Title
Alliance Israélite Universelle, Philadelphia Branch Minute Books

Dates
1868-1952

Collection ID
SCRC 2

Creator
Alliance israélite universelle. Philadelphia Branch

Quantity
0.4 linear feet (1 box)

Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries

Language
Materials in English and German.

Detailed Collection Information

Historical Note
The Alliance Israélite Universelle, founded in 1860 in Paris was formed by affluent Jews who had achieved emancipation and assimilation in their own countries to help fellow Jews in other countries who were discriminated against because of their religion. The Philadelphia Branch was the first chapter of the Alliance Israélite Universelle in the United States and was organized at a meeting held at the Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel on October 11, 1868. The branch was organized through the efforts of Rev. Dr. Samuel Hirsch who was its first president and the officiating Rabbi at Congregation Keneseth Israel.  The Philadelphia branch dissolved in 1952 and was formerly merged with the Allied Jewish Appeal in 1954.

Description of Collection
The collection consists of two volumes of meeting minutes. Volume 1 is the original minute book and documents the annual meetings from the first gathering on October 11, 1868, to the 68th annual meeting held on April 30, 1937. Volume 1 also includes minutes of the Board of Directors meetings and special meetings as well as the articles of incorporation, the constitution and by-laws and newspaper clippings about the Philadelphia Branch. The minutes from the first three meetings through June 1870 are written in German. Volume 2 contains much of the same as Volume 1, but spans the dates May 21, 1937 through June 25, 1952. Together, the two volumes document the breadth of activities of this local chapter of the Alliance Isarélite Universelle from inception until dissolution.

Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Temple University’s online library catalog: 

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 Alliance Israélite Universelle, Philadelphia Branch Minute Books are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The donor has 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], Alliance Israélite Universelle, Philadelphia Branch Minute Books, 1868-1952, SCRC 2, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Donated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia in 1972. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.

Processing Information
Collection processed and finding aid prepared in 1981 by Lily G. Schwartz, Archivist. Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in 2012 by Jessica M. Lydon, Project Archivist. Finding aid reformatted and patron and administrative information updated in January 2020.

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

Personal/Family Names:
Hirsch, Samuel, 1815-1889

Corporate Names:
Alliance israélite universelle. Philadelphia Branch

Places:
Philadelphia (Pa.)

Subjects:
Jews--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Societies, etc.

Material Types:
Minutes (administrative records)

1          1          Volume 1          1868-1937

1          2          Volume 2          1937-1952