Cincinnati

Our visit was on a Monday and the Hebrew Union College and Skirball Museum were closed. 

 We turned to the building housing the American Jewish Archives and Kevin kindly gave us an opportunity to see this unique and important institution.

Our tour started with a video about Jacob Radar Marcus founder of the AJA in 1947.  His goal was to create a chronicle of American Jewish history.  He was raised in an Orthodox family but was influenced by Rabbi Levi of the Hebrew Union College.  After his rabbinic training, he served during WWI and then returned to Berlin to get a PhD at the University of Berlin.

After the video we had a private tour by Kevin who explain more about Marcus, whom he knew, and of the purpose of the AJA.  Marcus was a walking encyclopedia on the story of Jewish life in America. The archivists collect and preserve material on the life of Jews in the US. That history is of real people, not just the well-known.  It is of real life and not just historical events.

The Reading Room was built in 1912 as a Jewish Library. 

The AJA is a research and study center.  The storage area fills four floors with archival documents, newspapers, and magazines all showing the progress of American Jewish life.

Among the items Kevin showed us were:

A letter written to President Tyler after he had written asking the “Christian people of America to honor our fallen leader (Pres. Benjamin Harrison who had died after one month in office.)  A Mr. Ezekiel from Richmond, VA, took offense at Tyler’s language, saying that there were more than Christians in the US and that they too honored the deceased president.  Tyler hand-wrote back apologizing and saying he was aware that there were people other than Christians in the country.  This letter showed the courage of citizens to speak out. 

This telegram was intended for Rabbi Stephen Weiss in NY.  The Rieguer Telegram was sent in 1942 warning of “Hitler’s final solution to the Jewish problem” in Germany.  The telegram never arrived.  Another copy was sent to Sam Silverman in London.  No action was taken on the telegrams.

It is interesting to note that, after the war, the original telegrams to Rabbi Wise were found in the records of the U. S. State Department.

The menu from the “Trefe Banquet” was from a dinner presented by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise founder of Hebrew Union College.  The menu includes foods such as clams and shrimp, foods forbidden to many Jews.

This Medal of Honor was presented during the Civil War to Ohio soldier David Orbansky.

The clock above the Archives was installed after 9/11.