Title
Bernard L. Levinthal Family Papers

Dates
1851-1986, bulk 1900-1964

Collection ID
SCRC 531

Creator
Levinthal, Bernard L. (Bernard Louis), 1866-1952

Quantity
3.22 linear feet (8 boxes + 5 microfilm reels)

Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries

Language
Materials in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and French.

Biographical Note
Bernard L. Levinthal
Bernard Louis Levinthal, born May 12, 1864 in Kovno, Lithuania, immigrated to the United States in 1891 after studying at the yeshivot of Kovno, Vilna, and Bialystok. Settling in Philadelphia, he succeeded his father-in-law, Eleazar Kleinberg as rabbi of Congregation B’nai Abraham, where he served until his death, and as head of the United Orthodox Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia. Levinthal was responsible for establishing the Vaad Hakashrus and the Rabbinate of Philadelphia to supervise ritual slaughtering. Bernard married Minna Kleinberg in 1886, and they had five children, Lena, Israel, Louis, Abraham, and Cyrus. Bernard L. Levinthal died September 23, 1952.

Louis E. Levinthal and Lenore Levinthal
Louis Levinthal (1892-1976) served as a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas from 1937 to 1959 and as special adviser on Jewish affairs to General Lucius D. Clay and the postwar European Command in 1947 and 1948. Louis married Lenore Chodoff (1893-1972) in 1916 and they had two children, Cyrus and Sylvia.

Description of Collection
The collection consists of Bernard L. Levinthal’s papers related to his rabbinical work and papers related to his son Louis, his wife Lenore, and other members of the Levinthal family who were active in Jewish communal organizations in the Philadelphia area. Materials include correspondence, gittin or Jewish divorce decrees, civil marriage licenses, photographs, awards, certificates, newspaper clippings, and printed records.

Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series as follows:
Series 1: Bernard L. Levinthal rabbinical papers, 1894-1948
Series 2: Levinthal family papers, 1851-1986

Series 1 contains incoming and outgoing correspondence with kosher butchers, rabbis, politicians, and others regarding Jewish dietary laws of kashrut, and other local religious matters affecting the Philadelphia Jewish community, primarily generated during Levinthal’s tenure as head of the Vaad Hakashrus and the Rabbinate of Philadelphia. Other topics covered in the correspondence include the outbreak of World War II and the establishment of Israel. Correspondence is in English, Hebrew or Yiddish, German, and French. Levinthal’s rabbinical papers also include Jewish divorce decrees or gittin in Hebrew signed by Levinthal when he served as head of the orthodox rabbinical court (Beth Din) and copies of civil marriage licenses primarily from Philadelphia County, but also Chester, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Northampton counties. The gittin and marriage licenses are annotated on the back. The gittin have English language notations with the names of those involved in the divorce and the corresponding Gregorian calendar date. The marriage licenses have a mix of Hebrew and English language notations with the birthplace, age, home address, and occupation of those being married. This series is arranged alphabetically by document type.

Series 2 contains photographs, awards, certificates, and printed materials primarily related to Bernard’s son, Judge Louis Edward Levinthal and his wife Lenore (Lena) Levinthal, but also his sons, Cyrus and Abraham, and other family members and their engagement with various Jewish communal organizations. Of note, are the photographs and records related to Louis’ appointment as special adviser on Jewish affairs to the Commander-in-Chief Lucius D. Clay in occupied Germany after the end of World War II. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Alternate Form Available
All of the records in boxes 1-4, the bulk of those in box 6, and a portion of those in box 8 are available on microfilm. In some instances, folders have not been microfilmed in the order they are physically arranged in the boxes.

The bulk of the photographs from this collection in Series 2: Levinthal family papers, 1851-1986, have been digitized and are available online on the Temple University Digital Collections website: https://digital.library.temple.edu/digital/collection/p15037coll15

Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Temple University’s online library catalog: https://librarysearch.temple.edu/catalog/991037973885303811

Research Access
Collection is open for research.

Collections Stored Off-Site
This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.

Publication and Copyright Information
The Bernard L. Levinthal Family Papers are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The creators have not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries.  Other creators’ intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated. 

Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Bernard L. Levinthal Family Papers, SCRC 531, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Related Material
Associated Kosher Butchers of Philadelphia Records, SCRC 507, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Northern Chevra Kadisha (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, SCRC 532, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Bernard Louis Levinthal Papers, MS-468, American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Acquisition Information
Donated by Federation of Jewish Agencies and Marvin Levinthal between 1974 and 1996. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.

Separated Material
Northern Chevra Kadisha (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, SCRC 532, initially processed as part of this collection, have been separated into their own collection.

Processing Information
A portion of the collection initially processed and finding aid created by Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center Staff in 1977. Collection reprocessed to include records not previously described, some folder titles edited for the sake of clarity, dates added or revised to reflect more accurately folder contents, and finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in March 2021 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist.          
          
          

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:

Personal/Family Names:
Levinthal, Abraham
Levinthal, Bernard L. (Bernard Louis), 1866-1952         
Levinthal, Cyrus
Levinthal, Lenore Chodoff
Levinthal, Louis E. (Louis Edward), 1892-1976

Corporate Names:
Vaad Hakashrus and the Rabbinate of Philadelphia

Subjects:
Divorce -- Religious aspects -- Judaism
Get (Jewish law)
Jews -- Dietary laws
Kosher food industry
Orthodox Judaism -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Rabbinical courts -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Rabbis -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Places:
Germany (Territory under Allied occupation, 1945-1955)
Philadelphia (Pa.)

Material Types:
Clippings
Correspondence
Diplomas
Printed ephemera
Marriage certificates
Microfilms
Negatives
Newsletters
Objects
Pamphlets
Photocopies
Photographs
Press releases
Reports
Souvenir programs





 

Series 1 contains incoming and outgoing correspondence with kosher butchers, rabbis, politicians, and others regarding Jewish dietary laws of kashrut, and other local religious matters affecting the Philadelphia Jewish community, primarily generated during Levinthal’s tenure as head of the Vaad Hakashrus and the Rabbinate of Philadelphia. Other topics covered in the correspondence include the outbreak of World War II and the establishment of Israel. Correspondence is in English, Hebrew or Yiddish, German, and French. Levinthal’s rabbinical papers also include Jewish divorce decrees or gittin in Hebrew signed by Levinthal when he served as head of the orthodox rabbinical court (Beth Din) and copies of civil marriage licenses primarily from Philadelphia County, but also Chester, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Northampton counties. The gittin and marriage licenses are annotated on the back. The gittin have English language notations with the names of those involved in the divorce and the corresponding Gregorian calendar date. The marriage licenses have a mix of Hebrew and English language notations with the birthplace, age, home address, and occupation of those being married. This series is arranged alphabetically by document type.

1          1          Correspondence          1895-1929
1          2          Correspondence          1930-1938
1          3          Correspondence          January-September, 1939
1          4          Correspondence          October-December, 1939
1          5          Correspondence          1940-1944
1          6          Correspondence (1 of 2)          undated
1          7          Correspondence (2 of 2)          undated
1          8          Clippings          1919-1964, undated
2          1          Divorce decrees (gittin)          1894-1899
2          2          Divorce decrees (gittin) (1 of 4)          1900-1909
2          3          Divorce decrees (gittin) (2 of 4)          1900-1909
2          4          Divorce decrees (gittin) (3 of 4)          1900-1909
2          5          Divorce decrees (gittin) (4 of 4)          1900-1909
2          6          Divorce decrees (gittin) (1 of 3)          1910-1919
3          1          Divorce decrees (gittin) (2 of 3)          1910-1919
3          2          Divorce decrees (gittin) (3 of 3)          1910-1919
3          3          Divorce decrees (gittin)          1920-1929
3          4          Divorce decrees (gittin) (1 of 2)          1930-1943, undated
3          5          Divorce decrees (gittin) (2 of 2)          1930-1943, undated
4          1          Marriage licenses, A-D          1915-1943
4          2          Marriage licenses, E-J          1915-1943
4          3          Marriage licenses, K-M          1915-1943
4          4          Marriage licenses, N-R          1915-1943
4          5          Marriage licenses, S-Z          1915-1943
4          6          Miscellaneous printed records          1919-1948

Series 2 contains photographs, awards, certificates, and printed materials primarily related to Bernard’s son, Judge Louis Edward Levinthal and his wife Lenore (Lena) Levinthal, but also his sons, Cyrus and Abraham, and other family members and their engagement with various Jewish communal organizations. Of note, are the photographs and records related to Louis’ appointment as special adviser on Jewish affairs to the Commander-in-Chief Lucius D. Clay in occupied Germany after the end of World War II. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

5          1          Allied Jewish Appeal          1947-1963
5          2          American Friends of Hebrew University          1963
8          1          Awards and certificates: Pearl Ellis          1964
8          2          Awards and certificates: Abraham Levinthal          1944-1968
8          3          Awards and certificates: Bernard L. Levinthal          1930, undated
8          4          Awards and certificates: Cyrus Levinthal          1926-1983
8          5          Awards and certificates: Louis E. Levinthal          1942-1960, undated
5          3          Biographical information: obituaries          1976, 1986
5          4          Correspondence to Louis E. Levinthal          1944-1949
5          5          Correspondence: Baron de Rothchild invitation to Monsieur E. J. Bund          1851
5          20          Correspondence: letter from American Jewish Archives to Marvin Levinthal          1959
5          6          Germany, Special Adviser on Jewish Affairs           1947-1948
5          7          Hadassah          1953-1964
5          8          Hadassah Youth Aliyah          1954-1967
5          9          Phi Sigma Sigma          1966
5          10          Publicity: newspaper clippings and miscellaneous printed records          1933-1982
8          6          Photographs: banquets          1921-1926
6          1          Photographs: Bernard L. Levinthal (1 of 2)          1906-1933, undated
8          7          Photographs: Bernard L. Levinthal (2 of 2)          1906-1933, undated
6          2          Photographs: Bernstein family          1944, undated
6          3          Photographs: Levinthal family          undated
6          4          Photographs: Levinthal family, unidentified          undated
6          5          Photographs: Louis E. Levinthal and Lenore Levinthal, Europe          1946-1947
6          6          Photographs: Louis E. Levinthal and Lenore Levinthal, Israel          1951-1964, undated
6          7          Photographs: Louis E. Levinthal and Lenore Levinthal, Philadelphia          1947-1966, undated
8          8          Prints: Eliezer (Lazere) Kleinberg and Minna Kleinberg Levinthal          1891, undated
7                    Rabbi and Mrs. Levinthal loving cup          1911
5          13          State of Israel Bonds, Philadelphia Committee          1965
5          14          State of Israel Bonds "Bond Between Us" luncheons          1958-1963
5          15          State of Israel Bonds honoring Louis E. Levinthal          1968
5          16          State of Israel Bonds, Women's Division luncheon          1964
5          17          Testimonial dinners and awards: Louis E. Levinthal          1941-1966
5          18          Women's Committee for Public Education          1925
5          19          Writings (off prints): Louis E. Levinthal          1919-1963