Finding aid for the Shubert Spero Papers

Biography of Shubert Spero

Rabbi Shubert Spero (b. 1923) was a leader of the Orthodox Jewish community in Cleveland, Ohio, and a professor of philosophy who directed Young Israel of Cleveland for thirty-two years. Born in New York City, Spero was educated at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath where he was ordained in 1947. He then served as rabbi of Young Israel of Brookline, Massachusetts, until 1950 when he became rabbi and director of Young Israel of Cleveland. During Spero's tenure, Young Israel grew from 80 families to more than 370 families in 1982. In 1958 Young Israel dedicated a new synagogue and youth center on Cedar Road in South Euclid, Ohio. Upon his arrival in Cleveland, Spero became secretary of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council (Merchaz Harabonim) of Cleveland. When Rabbi Israel Porath died in 1974, Spero became co-chairman of the Council, and also became chairman of the Vaad Hachinuch (educational committee) of Yeshivath Adath B'nai Israel; he continued to fill both positions through 1982. He was also a chairman of Hebrew Academy's Vaad Hachinuch, and a founder of the Cleveland Mikveh, completed in 1954. Spero served on the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Community Federation and on many of its committees. An active Zionist, he was president of the American Zionist Federation of Cleveland from 1976 to 1980, and encouraged a number of his congregants to immigrate to Israel. In 1946 Spero received a Bachelor of Social Science degree from City College of New York. He received his M.A. from Western Reserve University in 1960 and his Ph.D. in philosophy from Case Western Reserve University in 1971. For eighteen years he was a professor of liberal arts at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and taught philosophy at many area colleges. Among his numerous publications are the books God in All Seasons (1967) and Morality, Halakha and the Jewish Tradition (1983). In 1983 Spero and his wife Iris immigrated to Israel, where he took the Irving I. Stone Chair of Basic Jewish Thought at Bar Ilan University.

Scope and Content

The Shubert Spero Papers, 1942-1983 and undated, consist of correspondence, subject files, minutes, reports, publications, a scrapbook, and newsletters from Young Israel of Cleveland, the Rabbi's Record from Berkowitz-Kumin Funeral Home, and records from the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of Cleveland, its Rabbinical Court (Beth Din), and the Jewish Community Federation's Kashruth Board.

The papers of Rabbi Shubert Spero are a rich source of information on Orthodox Jewish life in Cleveland, Ohio, from the 1950s through the 1970s. They illuminate the efforts of the Orthodox establishment to maintain traditional laws and rituals in the face of many obstacles, yet also to relate them to changing times. A prime example of these efforts is the fight to establish and maintain kashrut in the face of major disputes and endless minor violations, dominating the records of the Orthodox Rabbinical Council.

Most of the general correspondence consists of letters written to Spero by his congregants, other rabbis, Cleveland Jewish community leaders (in particular Sidney Vincent), and others. There are some copies of outgoing letters. Much of the correspondence relates to Young Israel and to the Orthodox Rabbinical Council, particularly to the Beth Din (Rabbinical Court). Subjects discussed in the general correspondence include Spero's sermons, Israel aliyah (emigration), kashrut and other aspects of Orthodox ritual, halacha (Jewish law), and characteristics of Cleveland's Orthodox Jewish community. The reference letters include letters attesting to religious beliefs and background, for purposes such as exam exemption on the Sabbath and marital eligibility. Correspondence about speaking engagements reveals Spero's contacts with the non-Jewish as well as Jewish community, in Cleveland and elsewhere. Some other materials such as legal documents, programs, and brochures are included among the correspondence.

The Kashruth Board records include minutes of the Board, correspondence, and daily reports of the mashgiach (kosher food inspector). The Kashruth Board, established in 1947, is a department of the Jewish Community Federation, and includes four representatives from the Orthodox Rabbinical Council. The Council records provide a detailed picture of Orthodox Jewish practices in Cleveland, dealing with issues such as kashrut in Orthodox Jewish institutions and commercial food establishments, shabbat violations, funeral procedures, divorce, conversion, and circumcision. The Beth Din records show the court dealing with matters of Jewish law, such as divorce, and also settling personal and business disputes.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

Access to this collection is restricted. Researchers must make an appointment with the WRHS Curator of Cleveland Jewish History or the Curator of Manuscripts to complete a Case Files Access form.

All photographs have been removed to the WRHS photograph and print collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3988 Shubert Spero Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of Rabbi Shubert Spero in 1985.

Processing Information

Processed by Jane Busch in 1986.

Detailed Description of The Collection