Abstract Henry Wise was a Boston-area lawyer whose practice focused mainly on housing, fishing, and labor, three areas in which he crafted important local legislation. In 1942 he wrote to the Institute of Jewish Affairs, a research branch created by the American and World Jewish Congresses, inquiring after membership. The Institute of Jewish Affairs was made up primarily of scholars, who took a scientific approach towards researching Jewish life from the previous 25 years. They hoped to better...