E" December 26, 1950-July 13, 1951.
4. Documents, invoices, "F" November 25, 1949-December 22, 1950.
5. Documents, invoices, "F" May 25, 1949-September 25, 1951.
6. Documents, invoices, "G, H, I, J, K, L" August 1, 1949-December 12, 1951.
7. Documents, invoices, "M, N, O, P, R, S" June 28, 1949-November 30, 1951.
8. Documents, invoices, "T, U, W" 1936-37; August 8, 1949-December 16, 1951.
9. Documents, invoices, January 21, 1952-December 25, 1952.
10. Documents, invoices, January 3, 1953-December 18, 1953.
11. Documents, invoices, January 4, 1954-December 8, 1954.
12. Documents, invoices, January 5, 1955-June 30, 1955.
13. Documents, invoices, December 2, 1959-April 12, 1966.
14. Documents, invoices, dance expenditures, January 1948.
15. Documents, invoices, passbooks, 1951-55.Box 7 - Folder #:
1. Documents, petty cash, expenditures, monthly report, December 1946-June 1949.
2. Documents, petty cash, expenditures, monthly report, October 1949-June 1951.
3. Documents, petty cash, expenditures, monthly report, August 1951-June 1953.
4. Documents, petty cash, expenditures, monthly report, August 1951-June 1953.
5. Documents, statements, December 24, 1955-May 25, 1958.
6. Miscellaneous, building of the Bristol Synagogue, the King Street Temple, Prospectus by Joseph Strauss, 1927.
7. Miscellaneous, "Cash and Disbursement Journal" includes petty cash expenditures and pledges, June 30, 1947- April 30, 1958.
8. Miscellaneous, finance Committee report, August 21, 1957.
9. Miscellaneous, Treasurer's file, 1959-60.Subseries I-E, B'NAI SHOLOM RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND BETTY FRANCES GINSBERG MEMORIAL LIBRARY FILE, 1962-1971.
Box 7(cont.) - Folder #:
10. B'nai Sholom Religious School: correspondence, January 1968.
11. B'nai Sholom Religious School: miscellaneous papers, confirmation exercise, bulletins, May 26, 1963; June 6, 1965; May 28, 1967.
12. B'nai Sholom Religious School: miscellaneous papers, confirmation exercise, bulletins, May 26, 1963-June 6, 1965; May 28, 1967.
13. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, Sunday school registration, 1966-67.
14. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, check statements, January 29, 1965-March 11, 1969.
15. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, check statements, September 30, 1969-November 30, 1970.
16. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, check stubs, August 16, 1963-April 12, 1968.
17. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, check stubs, October 10, 1969-September 28, 1970.
18. B'nai Sholom Religious School: financial records, invoices, June 18, 1964-October 29, 1970.
19. Betty Frances Ginsburg Memorial Library, donations, ND.
20. Betty Frances Ginsburg Memorial Library, financial statements, January 10, 1962-April 8, 1966.
21. Betty Frances Ginsbury Memorial Library, financial statements, January 26, 1971-July 20, 1971.
1. Organizational, by-laws, ND.
2. Organizational, membership lists, August 12, 1957; July 30, 1958; December 31, 1959.
3. Organizational, minutes, September 7, 1960-January 24, 1964.
4. Organizational, correspondence, November 8, 1948-May 31, 1949.
5. Organizational, correspondence, August 30, 1950-June 9, 1952; October 3, 1958.
6. Financial, check stubs, March 11, 1947-December 4, 1947.
7. Financial, check stubs, January 19, 1948-January 4, 1950.
8. Financial, check stubs, February 23, 1953-February 3, 1954.
9. Financial, disbursements/invoices, March 17, 1949-April 6, 1958.
10. Financial, dues, 1947-65.
11. Financial, dues and applications, November 9, 1941-February 2, 1946.
12. Financial, passbooks, 1947; 1948; 1950-52; 1957-59.
13. Financial, statements, November 11, 1946-November 14, 1949.
14. Financial, statements, January 5, 1950-January 28, 1953.
15. Financial, statements, January 27, 1953-January 4, 1954.
16. Financial, treasurer's report, October 4, 1948-December 1, 1948.
17. Financial certificate, Veteran's Administration Volunteer Services, February 28, 1958.
1. Organizational, luncheon records, March 15, 1961-April 16, 1969.
2. Organizational, membership, yearbook, 1972-73.
3. Organizational, Minutebook, July 1962-February 1979.
4. Organizational, Minutebook, loose papers, January 1965-February 1979.
5. Organizational, correspondence, December 21, 1961-December 8, 1966.
6. Organizational, correspondence, February 1, 1967-December 15, 1971.
7. Organizational, correspondence, invoices, March 12, 1972-December 1974.
8. Organizational, correspondence, invoices, January 6, 1975-April 23, 1977.
9. Financial, Check stubs, July 1, 1960-April 12, 1966.
1. Financial, dues, ledger, 1961-62.
2. Financial, dues, record, 1961-63.
3. Financial, earnings, 1972-75.
4. Financial, invoices, 1960-62.
5. Financial, invoices, 1962-66.
6. Financial, invoices, 1965-67.
7. Financial, invoices, 1966-72.
8. Financial, invoices, 1972-74.
9. Financial, invoices, 1974-77.
10. Financial, passbooks, 1927-31; 1963-69.
1. Financial, statements, 1930; 1960-62.
2. Financial, statements, 1965-66.
3. Financial, statements, 1966-67.
4. Financial, statements, 1967-70.
5. Financial, statements, 1971-72.
6. Financial, statements, 1973-74.
7. Financial, statements, 1974-75.
8. Financial, statements, 1976-77.
Sisterhood Scrapbook, 1960-78.
1. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1946-June 1947.
2. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1947-June 1948.
3. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1948-June 1949.
4. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1949-June 1950.
5. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1950-June 1951.
6. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1951-January 1953.
7. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, March 1957-March 1958.
8. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1960-April 1961; September 1962-April 1963.
9. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, May 1963-October 1963.
10. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, November 1963-June 1964.
1. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, October 1964-May 1965.
2. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1966-November 1966; September 4, 1974.
3. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, July 1980-October 1980.
4. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, September 1981-June 1983.
5. B'nai Sholom Monthly Bulletin, Loose papers, ND.
6. Children's Model Sedar, by R. Joselson, ND, model seder, April 1973.
7. Miscellaneous, addresses and articles, March 26, 1963-January 19, 1964.
8. National Community Relations Advisory Council, "Joint Program Plan for Jewish Community Relations", 1961-62; 1964-65.
9. National Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, articles and guides, 1950-66.
10. Union of American Hebrew Congregations, "Synagogue Research," January 1957.
11. United Synagogue of America, "Handbooks" and articles, 1955- 65.
12. United Synagogue of America, Southeast region conference publications, 1961-65.
13. United Synagogue of America, articles, reprints, 1955-60.
14. United Synagogue of America, youth public, ND.
*Notation following indexed material indicates file location of indexed material.
- Armand Hecht, Jewish C. C. Specifications and Bidding Agreement: 3-16.
Armand Hecht, Jewish C. C. Improvement Find: 4-9 thru 11.
Betty Frances Ginsberg Memorial Library 7-18 thru 21.
B'nai Sholom Congregation monthly "Bulletins": 13; 14-1 thru 5.
B'nai Sholom Sisterhood -- Minutebook: 9-3 thru 4.
Scrapbook: 12.
Yearbook: 9-12.
Cash and Disbursements Journal: 7-6.
Cemetery Records: 3-2.
Constitutions and by-laws: 1-1.
Constitutions and by-laws, revisions: 1-2.
Correspondence -- General: 2-1 thru 7.
Presidential: 2-13 thru 20.
Rabbinical: 2-9 thru 12.
History of B'nai Sholom Congregation, by E. A. Siegal: 3-4.
Joseph Strauss Lodge, B'nai Brith # 1480 -- Correspondence: 8-4 thru 5.
Membership List: 8-2.
Minutes: 8-3.- Newspaper Clippings: 3-10.
Prospectus Joseph Strauss, building of King Street Temple (Bristol Synagogue): 7-5.
MTC 09/01