Collection Overview

Series 1: Herbert S. Goldstein Papers 1908-1988, Bulk dates: 1923-1964. 2.25 Linear feet, Manuscript boxes 1-2; Flat box 3; Manuscript box 4, Folders 1-2

Goldstein received a private rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Shalom Elchanan Jaffe, and, in 1914, he was ordained as well by the Jewish Theological Seminary. He earned an MA at Columbia University in 1913 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree by Yeshiva College in 1941. After a courtship of several years, in 1915 Goldstein married Rebecca (Betty) Fischel, daughter of the well-known philanthropist, Harry Fischel.

Goldstein was a staunch defender of traditional Judaism, a powerful orator, an activist on behalf of Jewish causes, and an energetic communal leader. He was the founder of the Institutional Synagogue, established in 1917, in accordance with his conviction that in order to attract and engage young Jewish men and women one must bring together worship, education, social events, and sports activities all under one roof. The Synagogue flourished first in Harlem and then, as the population migrated, on New York's Upper West Side where it is known as the West Side Institutional Synagogue to this day. Rabbi Goldstein was associated with the Synagogue until his death in 1970.

Goldstein served as president of the Synagogue Council of America, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (UOJCA) where he was instrumental in attracting prominent food manufacturers, such as Heinz, to Kashruth supervision and labelling. He was involved with the Jewish Welfare Board in its work relating to Jewish chaplains. He was active in Agudath Israel as well and was professor of homiletics at Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Goldstein frequently visited Palestine and later Israel. He was involved in numerous philanthropic undertakings and he authored several books.

The text of a 1943 letter from Goldstein, as Chairman of the Synagogue Council of America's Committee on Religious Observance, to New York Governor Thomas Dewey is included in the series as part of a document regarding the introduction of Saturday classes in the public schools. In 1945, under Goldstein's leadership as President, the Council issued a Memorandum to the American Delegates to the United Nations Conference in San Francisco regarding the UN's proposed mission and charter, recommending they address the issues of Justice to the Jew and Outlawing Racial and Religious Incitement, among others.

Of particular note are letters from Justice Louis D. Brandeis, dated February 5, 1940, regarding Arab-Jewish relations and from Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, probably 1948 or 1949, addressing the importance of Jerusalem.

Correspondence in the file refers to the "O.U. label" and reflects Rabbi Goldstein's role in the Union's early kashrut activities. Letters from The Quaker Maid Company and H. J. Heinz describe their products vis-a-vis kashruth requirements. Also included is correspondence relating to kosher food for Jewish soldiers and for surviving "Jewish victims of Nazi terror."

The file contains minutes of a May 15, 1944 "Joint Meeting of Special Committees Appointed by the UOJCA and the Rabbinical Council of America with full power to settle Kashruth problems," and minutes of a UOJCA Executive Committee Meeting, 9/12/49, at which a motion was passed to establish "a separate Department of Kashruth of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America... Director of Kashruth shall be appointed jointly by the Union and the Rabbinical Council of America...[and] shall be a layman."

In a number of letters in the file regarding the Barricini certification, Rabbi Goldstein argues for the stringent position on the question of the OUJCA endorsing products of a company that produces its own products and distributes them through its own retail stores that are open on the Sabbath.

Most of the sermons are handwritten; some are complete while others are partial or notes. In some cases there is more than one draft; a few appear to have been reworked for a later occasion. Despite the large number of sermons in the subseries, it is unlikely it contains all of Goldstein's sermons given the many decades he served as a pulpit rabbi.

Dates on the sermons are generally preceded by the words "Begun with G-d's aid," and thus indicate when they were being drafted rather than the date of delivery. Many sermons are undated.

The sermons are both titled and untitled. Titles indicate the sermons were generally about the occasion (the Torah portion of the week or holiday), and/or on a topic of Jewish significance.

Many of the documents bear numerals or numbers, e.g., LXIXa, whose significance is undetermined.

NOTE: See Processing Note for information regarding how sermons in the collection were assembled and sorted.

In addition to the scrapbook there is a folder of individual items, invitations, announcements and programs covering the years 1938 through 1948.

A promotional brochure for the "Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein Library Building" to be erected in Jerusalem in celebration of Goldstein's "50th anniversary in the American Rabbinate" concludes this subseries.

Additional clippings and ephemera about Herbert Goldstein most likely can be found in the Printed Materials series, which is largely unprocessed.

Series 2: Rebecca (Fischel) Goldstein Papers 1912-1961. 1.5 Linear feet, Manuscript box 4, Folders 3-7; Manuscript boxes 5-6; Manuscript box 7, Folders 1-3

Rebecca was graduated from Barnard College in 1912 and continued her Jewish Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She and Herbert Goldstein were "brought together by their immersion in the study of Jewish texts and their determination to teach others and spread the word of Torah." They were married on March 1, 1915.

Rebecca served as first president of the Women's Branch of the Orthodox Union; she founded the Daughters of the Institutional Synagogue; she was vice chair of the Women's Committee of the Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University; and as her papers testify, she was active in numerous other organizations that sought her participation and leadership.

Rebecca and Herbert raised four children, Simeon, Gabriel, Josephine and Naomi. Josephine married Rabbi Oscar Asher Reichel, who became rabbi of the West Side Institutional Synagogue and whose papers are found in this collection. Naomi moved to Israel (then Palestine) and was married to Rabbi She'ar Yashuv-Kohen who, among many other important positions and accomplishments, was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Haifa and Board Chair of the Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research and Torah Law. Naomi Goldstein Kohen earned a doctorate at the Hebrew University and is the author of several books.

("Goldstein, Rebecca Fischel (1891-1961)", by Amy L. Katz. Jewish Women, A comprehensive historical encyclopedia. 1998-2010. p.536-7.)

It was Rebecca's practice to insert documents between the diary pages. These have been removed and filed in separate folders along with each diary. The documents vary in character and include newsprint clippings, correspondence, invitations, programs, etc.

Additional correspondence may be found in the Diaries subseries in the folders containing "diary documents". It was Rebecca's practice to insert correspondence and other documents between the pages of her diaries, which have been removed from the diaries and filed in separate folders along with each diary. Furthermore, correspondence arising from Rebecca's role as President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America's Women's Branch may be found in that subseries.

Series 3: O. Asher Reichel Papers 1946-1994. 1.0 Linear feet, Manuscript box 7, Folders 4-6; Shoebox 8; Manuscript box 9, Folders 1-2

Reichel's book, Isaac Halevy, 1847-1914: spokesman and historian of Jewish tradition, was published by Yeshiva University Press in 1969. It was followed by his edition of Isaac Halevy's letters, אגרות רבי יצחק אייזיק הלוי : בעל הדורות הראשונים / ערוך ומסודר בצירוף מבוא על-ידי אשר רייכל, published in Israel in 1972 by Mossad Harav Kook.

Reichel served as Chairman of the Board of the Harry and Jane Fischel Foundation. He chaired the Board of Education of Manhattan Day School; he was Chairman of Homes for Children in Israel; and served in various capacities at the Rabbinical Council of America.

(West Side Institutional Review, vol. xlvi, no. 3, November 1982)

Additional materials relating to Rabbi Reichel are found among the papers in the West Side Institutional Synagogue subseries.

Series 4: Harry Fischel Papers 1887-1948, Bulk dates: 1932-1948. 4.0 Folder(s), Manuscript box 9, Folders 3-6

Series 5: Harry Fischel Foundation Records 1935-1994. 2.0 Folder(s), Manuscript box 9, Folders 7-8

From the Preamble to the Constitution as adopted in 1948: "for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the Harry Fischel Institute in Jerusalem, Palestine, and for the development of such Talmudical research as will aid Jewish knowledge and present the orthodox Jewish contributions to civilization, and for extending assistance to orthodox Jewish religious educational institutions throughout the world, ..."

Throughout its history and until today, members of the broader Fischel-Goldstein-Reichel family have been involved with the Foundation and the Institute.

Series 6: Synagogue Records 1917-1935, 1962-1996. 1.0 Linear feet, Manuscript Boxes 10-11

By-laws and materials relating to membership in the West Side Institutional Synagogue may be found in the subseries as well as correspondence, invitations, notices and programs, all of which offer a glimpse of life at the Synagogue. Also included are papers relating to Rabbi Reichel's tenure as Rabbi, activities of the Women's League and Young Folks Group, a fire at the Synagogue, and discussion of a possible merger with the Lincoln Square Synagogue.

Series 7: Audio Recordings 1927-1928, 1992, undated. 0.25 Linear feet, Manuscript box 12

The Jewish Home Institute, under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education, issued records as part of its program to assist mothers in educating their pre-school children at home. (New York Learns; A Guide to the Educational Facilities of the Metropolis, NY 1939, p. 83. Accessed 9/11/17 at https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/readbook/NewYorkLearns_10047935#0).

The records are accompanied by a note dated 12/92 and signed JGR [Josephine Goldstein Reichel] that reads: "These Jewish children's records date back to my childhood days... They came in from a drawer in Hunter..."

Two additional records included are "Ki-Savo, Maftir, Haftorah and Blessings," by Cantor Harry Weinberg and "When a Child is Born" and "The Other Way Round," by German singer, Michael Holm.

The Jewish Home Institute records have been reformatted to DVD.

Series 8: Printed materials 1940s through 1990s. 2.5 Linear feet, Manuscript boxes 13-14; Cartons 15-16

It was apparently the Goldsteins' practice to clip news articles and announcements of relevance to them. Some early clippings are arranged in an alphabetical file. Others were simply scattered throughout the collection. Additional clippings are found with the Index cards series, and those found with Herbert Goldstein's materials and relating to him are in the Herbert S. Goldstein Papers series.

The printed materials remain unprocessed.

Series 9: Index cards various dates. 4.5 Linear feet, 9 shoeboxes

Series 10: Deeds 1904-1905. 1.0 Folder(s)