Collection: Audio of JTS Lectures, 1947-1969
Description: Reel to reel audio recordings and one 16mm film of lectures at JTS documenting American Jewish history, society, and scholarship throughout the mid to late 20th century. The items selected capture lectures, conferences, and events held and recorded at The Jewish Theological Seminary between 1947-1969, covering topics that range from Jewish perspectives on healthcare, Jewish/Christian and Jewish/Islamic relations, and relations with the State of Israel. There are also recordings of Rabbinical Assembly meetings, including a notable session featuring Civil Rights activists Coretta Scott King and Andrew Young discussing Black/Jewish relations. There are several oral histories recorded with longtime JTS faculty and staff, including Jessica Feingold, Sylvia Ettenberg, Mordecai Waxman, Moshe Davis, and Simon Greenberg. Also speeches given by Jewish and other luminaries such as David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel, Teddy Kollek, Mayor of Jerusalem (1965-1993), President Harry Truman, and former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. Tapes were selected by date recorded (1940s-1960s) as they are the most endangered and need to be digitized before their contents are lost.