Brooklyn Jewish Center Review, 1937

The Brooklyn Jewish Center Records, 1921-1985, comprehensively document the history of this important congregation. Included are correspondence (including that of Rabbi Israel Levinthal); annual reports; minutes of the board of trustees and various committees; issues of the Brooklyn Jewish Center Bulletin (1922-1985, with gaps) and the Brooklyn Jewish Center Review (1933-1985, with gaps); cemetery records; dinner dance journals and records; financial records; Hebrew school records; lecture series records; membership information; photographs; and audio tapes (reel to reel format).

The selection of the Brooklyn Jewish Center Reviews is particularly valuable because it is nearly complete and represents a significant aspect of Center and communal activities. The collection as a whole gives a thorough picture of the model synagogue center, including documentation for the health club facilities, the restaurant, and the adult and youth education programs.

Noteworthy are the records of several testimonial dinners. One, honoring the first transatlantic air passenger, includes letters from Justice Louis Brandeis, Adolph Ochs, Justice Benjamin Cardozo, and Stephen Wise. Another dinner, commemorating the establishment of the Library of Nazi Banned Books, contains a handwritten draft of a speech by Albert Einstein and a copy of his paper on the Theory of Relativity, in German.