Rabbi Arthur Joseph Lelyveld (1913-1977), Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Anshe Chesed Congregation (Fairmount Temple) in Beachwood, Ohio, served that congregation as Senior Rabbi from 1958 to 1986. Throughout his career he has played key roles in national and local Jewish organizations and has actively fought for civil rights.
Born in New York City, Lelyveld received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1933, and was ordained at Hebrew Union College (Cincinnati) in 1939. He served as rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel, Hamilton, Ohio, from 1939-1941, and as rabbi of Temple Israel, Omaha, Nebraska, from 1941-1944. From 1944- 1946 Lelyveld was Executive Director of the Committee on Unity for Palestine, from 1946-1947 and 1948-1956, respectively, he served as Associate National Director, and National Director, of B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundations. From 1956-1958 he served as Executive Vice Chairman of the America Israel Cultural Foundation. While serving as rabbi of Fairmount Temple, Lelyveld played leadership roles in a number of national organizations. Among these were: American Jewish Congress (national president, 1966-1972), the Central Conference of American Rabbis (executive board, national vice president, 1973- 1975, president, 1975-1977), and the Synagogue Council of America (national vice president, 1975- 1979, national president, 1979-ca.1981).
Among the positions that Rabbi Lelyveld has held on the local level are the following: General Chairman of the 1963 Cleveland Jewish Welfare Fund Campaign, Board of Trustees of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, (1960s), Executive Committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Cleveland Chapter (1960s), and second president of the Cleveland Board of Rabbis.
Rabbi Lelyveld is the author of Atheism is Dead (1968, 1970, 1985), and of numerous monographs. He has contributed articles to numerous books including:
Additional biographical compilations about Rabbi Lelyveld (including honorary degrees, awards, more complete publications listings, articles about Lelyveld, and more up to date listing of activities) are located in this collection in Container 12, Folder 243, as well as in
The Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series II, 1884-1997, consist primarily of correspondence, sermons, speeches, writings, and family material.
The collection is of value to researchers studying the history of Judaism in America. As a rabbi of one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in America and as a leader of key national Jewish organizations, Lelyveld's sermons, writings, and correspondence provide important documentation relating to the history of Judaism, Zionism, and civil rights in the second half of twentieth century America. These papers are also a significant addition to materials that document the history of Jewish congregational leadership in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. Of special note is the correspondence between Lelyveld and historian Abraham Sachar, who was also the president of Brandeis University. In the correspondence are rich discussions of the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation, Reform Judaism, and Brandeis University. Also of note is the personal correspondence between Lelyveld and his children which reflects a strong relationship between parent and child.
The collection is arranged in five series.
The researcher should also consult MS 4639 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers; MS 5020 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series III; MS 5130 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series IV; MS 3941 Anshe Chesed Congregation Records; PG 506 Arthur J. Lelyveld Photographs; and PG 584 Arthur J. Lelyveld Photographs, Series II.
Processed by Stanley Lasky in 1999
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4806 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Teela S. Lelyveld, 1997, 1998, and 1999
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.