Jewish Federation of the North Shore (Mass.) Records
Scope and Content Note
The records of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore contain materials relating to the operations of the organization, particularly during the early 2000s. This includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and publications from JFNS and its associated charities, as well as a manual produced for members of the JFNS Board of Directors. Half of the first series is made up of photographs, the bulk of which are from the late 1990s into the early 2000s and depict events organized by the JFNS Women’s Division.
JFNS associated with a number of other Jewish organizations, and a small portion of this collection is devoted to records related to these organizations, including the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, United Jewish Appeal, American Jewish Congress, Council of Jewish Federations, B’nai B’rith, and Jewish National Fund. The majority of this content consists of publications produced by the organizations and some newspaper clippings. However, the CJP records include minutes from meetings of the Board of Directors, donor reports, and fundraising banquet ticket lists.
Dates
- undated, circa 1926-2007
Creator
- Jewish Federation of the North Shore (Organization)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for researcher use. Please contact us to request access or to make an appointment to view this collection at jhcreference@nehgs.org.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of this collection. For more information contact jhcreference@nehgs.org.
Historical Note
The Jewish Federation of the North Shore (JFNS) was founded in 1938 in Lynn, Massachusetts. There was a large and thriving Jewish community north of Boston, and JFNS was founded to raise money to support organizations that helped enrich both the local and international Jewish communities. The agency sponsored trips to Israel and helped underwrite programming at a number of North Shore organizations, including the Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Historical Society, Cohen Hillel Academy, the Jewish Journal, and two North Shore Jewish community centers. Additionally, they allocated money for health and family services, education, and leadership development through fundraising campaigns led by groups inside the agency, such as the Women’s Division and the Jewish Community Foundation, as well as through collaborative efforts with other charitable organizations, like the United Jewish Appeal.
Starting in the 1960s, Jewish families began migrating to suburbs south and west of Boston. The reduction in population led to a decline in donations for JFNS. To consolidate services and reduce redundancy of coverage area, the JFNS Board of Directors voted to merge the organization with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) in 2013.
The Federation of Jewish Charities of Boston (FJC) was established in 1895. Through a series of mergers and reorganizations, FJC eventually formed into the Combined Jewish Philanthropies in the 1960s. It is the oldest federated Jewish philanthropy in the United States and the largest Jewish charity in New England. A complete history of the organization can be found in the finding aid for the organization’s records, “Guide to the Records of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Boston, MA),” I-220.
References
- Materials from the collection.
- “Our History,” Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Accessed November 29, 2014), http://www.cjp.org/about-us/our-history
- Rosenberg, Steven A. “Jewish groups set to merge,” boston.com May 26, 2013 (Accessed November 29, 2014), http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2013/05/25/jewish-federation-cjp-merge-july/zTdl9QwqMNDEDuqdxsuDzJ/story.html
<emph render="bold"> Jewish Federation of the North Shore</emph>
- 1895
- Federation of Jewish Charities of Boston is founded.
- 1938
- Jewish Federation of the North Shore is founded.
- 2013
- JFNS merges with Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Extent
1 linear feet (2 manuscript boxes)
Abstract
The Jewish Federation of the North Shore was founded in 1938 in Lynn, Massachusetts with the objective to support organizations that helped enrich the Jewish community on the North Shore and abroad. After a period of declining donations and to consolidate services, the JFNS Board of Directors voted to merge the organization with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies in 2013. The collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings and publications from JFNS, as well as a large group of photographs and documents produced for the Board of Directors in the early 21st century.
Physical Location
Located in Boston, Mass.
Acquisition Information
Donated by the Jewish Heritage Center of the North Shore in 2013.
Processing Information
Processed by Shannon Struble, 2015.
- Administrative records
- American Jewish Congress
- B'nai B'rith
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston
- Correspondence
- Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds
- Fund raising
- Guinness World Records Limited
- Jewish National Fund
- Jewish community centers
- Jews -- Charities
- Lynn (Mass.)
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Newsletters
- North Shore (Mass. : Coast)
- Photographs
- Programs (documents)
- Publications (documents)
- Salem (Mass.)
- United Jewish Appeal
- Title
- Guide to the Jewish Federation of the North Shore (Mass.) Records, I-572
- Author
- Processed by Shannon Struble
- Date
- 2015
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors Repository