New Judaeo-Christian Studies Digital Collection

Msgr. Oesterreicher, Rabbi Finkel, and Fr. Frizzell of the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies
Msgr. Oesterreicher, Rabbi Finkel, and Fr. Frizzell of the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies, from the John M. Oesterreicher papers, Mss 0053 (mss0053_s43_04)

The Archives and Special Collections Center has a strong relationship with the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies here at Seton Hall University. Five manuscript collections here at the A&SCC came to us through the Institute, and are rich resources for the study of Judaeo-Christian relations. The Edward H. Flannery papers, 1965-1996, Mss 0012, the Nancy Forsberg papers, 1913-2011, Mss 0022, the John M. Oesterreicher papers, 1920-2000, Mss 0053, the Rose Thering papers, 1944-2005, Mss 0016, and the Michael Wyschogrod papers, 1941-2002, Mss 0013 are important collections documenting the efforts of individuals striving to increase understanding among all people, especially Christians and Jews.

Now these five collections have a new digital resource, the Judaeo-Christian Studies Collections. Portions of each collection are being digitized and made available through this digital collection, and include manuscripts, photographs, pamphlets, correspondence, newsclippings, and other materials. We think this collection will prove to be an invaluable resources for scholars in Judaeo-Christian Studies or in any aspect of religious studies, and will continue to add to the collection. Bridgette, a graduate student in the Judaeo-Christian Studies department, has put a great deal of work into processing these collections, digitizing selected items, and making them available online. Thanks to Bridgette, and to Fr. Frizzell of the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies, these materials are now widely available to interested researchers. Check out the collection, and subscribe to the updates to see newly digitized items as they are uploaded!

Leonard Dreyfuss and New Jersey Civil Defense Display in the Archives

Currently on display in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room are items from the Leonard Dreyfuss papers, 1786-1972 (bulk 1931-1972), Mss 0001.

Leonard Dreyfuss materials on display in the Archives Reading Room
Leonard Dreyfuss materials on display in the Archives Reading Room

Leonard Dreyfuss was a resident of Newark and the city’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1942. A businessman in advertising, Dreyfuss was also very active in war efforts on the home front during World War 2, and continued his civil defense involvement after the war.

The United States Civil Defense was a non-military organization created to prepare and educate Americans on potential military attacks. Their purpose was to create and inform civilians of evacuation plans, fallout shelters and routes, survival skills, and alerts. Local chapters of Civil Defense created newsletters, passed out pamphlets, and held demonstrations and test alerts so citizens would be prepared. Leonard Dreyfuss was heavily involved with the organization’s activities in New Jersey, particularly in Newark, and served on the Governor’s Civil Defense Advisory Committee during the 1950s.

Items on display include materials related to Civil Defense activities in New Jersey, including photographs and newsclippings, and items published or distributed by Civil Defense, including pamphlets, armbands, and a poster. These items demonstrate the kind of organized efforts made by local citizens to prepare for conflict. During the Second World War, Americans were concerned with supporting the war effort and about the possibility of the conflict suddenly coming to American soil; after the war, nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction became a major concern for most Americans. The materials on display reveal one aspect of how local people tried to address those concerns and prepare for the worst.

Leonard Dreyfuss and group next to Civil Defense Rescue Service truck, from the Leonard Dreyfuss papers, Mss 0001
Leonard Dreyfuss and group next to Civil Defense Rescue Service truck, from the Leonard Dreyfuss papers, Mss 0001

How do you see these activities and materials from the 1940s-1960s, and how does that compare to similar concerns today? How do you think people deal with fear of conflict at home, and do you think it has changed over time? View the materials on display and get a historical perspective!

These items will be on display through November, 2013. Special thanks go to Lucia Alvarez, intern at the Archives and Special Collections Center, for putting much of this display together.