Jewish communal registers (Pinkese kehilah) collection

Collection

Call Number: MS 1824

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of register books of various Jewish communal organizations, mainly in Europe, with a few from the Middle East and the United States. The volumes include minute books of synagogues and social welfare committees, account books, school registers, and wills. They document the activities, concerns, and conditions of Jewish communities, as well as their relations with neighbors and governmental authorities. The registers include genealogical, sociological, and historical information.

Dates

1623-1960

Creator

Language of Materials

The registers are in Yiddish, Hebrew, Hungarian, German, Romanian, Italian, Ladino, English, Dutch, and French.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research. Selected volumes in boxes 18, 19, and 27 are available on microfilm. Microfilm numbers are supplied in item descriptions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The registers were purchased by the Judaica Collection and transferred to Manuscripts and Archives, 2002-2015. Most of the registers were purchased from Yeshayahu Vinograd, Jerusalem, 2002-2003. One was purchased at auction from Kestenbaum & Company, New York, in 2002. Others were purchased from Bery Gross, New York, in 2003. Additional registers were purchased 2004-2008 from Bery Gross, New York, and Yeshayahu Vinograd and Moshe Rosenfeld, Jerusalem. One was purchased from Kestenbaum & Company on the Rosalyn and Joseph Newman Collection Fund, 2015.