MS 185 Center for Jewish Education Clippings Scrapbooks

Below is an excerpt from one of our most recent finding aids. The following collection documents, through newspaper articles, the story of Jewish Education in Baltimore during the middle years of the 20th century.

The Center for Jewish Education Scrapbook collection was donated to the Jewish Museum of Maryland in 2009 as accession 2009.048 by the Center for Jewish Education. The collection was processed by Jennifer Vess with the help of Rebecca Levitan and Dawn Shepherd in 2010.

Access to the collection is restricted. Copies of the materials have been made and are available for researchers; however, due to their fragile condition the originals are restricted for preservation purposes. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the Jewish Museum of Maryland before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library’s usual procedures.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The Board of Jewish Education was organized in 1921 as a central agency to coordinate the financial and educational administration of five Talmud Torahs. As Jewish educational needs changed and adapted, the Board changed with it. During the 1930s and 1940s Hebrew and Sunday Schools increased while Talmud Torahs declined. Because of this the Board of Jewish Education eventually had more of the former than the latter under affiliation. The number of affiliated schools varied over the years. The Board also began to involve more community service activities. The Board of Jewish Education is now known as the Center for Jewish Education.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The Center for Jewish Education Scrapbook collection is comprised of nineteen scrapbooks of newspaper clippings pertaining to the activities of the Board of Jewish Education (later the Center for Jewish Education) and Baltimore Hebrew schools, Sunday schools, Talmud Torahs, and adult education programs. The clippings detail the activities of affiliated and unaffiliated schools, show advertisements for schools, list some course offerings, and report on activities in the community in which the Board or members of the Board took part. The collection also includes one scrapbook of materials related to the Parent Teacher Association.

The collection is divided into five series: Series I. Board of Jewish Education School Clippings Scrapbooks, 1933-1972; Series II. Adult Education Scrapbooks, 1950-1956; Series III. Unaffiliated Schools Scrapbooks, 1952-1956; Series IV. PTA, 1951-1954 and Series V. Preservation Photocopies.