Synagogues -- Organization and administration

Congregation Tifereth Israel was an Orthodox synagogue established in Revere, Massachusetts in 1912 and which closed in 2015. The collection consists primarily of financial and business records related to the operation of the synagogue and cemeteries.

The Jewish Historical Society of Western Massachusetts Records contain materials collected by the society that document the Jewish community of Western Massachusetts. Included are materials on Jewish organizations, families, individuals, schools, arts and cultural institutions, and synagogues; publications written about or by the Jewish community; and information on the Jewish Historical Society of Western Massachusetts itself.

Temple Emanuel Congregation was founded in Newton, Massachusetts in 1935. It is part of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), and has over 1,100 families in its congregation. Morris Finkelstein became president of the Congregation in 1972 and served until 1975. Main material types include correspondence, governance, membership lists and speeches.

The Myron S. Geller Arbitration Papers record the arbitration process of a contract dispute between Rabbi Myron S. Geller and Temple B'nai Abraham of Beverly, Massachusetts. The collection contains correspondence between all parties involved in the dispute, as well as legal documents, such as exhibits, affidavit, depositions, hearing transcripts, judgments, briefs, and the claims themselves.

Temple Beth El was founded in Lynn in 1924. In 1946, members of the congregation split off to form Temple Israel, and in 1968, Temple Beth El expanded from its Lynn location to Swampscott. The two temples reunited in 2005 to become Congregation Shirat Hiyam. This collection contains documents related to many areas of synagogue life, including general membership, the music program, the Religious School, temple governance, and the Sisterhood.

Temple B’nai Israel is a synagogue, established in the Beachmont neighborhood of Revere, Massachusetts in 1906. The congregation’s associated cemetery is located on Fuller Street in Everett. The collection consists of minutes from meetings of the congregation, Board of Directors, and miscellaneous other groups and committees, along with correspondence related to the synagogue and the Temple Israel Burial Society.

Temple Emanuel was founded in 1920 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. It began by serving a small immigrant Jewish community that has since grown to an affluent and lively congregation of about 600 families. This growth occurred largely under the tenure of Rabbi Harry A. Roth, who lead the congregation from 1962 until 1990 and oversaw the temple’s move to Andover, Massachusetts. This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and sermons.

The Vilna Shul is the last immigrant-era synagogue building in Boston and currently operates as a cultural center. This collection contains correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, proposals, photographs, notes, publications, financial records, legal documents, architectural plans, and audiovisual materials relating to the activities, internal proceedings, finances, early history, building renovations, and legal disputes of the Vilna Shul.