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Hillel of Buffalo records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MS-0228

Scope and Contents

The records of Hillel of Buffalo offer an understanding of religious and cultural life of the Buffalo Jewish students during 1954-2009. Series I consists of executive and board minutes, correspondence, subject files, financial data in different files, and events/programs information. The researcher can also find more detailed historical bylaw information from1950 in bylaw folders of Subseries C.

Series II includes a variety of materials that captures student life/learning experience in formats of newspaper clippings, scrapbook, slides, and photographs from 1957 to 2009.

Dates

  • 1954-2009
  • Majority of material found within 1993-2004

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

Hillel of Buffalo Records (bulk 1993-2009) are open for research. Digital material may only be accessed onsite within the library at this time.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Historical Note

Hillel is the University’s longest and largest Jewish campus organization in the world. Founded in 1923 at University of Illinois, Champaign by Rabbi Benjamin Frankel, the organization gained their funding support from B’nai Birth Hillel foundation, Jewish Federations, and private donations as well as direct fundraising. Recently, over 550 colleges and universities have their own Hillel(s) in order to support their mission “to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world”. The organization runs its own events and programs to celebrate Jewish learning and living, and purse social justices to connect students with Jewish tradition, the Jewish community and the others.

Hillel of Buffalo at the University of Buffalo is a non-profit organization which primarily serves the student communities of the State University of New York at Buffalo and the State University at Buffalo. Aided by Arthur I. Goldberg of the Montefiore Lodge, #70, it formed around 1946. The organization provides religious, educational and cultural services to the student communities. It is affiliated with the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo, Inc. , which provides the foundation with a significant portion of its financial support along from grants from International B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation. The Hillel office is run by an administrator, which has sometimes been filled by a Rabbi-administrator, or Rabbi and administrator.

Over years, Hillel professionals and student leaders in Buffalo have provided an array of events and programs, and social welfare projects including high holy days, Sabbath services and meals, lectures and discussions on Judaism such as the annual Wasserman Conference at University at Buffalo, annual trip to Israel, the Federation Committee on Soviet Jewry, and support of Israel. The current office is located at UB Commons Suite #210. In past, their offices located 1209 Elmwood Avenue, 40 Capen Blvd, 520 Lee Entrance, University Commons, and Suite 203, University at Buffalo.

Extent

1.7 Linear Feet (4 manuscript boxes, 1 envelope)

0.01 Gigabytes (9 files)

Abstract

The records of Hillel of Buffalo, the center of Jewish life on campus, documents organizational, religious, and cultural activities of students in the greater Buffalo area.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in two series as follows:

  1. Organizational Files
  2. Memorabilia

Acquisition Information

Hillel of Buffalo Records donated a portion of their records in 2012. The records were arranged in April 2016 and it was deposited at the University Archives, Special Collections by the Jewish Buffalo Archives Project in February 2016.

The Jewish Buffalo Archives Project was founded in late 2007 under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Buffalo with a seed grant from the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. The Archives Project collects mainly 20th century documentation relating to the diverse histories, religious traditions and cultures of Jewish communities within the Greater Buffalo area of Western New York, encompassing the geographic areas of Erie and Niagara Counties and partners with the University Archives at the University at Buffalo to make these records accessible.

The arrangement and description of Hillel of Buffalo Records was made possible by funding obtained through the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Accruals and Additions

Initial acquisition made in 2012. Further accruals are expected to the collection in the future.

Related Resources

Jewish Buffalo Archives Project collections

MS 150.1 The Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo section of the Jewish Archives of Grater Buffalo, 1902-1979 (bulk 1930-1975)

MS 200.18 The Rabbi Shay Mintz Papers, 1980-2004 (bulk 1989-1999)

Processing Information

Records were processed by Kuniko Simon in April 2016. Digital material processed by Grace Trimper in April 2022. The Finding Aid was finalized by Kuniko Simon in April 2016. EAD created by University Staff in May 2016.

Digital files created by Hillel of Buffalo were transferred to the University Archives on a compact disk. Where possible, digital content saved on storage media was migrated from the storage media, normalized to standard preservation and access formats, and transferred to a stable preservation environment following the University Libraries' Digital Preservation guidelines. Some folder titles were altered and file arrangement reorganized to assist researchers in locating and identifying digital content.

Source

Title
Finding Aid for the Hillel of Buffalo Records
Status
Completed
Author
Kuniko Simon
Date
April 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the University Archives Repository

Contact:
420 Capen Hall
Buffalo New York 14260-1674 US
716-645-2916
716-645-3714 (Fax)