Abstract: Records of the Madison Jewish Community Council, an organization formed in 1940 as the Madison Jewish Welfare Fund to coordinate fundraising for the United Jewish Appeal, a national Zionist organization. After 1945, its role expanded to include funding, developing, and providing local social welfare services, education, and cultural activities within Madison's Jewish community. The records document the organization, administration, and activities of both the council and its affiliated programs. The programs include Camp Shalom, a day camp for Jewish children; Senior Adult Services; Jewish Social Services; Madison Midrasha, a high school program; Gan HaYeled, a Jewish nursery school; Women's Service Organization; and the Jewish Cultural Series Committee.

Abstract: Papers of Joseph L. Baron, a Wisconsin Reform rabbi whose Milwaukee rabbinical career at Temple Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun spanned the years 1926 to 1960. The collection documents his school years at Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Hebrew Union College from 1910 to 1920, and highlights the many achievements of his rabbinical career (1920-1960). Included is information on the establishment of synagogues in Madison and Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and the establishment of the Milwaukee Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Milwaukee Jewish Council, the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning, the Wisconsin Jewish Archives, and the Department of Hebrew Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Baron's skill as an author and editor is also reflected in the collection; among his many publications are five books: Death in Jewish Folk Religion (1932), In Quest of Integrity (1936), Candles in the Night (1940), Stars and Sand (1943) and A Treasury of Jewish Quotations (1956). The Correspondence spans the years 1910 to 1960 and includes exchanges with such luminaries as Archibald MacLeish, Sinclair Lewis, Carl Van Doren, Clifford Morehouse, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Rabbi David de Sola Pool, Louis Marshall, and Judge Charles L. Aarons. The entire collection is available both in original form and on microfilm.

Abstract: Records of the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning (WSJL), an organization formed in 1954 to promote the study of Jewish history and culture. Included are correspondence, minutes, membership lists, publications, publicity materials, Scholarship Committee material, clippings, and tape-recorded interviews with five past presidents. The records document the role of the WSJL in establishing departments of Hebrew Studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Milwaukee in 1955 and 1961 respectively, and in founding the Wisconsin Jewish Archives at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Also documented are ongoing activities and projects such as lectures and research, fundraising, scholarships, awards, and the Wisconsin Small Jewish Communities Project, an oral history project promoting an awareness of the Jewish population throughout Wisconsin.

Abstract: Records, mainly 1920-2004, of Congregation Cnesses Israel, a Green Bay synagogue founded in 1898, as collected by the congregation historian, Marian Miller. The collection contains many histories of the beginnings of the Jewish community in Green Bay and biographical accounts and genealogical information about some of the early settlers, including Jacob Franks, John Lawe, and Annie and Maude Nathan. Information is also included about the founding members of the congregation, Azriel Kanter, Samuel Stern, and Willard Ornstein, and their families and descendants.

Abstract: Papers of Dore Schary, a playwright, motion picture executive, and activist in Jewish and liberal political causes documenting both his personal and professional life. Includes general correspondence; microfilmed scrapbooks; scripts and production material for plays and motion pictures; records pertaining to MGM; non-dramatic writings, speeches (many in recorded form), and an autobiography and a family memoir; home movies and photographs; correspondence, reports, lists, financial records, and speeches from his tenure as national chairman of the Anti-Defamation League and subject files on other organizations with which he was involved such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Committee, and the Democratic Party; and personal and biographical information. Documentation in the production files varies but may include correspondence, notes, variant drafts of scripts, clippings, financial records, publicity, stills, designs, and casting information. Records of Schary's years as executive producer, studio head, and vice-president at MGM include reports of executive meetings, correspondence and memoranda, and scattered financial reports. Also present are papers pertaining to the career of Schary's wife Miriam, painter M. Svet.

Abstract: Records of B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, an organization founded in 1924 to promote religious, educational, and social activities among Jewish students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Included are materials documenting the organization's administrative and financial responsibilities and the social and religious activities it promoted. Personal interviews describe the experiences of Jews in various settings. The bulk of the material dates from 1924 to 1965.

Abstract: Papers, 1943-1977 (mainly 1961-1977), of Arthur Waskow, a historian, writer, activist, and rabbi, primarily documenting his activities as a research fellow for the Peace Research Institute (PRI), 1961-1963, and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), 1963-1977; as a leader in left-wing Jewish organizations; and as a writer on subjects relating to peace, the war in Vietnam, and Judaism. In addition, there are detailed notes from the records of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) about the race riots of 1919, the subject of Waskow's doctoral research.

Abstract: Papers, primarily composed of addresses, sermons, and reference material, of a prominent Madison, Wisconsin rabbi, Jewish spiritual leader, scholar, and community activist. The majority of his addresses and sermons date from the 1960s and 1970s and in 1981 were compiled into a book, Intimates and Ultimates. The book manuscript is also present in the collection, as are some personal papers. The latter include biographical materials, memorial tributes, a small amount of correspondence, honorary degrees and records of Rabbi Swarsensky's two trips to Berlin during the 1970s. Rabbi Swarsensky's records of Madison Jewish community activities include dedication ceremony files, temple bulletins, and president's reports of Temple Beth El, a Reform congregation, a few materials documenting the restoration of the Gates of Heaven synagogue, cemetery records, and items from the American Jewish Tercentenary. The majority of the collection is composed of Swarsensky's reference files of clippings, near-print materials, and notes gathered for use in sermons, speeches, and writings. Four speeches are available on tape, as is a recording of a memorial service for Rabbi Swarsensky at Beth El Temple, November 22, 1981.

Abstract: Papers of Morris Hillquit, a New York attorney and internationally known socialist leader, theoretician, and author. Included is correspondence, 1895-1943; writings by Hillquit; a manuscript of an unpublished biography of Hillquit and biographical sketches of international socialist leaders, written by Nina E. Hillquit; photographs of Hillquit and his family; broadsides and circulars; and press releases and clippings.

Abstract: Records of a Milwaukee social welfare organization which originally collected money and distributed it to the city's needy Jews, but expanded to include social work, job training, medical and dental services, immigrant resettlement, counseling, and care for emotionally disturbed children. Included are minutes, clippings, financial reports, case records, and organization histories; plus minutes (1893-1914) of the United Hebrew Charities; and annual reports, articles of organization, bylaws, and rules of order (1902-1925) of the Federated Jewish Charities of Milwaukee.

Abstract: Records of the American Council for Judaism, an organization formed near the end of World War II by American Jews opposed to Zionism. Primarily the files of Executive Director Elmer Berger, 1943-1953, the records include correspondence with officers and members and with editors, educators, and others such as Virginia Gildersleeve, William E. Hocking, Paul Hutchinson, Judah L. Magnes, Kermit Roosevelt, Vincent Sheean, Norman Thomas, Dorothy Thompson, Humphrey Walz, George Weller, William L. White, and William Zukerman. Also present are materials from annual conferences, committee files, public relations and fundraising papers, speeches, and publications. The records document the group's efforts to promote acceptance of Judaism as a religion rather than a nationality, to expand U.S. immigration regulations, to aid non-Zionist refugee relief organizations, to urge compromise in Palestine by all faiths and ethnic groups, to expand its own membership, and to conduct other activities. Photographs (1947-1967) consist primarily of images depicting Lessing J. Rosenwald, president of the organization from 1943 to 1955. Photographs in an album document a Bavarian Relief Action, including images of school children, villages, and folklife events in Germany.

Abstract: Tape-recorded interviews with 116 women conducted as part of an oral history project undertaken by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin to capture the experiences of Wisconsin women on the home front and, to a limited extent, in military service during World War II. Interviewees were selected to include a broad cross-section of women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, rural and urban experience, and workers in and outside the home. Topics discussed include changes in lifestyle prompted by the war, community ties and support systems, and attitudes about the war. Interviews were conducted by Kathryn Borkowski, Stephen Kolman, Tracey Deutsch, and Kristina Ackley between January 1992 and April 1994. All interviews have been fully transcribed; the transcripts are on paper and also have been preserved in electronic form. Also included in the collection are contemporary photographs of many of the interviewees, as well as historical photographs relating to their war time experiences.

Abstract: Tape-recorded interview, March 21, 1976, with Max Leopold, a Jewish resident of Arpin, Wisconsin from 1904 to 1952; concerning his work in farming and farmers' cooperatives, on a committee formulating unemployment compensation legislation, as a justice of the peace, in the Progressive Party, in the Farm Bureau, and in other areas, his childhood in Rumania, and his retirement in San Diego, California. Interviewed at San Diego, California, by Ben Minkoff.

Abstract: Tape-recorded interview, March 21, 1976, with Max Leopold, a Jewish resident of Arpin, Wisconsin from 1904 to 1952; concerning his work in farming and farmers' cooperatives, on a committee formulating unemployment compensation legislation, as a justice of the peace, in the Progressive Party, in the Farm Bureau, and in other areas, his childhood in Rumania, and his retirement in San Diego, California. Interviewed at San Diego, California, by Ben Minkoff.

Abstract: Correspondence, minutes, photographs, and related printed papers kept by Sand, secretary of the Milwaukee division of the American Jewish Congress, 1931-1947, and a participant in numerous other Jewish organizations.

Abstract: The Ben Sidran Collection contains print records and audiovisual recordings related to the career of Ben Sidran, a Madison-based jazz pianist, singer, music producer, writer, and television and radio presenter.

Abstract: The World War I Collection gathers materials dating from the years that include and surround the First World War. The majority of the materials are European and include propaganda pamphlets, official documents, maps, periodicals, books, printed ephemera and newspapers. Pamphlet publications of relief organizations and Christian organizations are also housed here. Manuscript materials include personal letters and diaries of soldiers in the German military.

Abstract: Licensing case files from the Department of Regulation and Licensing containing information required for registration of charitable organizations in Wisconsin (Chapter 440.41, Wis. Stats., 1977). Reports are held for 1961, 1965, and for every fifth year thereafter. Starting in 2000, the State Archives retains reports for years ending in 5 and 0 only.

Abstract: Records of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America (AMCBWNA), an international union formed in 1897, and its predecessors. In 1979 AMCBWNA merged with the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) to become the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). The microfilmed records primarily document high level policy making during the post-World War II leadership of Earl Jimerson, Thomas Lloyd, and Patrick Gorman. Included are International Executive Board minutes and correspondence with individual locals, informational mass mailings, and convention planning files. Subject files (1919-1980) document relations with the AFL-CIO, the Teamsters, and the internationals with which the Amalgamated eventually merged, particularly the UPWA and the RCIU; major meat packers and grocery store chains, the War Labor Board, the National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Additional files concern internal operations, convention planning, the Amalgamated Labor Life Insurance Company, and charitable interests of the union leadership such as cancer research and numerous Jewish organizations. The information about locals includes material on strikes, contracts, disciplinary cases, and jurisdictional disputes.
Additional unprocessed records, 1903-1979, are also summarized in this finding aid. They include additional administrative records and incomplete files of the Fur and Leather, Packinghouse, Poultry, Research, and Retail departments and the Washington, D.C. office. Among these records are additional IEB minutes, scant documentation of the 1903-1921 era, indexes, publications, subject files, clipping scrapbooks, and photographs. The departmental records vary according to the sector of the economy or function represented, but they often include information on individual locals and their respective leaders, employers, contracts and master agreements, and legislation. The Research Department files are the most extensive, including reference and subject files containing background information and economic survey data and files on national negotiations, primarily 1945 to 1961.

Abstract: Records of the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA), its immediate predecessor, the Textile Workers Organizing Committee (TWOC, 1937-1939), and its predecessor and sometime competitor, the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA, 1901- ), and its successor, the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU, 1976- ), including records of the TWUA international office; New York and New Jersey state directors' offices; the Research Division; Executive Council, President's, Executive Vice-President's, and Secretary-Treasurer's offices; and Dyers and Printers, Education, Publications, Organizing, Cotton-Rayon, and Woolen-Worsted Divisions. Present are subject files, correspondence, speeches, organizers' reports, news releases, publications, and expired contracts. Subjects include union administration, financial affairs, internal dissent, conventions, wages, negotiations, strikes, politics, congressional testimony, organizing campaigns, production, profits, safety, insurance, grievances, employers, contracts, and settlements.

Abstract: Pictures taken by Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) newspaper photographer David Sandell, between 1958 and 2000. The collection consists of mostly negatives with a few prints. Images cover events from everyday life in the Madison, Wisconsin area including parades and fairs, store openings, athletic events, conventions, theater productions, and agricultural events, as well as of politicians and other famous personages, weather and landscapes, and crime scenes.

Abstract: Records of the Madison, Wisconsin chapter of Hadassah, a Zionist women's organization engaged in activities related to medical, child welfare, and agricultural issues in Israel. The bulk of the collection consists of printed material sent to the chapters by various national Hadassah agencies and concerns the Hadassah Medical Organization, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish National Fund, and Youth Aliyah. Correspondence regarding local and regional chapter activities is that of chapter presidents Cecile Schein and Fannie Mack. Also present is information on related local organizations such as the Madison Beth El Temple, the Beth Israel Center, and the University of Wisconsin Hillel.

Abstract: Papers, mainly 1935 to 1979, of Wilbur J. Cohen, an official in the Social Security Administration (1935-1956), assistant secretary, undersecretary, and secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (1961-1969), professor of social work (1956-1960), professor of education and public welfare and dean of the School of Education at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (1969-1979), and founder and co-chairman of the Save Our Security coalition. Included are appointment books, personal and professional correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, draft legislation, testimony, task force material, draft presidential messages, press releases, printed material, clippings, memoirs, writings and speeches, interview transcripts, photographs, and sound recordings. The files document the expansion of the Social Security system; the establishment of the Medicare program; social welfare policy and legislation during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; Cohen's career as a federal official, academic, and expert and consultant on Social Security; and his activities as a writer, speaker, and advocate of government health, education, and social programs.

Abstract: Interview conducted on July 27, 1979 by Sara Leuchter of the Historical Society staff with Nathan Sweet for the Wisconsin Jewish Archives; concerning his youth in Kapule, Russia, his escape to London, Yiddish plays he saw there, his coming to Madison, Wisconsin in 1908, the Madison Jewish community, and the anti-Semitic feelings of some of his fellow workers.

Abstract: Interview conducted on July 27, 1979 by Sara Leuchter of the Historical Society staff with Nathan Sweet for the Wisconsin Jewish Archives; concerning his youth in Kapule, Russia, his escape to London, Yiddish plays he saw there, his coming to Madison, Wisconsin in 1908, the Madison Jewish community, and the anti-Semitic feelings of some of his fellow workers.