Masada, Young Men's Zionist Organization of America, Cleveland Central Chapter (1929-1939), was a unit of the Zionist Organization of America. Its purposes were to disseminate the Zionist idea among Jewish youth, give support to the building of a Jewish national homeland, promote the study of the Hebrew language, and make monetary contributions to the United Palestine Appeal and the Jewish National Fund.
The origins of Masada can be traced to April 1928 with the formation of the Zionist Brotherhood Club, a group of young adult Cleveland Jewish males whose first president was J. Martin Kohn. In July of that year, Bernard Gutow, a member, attended the Zionist Organization of America convention in Pittsburgh where he promoted the idea of nationwide young adult male Zionist clubs sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America. In November 1929 the Zionist Brotherhood Club changed its name to Masada Young Men's Zionist Organization, and in June 1933, the 33rd Zionist Organization of America convention recognized Masada as the Young Men's Zionist Organization of America.
In December 1931 the Cleveland Central Chapter of Masada began leasing space at Chibath Jerusalem synagogue (887 Parkwood Drive). By 1936 this chapter was the largest chapter in the United States and in 1938 it hosted the fifth national Masada convention. A year later, for reasons that have not been identified, the Cleveland Central Chapter dissolved with the nucleus of its former members forming a new organization, the Migdal Zion Society, with Myron S. Stanford, Masada's last president, as its chairman.
The Masada, Young Men's Zionist Organization of America, Cleveland Central Chapter Records, 1937-1939, consist primarily of correspondence, lists of members and membership applicants, programs, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
This collection is of value to researchers studying the participation of young adults in American Zionist organizations in the 1930s and Zionist activities and groups in Cleveland, Ohio.
The collection is arranged chronologically in one folder.
The researcher should also consult MS 4530 Myron S. Stanford Papers; MS 3980 Bernard Gutow Papers; and Oversize MS 131 Masada, Young Men's Zionist Organization of America, Articles of Incorporation, 1931.
Processed by Stanley Lasky in 1991.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4545 Masada, Young Men's Zionist Organization of America, Cleveland Central Chapter Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Nathan Tanzman, 1987.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.