Columbia University Archives: Jewish Experience at Columbia

Below are selected resources which can help you begin your exploration of the various Jewish student groups, organization, publication and Jewish related protest and political activities at Columbia University. As always, to find additional materials, please search on relevant terms in our Archival Collections Portal.

Student Groups and Organizations

• Historical Subject Files feature materials collected by Columbiana and University Archives staff members over the years. The files contain an assortment of information on numerous topics related to Columbia University history and are a very good reference source and starting point for research on many areas of Columbia's past. In this collection you can find information on the following Jewish student groups and organizations:
• Administrative Board of Religion and Social Work - minutes, 1917, 1946-1952 (Box 427)
• Eternal Light, 1950s (Box 211)
• Jewish Defense League, 1970s-1990s (Box 211)
• Jewish Graduate Society of Columbia University, 1930s (mostly receipts/bills) (Box 432)
• Jewish Students, 1800s-2000s (Box 212)
• Jewish Student Union (JSU), 1990s-2000s (Box 212)
• Kraft Center for Jewish Life, 1990s-2000s (Box 212)
• Menorah Society (Box 212)
   

Student Publications

• Historical Subject Files contains publications collected by Columbiana and University Archives staff members, including the following Jewish related titles:
• Jewish Free Press,1970s (Box 202)
• Perspectives: Columbia's Jewish Student Monthly,1980s-1990s (Box 204)
   
• The Seth Low Scop is the digitized student newspaper of Seth Low Junior College (1928-1938), a short-lived institution in Brooklyn which served primarily Jewish and Italian students not desired on the campus in Morningside Heights. Try searching on relevant terms such as "Jew", "Jewish" and "Hebrew" to discover articles of interest.  See this blog post for background on the digitization project.
   
• Columbia Daily Spectator is the digitized student newspaper of Columbia University (1877-present). Try searching on relevant terms such as “Jew”, “Jewish” and “Hebrew” to discover articles of interest.
   
• Yearbooks are published every year and include information about the students enrolled and the activities students engage in. You can often find descriptions and images of Jewish clubs and groups in these volumes. Early yearbooks provide only lists of names. You can find both digital and paper volumes in the Yearbooks, Facebooks and Class Books finding aid. 
   

Articles from Columbia College Today

Over the years the Columbia College alumni magazine, Columbia College Today, has featured some articles related to Jewish student life, including the following:

• "Community of Cacophony?" by Imara Jones CC 1994 and Shawn Landres CC 1994 (Winter 1992-93, page 80)
• "Kraft Center: An Anchor for Jewish Campus Life," by Suri Duitch CC 1991 (Spring 1997 issue, page 8) 
• "Kraft Center Dedicated," (May 2000, page 6) 
   

Secondary Sources

The Jewish origins of cultural pluralism : the Menorah Association and American diversity / Daniel Greene.
(circulating copy at call # LB3613.J4 G74 2011 in Butler stacks)
This book tells the story of the Menorah Society, which spread from Harvard to campuses across the country (including Columbia) and became the Intercollegiate Menorah Association in 1913 and produced a magazine, The Menorah Journal, the most important intellectual Jewish publication of its day. The author also discusses how this Jewish organization contributed to the broader narrative of American diversity and the evolution of multiculturalism.
 

Political/Protest Resources

• Historical Subject Files features political and protest related materials collected by Columbiana and University Archives staff members, including the following:
• Black-Jewish Relations, 1990s (Box 213)
• Israel - Divestment, 2000s (Box 126)
• Israel- Palestine Conflict, 1980s (Box 126)
• Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures Department of (MELAC)--Controversy, 2000s (Box 126)
• New York Students Israel Public Affairs Committee, 1990s (Box 250)

Below are selected resources which can help you begin your exploration of antisemitism and discrimination against Jews at Columbia University. To find additional materials, please search on relevant terms in our Archival Collections Portal.
 

Primary Sources

Historical Subject Files contains the following files:

• Antisemitism, 1980s-2000s (Box 213)
• Antisemitism and Racism--Campus Controversy, 1995 (Box 213)

Central Files (Office of the President records)
This is the core administrative collection of records, from the 1890s to the present. Central Files chiefly contains correspondence (sent and received) between Columbia University administrators and other University officers, faculty, trustees, as well as individuals and organizations from outside the University. The following files address  admissions policies and discrimination cases.

• Keppel, Frederick P., files, 1900-1922. (5 Folders) 1/1900-6/1922 (Box 459, folders 11-15)
  includes correspondence (ca. 1901-1913) regarding enrollment, recruiting, the composition of the student body (in particular Jewish students), and the establishment of a residential college.”
• MacIver, Robert M., files, 1927-1957., (5 Folders), 4/1927-4/1957 (Box 351, folders 17-21)
  Includes correspondence and a legal document regarding discrimination charges which were brought against the University by the American Jewish Congress (ca. 1944)”
• Saxe, John Godfrey, files, 10/1943-3/1953 (Box 354, folders 1-15)
  Also includes correspondence and reports regarding discrimination charges which were brought against the University and other schools by the American Jewish Congress [ca. 1946-1947].
• Schiff, Jacob H., file, 1891-1917. (1 Folder), 3/1891-6/1917 (Box 338, folder 18)
  “....Also, correspondence and reports regarding the exclusion of three Jewish students from the Horace Mann School at Teachers College in 1899…” 

Virginia Crocheron Gildersleeve Papers (Box 63) 
Among the writings and speeches of Barnard College president Virginia Gildersleeve, are several from ca. 1947-1950 in which she expresses her opinions about Israel, Zionism and the embrace of both by American Jews

Columbia Task Force on Antisemitism
The Columbia Task Force on Antisemitism was created by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, Barnard College President Laura Ann Rosenbury, and Teachers College President Thomas R. Bailey in Fall 2023 to address the harmful impact of rising antisemitism on Columbia’s Jewish community and to ensure that protection, respect, and belonging extends to everyone.

• Report #1 was issued in March 2024
• Report #2 was issued in August 2024

Columbia Newspapers
Search the archives of the student newspaper, Spectator (1877-2015), and the University’s newspaper, The Record (1973-2016) on relevant terms to find news coverage of antisemitism and discrimination on campus. Both publications have been scanned and are easily searchable.
 

Secondary Sources

• The Qualified Student: a history of selective college admission in America / Harold S. Wechsler (call# CC C7267)
  Online edition of this title from EBSCOhost (available to Columbia UNI holders only)
  In The Qualified Student, Harold S. Wechsler focuses on methods of student selection used by institutions of higher education in the United States. More specifically, he discusses the way that college and university reformers employed those methods to introduce higher education into a broader cross-section of America, by extending access to an increased number of students from nontraditional backgrounds. (from back cover).  Wechsler devotes chapters 4-8 to Columbia University.

• Stand, Columbia: a history of Columbia University in the City of New York, 1754-2004 / Robert A. McCaughey (call# CE M12)
  Online edition of this title from EBSCOhost (available to Columbia UNI holders only)
  In this comprehensive history of Columbia written for its 250th anniversary in 2004, McCaughey discusses the "Jewish Problem" in Chapter 9 (pages 256-276).  Additional mentions are found on pages 534-535 in the context of a diminishing "Jewish problem" with the election of Michael Sovern as president of the University in 1980. 
   
• The insider: a life of Virginia C. Gildersleeve / Nancy Woloch. (Butler Stacks circulating copy, call #LB875.G542 W65 2022)
  Online edition of this title from De Gruyter eBooks (available to Columbia UNI holders only)
  Nancy Woloch explores the complicated life of Virginia Gildersleeve, dean of Barnard College from 1910-1947. In Chapter 2 “The Insider: 1911-World War I” she discusses the “Hebrew Question” (pp. 80-86) both at Columbia and Barnard College. Chapter 3 “Gatekeeping” contains an entire section (Admission and Exclusion, pp 102-112) devoted to the topic of exclusionary practices concerning Jewish students at Barnard College in the 1920s-1930s. Gildersleeve’s fervent work as an anti-Zionist is discussed in Chapter 5 “Embattled: After Barnard, 1947-1965” in the sections titled “The Anti-Zionist Crusade” pp 189-193 and “Virginia and Dorothy”, pp. 194-202.
   

• Columbia by Frederick Paul Keppel
  Written in 1914 as part of the American College and University Series, Keppel addresses the question of the campus being “overrun” by Jewish students, what kind of Jewish students are desirable and issues of assimilation on campus (pages 179-181).
   

Podcast

Gatecrashers
This podcast about "the hidden history of Jews and the Ivy League, from Unorthodox co-host Mark Oppenheimer," features an episode on the short-lived Seth Low Junior College and former SLJC student Isaac Asimov. Listen to Columbia and Its Forgotten Jewish Campus. 

Below are selected resources which can help you begin your exploration of academic programs and centers related to the history of Jewish, Israel, Hebrew and Yiddish studies at Columbia over the years. Please search the Archival Collections Portal on these and other relevant terms to find additional resources.

Primary Sources

Central Files (Office of the President records)
This is the core administrative collection of records, from the 1890s to the present. Central Files chiefly contains correspondence (sent and received) between Columbia University administrators and other University officers, faculty, trustees, as well as individuals and organizations from outside the University. The following files address academic topics:
Click on the links to see the complete description of the file contents from the finding aid

• Baron, Salo Wittmayer files, (2 folders) 10/1940-5/1965 (Box 407, folder 20-21)
  Baron held an appointment as professor of Jewish history, literature and institutions and was later appointed director of the Center for Israeli Studies.
• Dix, Morgan, files, 1890-1908.,  (2 Folders), 2/1890-5/1908, (Box 660, folder 9-10)
  His file includes correspondence regarding religious issues involving the teaching of Hebrew Scriptures (April, 1904)

Historical Subject Files

• Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, 1950s-1990s, undated, 1950s-1990s, undated (Box 12)
• Jewish Studies at Columbia University, 1970s-1980s (Box 35)
• Jewish Theological Seminary, 1920s-1990s (Box 35)
• Seth Low Junior College,1930s (Box 49)
• Sylvia and Joseph Radov Lectures--Sponsored by the Center for Israel and Jewish Studies,, 1980s (Box 137)
• Atran Scholarship for Study of Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture, 1950 (Box 147)
• Yiddish Language, 1970s-2000s (Box 59)

Course Bulletins 
The yearly bulletins or bulletins of information are the course catalogues for each school and/or division. These volumes include department course offerings, with full descriptions of the courses and the faculty assigned to teach those courses as well as degree requirements, prizes and honors, etc.  You can find our holdings, organized by school or faculty, in the Columbia University Bulletins finding aid. There are also many volumes available online.
 

Additional Collections

Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies records 
These records consist mostly of audio/visual content from lectures sponsored by the IIJS.

Seth Low Junior College records, 1928-1938 
You can find further resources about Seth Low Junior College listed in the Seth Low Junior College research guide. 

Yosef Yerushalmi papers, 1957-2006, 1957-2006
Jewish historian and a professor of Jewish history, primarily at Harvard University and Columbia University.

Columbia College records, 1875-2022, bulk 1969-1987

• Hebrew Studies, 1967-1972 (Box 92
• Yiddish, 1969-1970 (Box 92)

Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs records, 1939-2006, bulk 1956-2003

• Israel and Jewish Studies, Institute for (Box 485, Folder 7)
• Israel and Jewish Studies, Center for, 1974 (Box 351, Folder 3)
• Israel and Jewish Studies, Center of, 1968-1974 (Box 245, Folder 7)
• Centers--Center for Israel and Jewish Studies, 1980-1989 (Box 558, folders 9-10)
• Israel and Jewish Studies, Institute for, 1965-1983 (Boxes 77, 276, and  485)

Office of Public Affairs records, 1930s-1990s

• Atran Chair of Yiddish Studies, 1952-1972 (Box 4, Folder 22)
• L, 1974 (Language, Yiddish) (Box 27, folder 4)

Presidential Commission on Academic Priorities in the Arts and Sciences records (Marcus Report), 1967-1987

• Jewish Studies, 1977 (Box 1, Folder 42)

Publications

The Columbia Record is the university-wide newspaper (1973-2016) and a great source to find out information about faculty members, staff, trustees, academic programs and events held on campus. The CU Record has been scanned and is easily searchable online.  You can also find articles about academic programs by searching on relevant terms in the student newspaper, Spectator (1877-2015).

Below are selected resources which can help you begin your exploration of Jewish trustees, faculty, staff and their representation at Columbia over the years. To find additional materials, please search on names and relevant terms in our Archival Collections Portal.

Trustees Resources

In 1787 Gershom Mendes Seixas (1747-1816), the Hazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel, New York City's first Spanish and Portuguese synagogue, became the first member of his faith to be elected a trustee of Columbia College, remaining in that role until 1815. For more information about Seixas you can consult the following files:

Columbia College papers, 1703-1964, bulk 1754-1920
Seixas, Gershom to Richard Varick, New York, 1814 November 7, 1814 (Box 6)

Dwight D. Miner papers on the history of Columbia University, 1938-1978
Seixas, Gershom Mendes (Box 5)

Historical biographical files, 1800-2022
Seixas, Gershom Mendes (Box 284, folder 24)

Office of Public Affairs records, 1930s-1990s
Seixas, Gershom (Box 58, Folder 14)

Central Files (Office of the President records)
This is the core administrative collection of records, from the 1890s to the present. Central Files chiefly contains correspondence (sent and received) between Columbia University administrators and other University officers, faculty, trustees, as well as individuals and organizations from outside the University. The following files address topics related to the Trustees.
Click on the links below to see the complete description of the file contents

• Kennedy, John S., file, 1893-1910. (1 Folder), 1/1893-4/1910  (Box 661, folder 22) 
  includes: “...Butler and Kennedy's views regarding Jewish representation on the board of trustees and the threatened withdrawal of support from Jewish donors.”
• Low, Seth files, 1891-1917. (5 folders), 10/1891-7/1917, (Box 459, folder 9)
  Correspondence between Low, President Nicholas Murray Butler, and trustees George L. Rives and John B. Pine regarding Low's informal withdrawal from the board in 1911 and formal resignation in 1914. 
• Parsons, William Barclay, files, 1896-1932. (9 Folders), 8/1896-3/1932 (Box 333, folder 3)
  Correspondence from 1913 in particular.
• Rives, George Lockhart, files, 1890-1917. (6 Folders), 2/1890-7/1917 (Box 337, folders 1-6)
  Correspondence from 1913 in particular.
• Schiff, Jacob H., file, 1891-1917. (1 Folder), 3/1891-6/1917 (Box 338, folder 18)
  Look for letters to presidents Low (1891) and Butler urging the appointment of a Jewish trustee to the University's board of trustees.
• Speyer, James, file, 1897-1918. (1 Folder), 3/1897-12/1918 (Box 679, folder 22)
  See correspondence [ca. 1907] regarding Jewish representation on Columbia's board of trustees.

Faculty, Staff and Professorship Resources

Central Files (Office of the President records)
This is the core administrative collection of records, from the 1890s to the present. Central Files chiefly contains correspondence (sent and received) between Columbia University administrators and other University officers, faculty, trustees, as well as individuals and organizations from outside the University. The following files address topics related to the Faculty, staff and professorships.
Click on the links below to see the complete description of the file contents

• Atran Professorship file,1952 (Box 589, folder 25)
  Funded by the Atran Foundation, this was the first chair for the study of Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture to be established in the United States.
• Baron, Salo Wittmayer files, 1940-1965 (Box 407, folder 20-21)
  Baron held an appointment as professor of Jewish history, literature and institutions and was later appointed director of the Center for Israeli Studies.
• Salo W. Baron Professorship, 1978-1979 (Box 824, folder 11)
  Professorship in the Study of Jewish Society, Culture and Institutions (Political Science] established in 1979. 
• Hoffman, Isidor B. files, 1953-1961 (Box 452, folders 18-19)
  Rabbi Isidor B. Hoffman was a counsellor to Jewish students at Columbia University, Most of the records consist of cash deposit vouchers for gifts in support of the University's Jewish counsellors.
• Miller, Linda R. file, 1928-1937 (Box 667, folder 31)
  Correspondence relates to Miller's gift to establish the Nathan J. Miller Chair in Jewish History and Culture and the subsequent efforts to find an acceptable candidate for the post 
• Pine, John B., files, 1906-1922 (Box 317, folders 1-17)
  There are several letters (ca. 1911-1916) discussing the dispute between University benefactor James Speyer and the University administration over an informal agreement to appoint a Jewish professor to the Roosevelt Professorship and the proposed return of Speyer's gift in support of the professorship.
• Rockefeller, Nelson A., file, 1946 (Box 668, folder 38)
  Correspondence relates to the Community Committee of New York and the committee's support for the United Jewish Appeal campaign to raise funds for Holocaust survivors
• Speyer, James, file, 1897-1918 (Box 679, folder 22)
  Correspondence [ca. 1905-1915] relates to the terms of Speyer's gift in support of the Roosevelt Professorship, controversy over the selection of nominees, and the subsequent refund to Speyer. Speyer charged that the University had not fulfilled the terms of his gift which required that, on occasion, a Jewish professor be appointed to the post. 
• Dunn, L. C. (Leslie Clarence) files, 1940-1959 (Box 382, folders 1-6)
  Most of the records dating from 1940 to 1945 relate to the zoology department and the Faculty Fellowship Fund, a fund which was established to aid displaced European scholars during World War II. Records related to the faculty Fellowship Fund include correspondence and reports documenting assistance to scholars who fled Europe between 1935 and 1945.

Historical Subject Files

• Salo Wittmayer Baron Professorship, 1970s (Box 145)
• Nathan J. Miller Chair in Jewish History, Literature and Institutions, 1920s (Box 146)

Trust Administration Deeds and Gifts Records, 1755-1989 

• Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture--Professorship-- Atran Foundation, Inc., 1952 (Box 6)
   

Publications

Jews in the American academy, 1900-1940 : the dynamics of intellectual assimilation / Susanne Klingenstein.
Online edition of this title is available from JSTOR e-books (available to Columbia UNI holders only)
Klingenstein presents an account of the first Jewish professors of humanities in American universities, including Professor Lionel Trilling who in 1936 won a hard-fought battle to become the first Jewish professor of English and American literature at Columbia University (chapter 5, pp. 137-198)

The Columbia Record is the university-wide newspaper (1973-2016) and a great source to find out information about faculty members, staff, trustees, academic programs and events held on campus. The CU Record has been scanned and is easily searchable online.