Summary Information
Moses Montefiore Congregation (Appleton, Wis.) Records
1893-1988, 1992-1996
- Moses Montefiore Congregation (Appleton, Wis.)
Green Bay Mss 126; Green Bay Micro 8; Micro 543
1.0 c.f. (3 archives boxes) and 4 reels of microfilm (35mm)
UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of a Conservative Jewish congregation formed in 1892 and consisting of minute and account books in Hebrew (1913-1923), an account book in English (1930-1955), a 1970 dedication pamphlet, and monthly bulletins (1970-1988 and 1992-1996). Minutes (1893-1931, 1940-1948) and a 1974 centennial program of the Fox River Lodge No. 209 of the International Order of B'nai B'rith, formed in 1874; and records, mainly 1936-1962, of the Appleton Chapter of Hadassah, consisting of minutes, membership and financial records, and scrapbooks, are also included here. With the exception of the Moses Montefiore Synagogue Bulletin, the entire collection is available only on microfilm.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0543 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The first meetings of the Moses Montefiore Congregation were held in 1890 at the North Lawe Street home of Mr. and Mrs. Ressman, who were pioneers of traditional Judaism in Appleton. Ressman continued leading the religious services of the Congregation until circa 1900 when David Belzer, a newly arrived immigrant, began conductiong them at his home. In 1901, Belzer was elected the first president of the Congregation, and two years later the group organized formally as the Moses Montefiore Congregation. They took the name of Sir Moses Montefiore, a philanthropist born in Italy in 1784, who became a London stockbroker.
In 1908, the Congregation secured a synagogue charter, and by the next year a synagogue and schoolhouse had been constructed. Abe Shulewitz was the first teacher at the school; the synagogue's first cantor was Aaron Zussman, who was appointed to this position shortly after his arrival in Appleton in 1910.
A new synagogue was built in 1922 and a Sunday School facility added in 1946. The original building had been outgrown by the Congregation, but continued in use as a religious center for youth. Increasing membership again forced the Congregation to plan for a new worship center, which was begun in October 1967 and opened for services on 21 September 1969.
The Congregation was without rabbinical leadership from 1890 to 1930 when Rabbi Glick was appointed as its spiritual mentor. Rabbi Bender also served the Congregation for a short time around this period, but because the records are fragmentary, it is uncertain whether he preceded or succeeded Rabbi Glick.
In May 1965 the Congregation voted to join the United Synagogues of America, which made the Congregation part of the conservative Jewish movement.
In 1874, sixteen years before the first meetings of the Moses Montefiore Congregation, the Fox River Lodge No. 209 of the International Order of B'nai B'rith was formed in Appleton. B'nai B'rith is the oldest and largest national Jewish fraternal organization. The records of the Appleton lodge have been maintained with those of the Moses Montefiore Congregation, as have the records of the Appleton Chapter of Hadassah, a women's Zionist society. The Appleton chapter was organized in January 1936; its meetings are held at the Moses Montefiore synagogue.
Scope and Content Note
The records, which consisted mainly of volumes, were arranged in three groups prior to microfilming; the records (1913-1955) of the MOSES MONTEFIORE CONGREGATION itself; records (1893-1948, 1974) of the FOX RIVER LODGE No. 209, I.O.B.B.; and the records (1936-1962) of the APPLETON CHAPTER OF HADASSAH.
The titles of the microfilmed volumes are self explanatory. The minute book of the HADASSAH Study Group documents the activities of women who met to discuss books and hear talks about religious life, literature, and politics. The Hadassah scrapbooks consist of photographs, clippings, and yearbooks and are a relatively complete record of the Chapter's religious, social, and cultural activities.
The MOSES MONTEFIORE SYNAGOGUE BULLETINS are monthly newsletters about the congregation's membership and activities. They include messages from the Rabbi on a wide range of topics of concern to the community, reports of the synagogue board and Sisterhood, and news from the Appleton Chapter of Hadassah. Clippings concerning international Jewry and news and announcements from national Jewish organizations are also reprinted in the Bulletin.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Loaned for microfilming by the Moses Montefiore Congregation, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1974. Additions presented by Rabbi Dov Edelstein, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1976-1984, and Moses Montefiore Congregation, 1986, 1988, 1997. Accession Number: M74-264, M76-117, M81-459, M83-041, M84-155, M86-188, M88-213, M97-079
Processed by William R. Massa, Jr. (FGH intern) and Joanne Hohler, 1975. Additions processed by Paul Barclay and Cindy Knight, 1991, and Donna Sereda, 1997.
Contents List
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Green Bay Micro 8/Micro 543
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Series: Moses Montefiore Congregation Records
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Reel
1
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Moses Montefiore Synagogue dedication pamphlet, June 14, 1970
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Reel
1
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Account and Minute books (in Hebrew), 1913-1923
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Reel
1
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Account book, 1930-1955
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Green Bay Mss 126
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Moses Montefiore Synagogue Bulletin,
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Box
1
Folder
1-7
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1970-1981
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Box
2
Folder
1-6
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1982-1988
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Box
3
Folder
1-5
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1992-1996
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Green Bay Micro 8/Micro 543
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Series: Fox River Lodge No. 209, I.O.B.B. Records
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Reel
2
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Minute books, 1893-1931, 1940-1948
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Reel
2
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Centennial Celebration Program, October 20, 1974
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Series: Appleton Chapter of Hadassah Records
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Reel
3
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Minute Books, 1936-1962
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Reel
3
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Study Group minute book, 1945-1960
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Reel
3
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Membership records, 1936-1943
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Reel
3
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Financial records
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Reel
3
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Cash books, 1942-1953
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Reel
3
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Ledger, circa 1944-1948
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Reel
3
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Bank deposit book, 1949-1950
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Reel
4
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Scrapbooks, 1936-1956
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Reel
4
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Yearbook, 1945-1946
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Reel
4
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Book of Memorial Prayers for Morris Silverstein, 1965
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