Finding aid for the Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series IV

Biography of ARthur J. Lelyveld

Rabbi Arthur Joseph Lelyveld (1913-1997), 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: The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia (1939-1941), Religion and the State University (1958), and Retrospect and Prospect: Position of the Jew in the Modern World (1964). In addition, he has contributed articles and reviews to numerous journals including: American Jewish Archives, Jewish Book Annual. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of Jewish Communal Service, Journal of Reform Judaism, Judaism, and The Reconstructionist. Throughout his career Rabbi Lelyveld has been active in the civil rights movement. Following the lynching in Mississippi of civil rights worker Andrew Goodman, the son of friends, Lelyveld joined other Cleveland clergy on a voter registration drive in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. On this trip, in the summer of 1964, Lelyveld served as a minister-counselor to the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) under the auspices of the Commission on Race and Religion of the National Council of Churches. While serving in this capacity Lelyveld was severely beaten by segregationists.

Scope and Content

The Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series IV, 1942-1973 and undated, consist of an article, a certificate, lectures, a program, sermons, and speeches.

The collection is of value to researchers studying the history of Judaism in America and the Jewish community in Cleveland and Beachwood, Ohio. As a rabbi of one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in America and as a leader of key national Jewish organizations, Lelyveld's writings 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.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4639 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers; Ms. 4806 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series II; MS 5020 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series III; PG 506 Arthur J. Lelyveld Photographs; and PG 584 Arthur J. Lelyveld Photographs, Series II.

All photographs have been removed to PG 584 Arthur J. Lelyveld Photographs, Series II.

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 5130 Arthur J. Lelyveld Papers, Series IV, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Teela Lelyveld in 2001, 2008, and 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Sean Martin and Philip Wasserstrom in 2012.

Detailed Description of The Collection