Guide to the Records of the New England Jewish Music Forum, undated, 1953-1990
*I-270
Processed by Lael Dalal
Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS
99-101 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02116
Email: jhcreference@nehgs.org
URL: jewishheritagecenter.org
© 2019 Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Boston, MA. All Rights Reserved.
Machine-readable finding aid created by Lael Dalal as MS Word document, December 2013. Finding aid was encoded by Christine McEvilly on May 13, 2014. Description is in English.
Descriptive Summary | |
Creator: | New England Jewish Music Forum |
---|---|
Title: | New England Jewish Music Forum Records |
Dates: | undated, 1953-1990 |
Abstract: | The New England Jewish Music Forum was a non-profit organization created in 1958 committed to presenting performances of Jewish music in the Boston area. The organization closed its doors in 1990 after thirty-two years due to financial hardship and low membership. The collection includes meeting minutes, by-laws, and finances, as well as photographs of forum events, performance programs and brochures, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and concert files. |
Languages: | The collection is in English. |
Quantity: | 3.5 cubic feet (7 manuscript boxes and 1 OS1 Folder) |
Identification: | I-270 |
Repository: | American Jewish Historical Society |
Location: | Located in AJHS Boston, MA |
Historical Note1
The New England Jewish Music Forum was a non-profit organization created in 1958 committed to organizing and presenting performances of Jewish music in the Boston area. The mission of the Forum was to “promote interest in Jewish Music; elevate and maintain high standards of programming and performance; encourage writing of new works and to present young artists as well as established performers. Through a series of four varied concerts each season, featuring solo singers and instrumentalists, vocal and instrumental ensembles, operas, dancing groups, and lectures, the Forum reveals to its own eager and loyal membership as well as to the community at large, a rich treasury of Jewish culture.”
The founders of the Music Forum included Russian-born pianist and composer Lazar Weiner; his niece, Minuetta Kessler, a pianist, teacher and composer; her husband Michael Kessler; Cantor Alex Zimmer; Cantor Jack Seully; and his wife, Rose Seully; composer Herbert Fromm; and his wife, Leni Fromm. The concerts included performances by theater troupes, orchestras, concert choirs, and singers. Past presidents included Alex Zimmer, Cantor Michal (Michael) Hammerman, Mary Wolfman-Epstein, and Murray Coran. Most performances included spoken commentary on the work, and sometimes a small reception afterwards giving members an opportunity to meet the artists.
Concerts were held at various congregations including Temple Israel in Boston, Massachusetts, Congregation Kehillath Israel and Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Massachusetts, and concert halls at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Audiences often numbered well over 1,000 people. The organization scouted and hired performers for the concerts and critiqued each performance at their meetings. Artists were from across the country and around the world. Those featured at the New England Jewish Music Forum concerts included David Bar-Illan, Theodore Bikel, Jan Peerce, Nico Castel, Minuetta Kessler, Shlomo Mintz, Judith Raskin, and Mary Wolfman-Epstein. The organization closed its doors in 1990 after thirty-two years due to financial hardship and low membership. They gave the remaining funds to the National Center for Jewish Film in order to help underwrite their production of Great Cantors of the Golden Age, a film which debuted in 2006 and featured rare performances of renowned cantors from 1910 to the 1940s.
Chronology | |
1958 | New England Jewish Music Forum created. |
1958-1990 | NEJMF held four to five performances annually. |
1990 | New England Jewish Music Forum closed. |
Footnotes
- 1 Information used in this finding aid is from the following sources:
The National Center for Jewish Film "Great Cantors of the Golding Age" <http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/greatcantors.htm>.
Materials from the Collection
Scope and Content Note
The Records of the New England Jewish Music Forum include meeting minutes, by-laws, and finances, as well as photographs of Forum events, performance programs and brochures, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and concert files. Concert files include correspondence between the Forum and the artists, newspaper clippings, and professional photographs and promotional materials from the artist. Although there are no audio or video recordings of the events in the collection, one performance is available online on The Internet Archive: "A Chassidic Evening" by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, performed by Cantor Alex Zimmer and Cantor Michal (Michael) Hammerman at Congregation Kehillath Israel in the mid-1960s.
Return to the Top of PageArrangement
The collection is arranged into 4 series as follows:
- Series I: Correspondence, undated, 1958-1990
- Series II: General, undated, 1953-1990
- Series III: Governance, undated, 1966-1989
- Series IV: Performances, undated, 1953-1990
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
The collection is open to all researchers by permission of the Director of Collections and Engagement of the American Jewish Historical Society, except items that are restricted due to their fragility.
Use Restrictions
Information concerning the literary rights may be obtained from the Director of Library and Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society. Users must apply in writing for permission to quote, reproduce or otherwise publish manuscript materials found in this collection. For more information contact:
American Jewish Historical Society, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011
email:
reference@ajhs.org
Related Material
Congregation Kehillath Israel (Boston, MA), I-488
Mary Wolfman Epstein Papers, unprocessed
Temple Israel (Boston, MA), I-458
Temple Ohabei Shalom (Brookline, MA), I-459
Return to the Top of PagePreferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date (if known);
New England Jewish Music Forum Records;
I-270; box number; folder number; Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Cantor Murray E. Simon, 1991.
Return to the Top of PageAccess Points
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Click on a subject to search that term in the Center's catalog.Subject Names:
Subject Organizations:
Subject Topics:
Subject Places:
Document Types:
Container List
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I: Correspondence, undated, 1958-1990 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 1 | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged into two Subseries by type of correspondent. | ||||
Scope and Content:This series includes correspondence to and from members, the program committee and the board, as well as correspondence to agencies and artists regarding possible performance dates. | ||||
Subseries A: General, undated, 1958-1988 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 1, Folders 1-8 | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged alphabetically. | ||||
Scope and Content:This sub-series includes correspondence between board members regarding event logistics, as well as correspondence between the Forum, event venue staff, and artist agencies. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
1 | 1-8 | General | undated, 1958-1988 | ![]() |
Subseries B: Members, 1958-1990 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 1, Folders 9-10 | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged alphabetically. | ||||
Scope and Content:This sub-series includes correspondence between the Forum and its members regarding membership recruitment, upcoming concerts, and detailed newsletters of upcoming concert seasons. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
1 | 9-10 | Members | 1958-1990 | ![]() |
Series II: General, undated, 1966-1989 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 2. | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged alphabetically by subject. | ||||
Scope and Content:This series includes a large collection of news clippings regarding the Forum's upcoming events and reviews of performances from 1958-1990, sheet music catalogs, a list of recorded concert tapes (which are not part of the collection), event photographs, and information regarding the creation and the closing of the Forum. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
2 | 1 | American Conference of Cantors | 1966 | ![]() |
2 | 2 | Closing of the New England Jewish Music Forum | 1988-1990 | ![]() |
2 | 3 | Creation of the New England Jewish Music Forum | undated, 1958-1959 | ![]() |
2 | 4 | Event Photographs | undated, 1967 | ![]() |
2 | 5 | List of Concert Tapes | undated | ![]() |
2 | 6 | Music Catalogs | undated, 1953-1987 | ![]() |
2 | 7-9 | News Clippings | undated, 1958-1990 | ![]() |
Series III: Governance, undated, 1966-1989 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 3 and one OS1 folder. | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged alphabetically by type of document. | ||||
Scope and Content:This series includes Forum meeting minutes from 1966-1986 which include critiques of past performances, information regarding the expense of the concerts, and ideas about upcoming events. The meeting minutes also include a graph of membership numbers on the back of a large black and white photograph of a young girl (located in a shared oversize box). Governance also includes lists of members of the executive board, program committee notes, financial statements of receipts and disbursements, a corporation document, and by-laws from various years. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
3 | 1 | By Laws | undated | ![]() |
3 | 2 | Corporation | 1967 | ![]() |
3 | 3 | Finances | 1966-1989 | ![]() |
3 | 4-6 | Meeting Minutes | 1966-1986 | ![]() |
3 | 7 | Members of Executive Board | 1970-1988 | ![]() |
3 | 8 | Program Committee Meeting Notes | 1977-1979 | ![]() |
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
OS1 Consolidated Box | Membership Graph Photograph | undated | ![]() |
Series IV: Performances, undated, 1953-1990 | ||||
English. | ||||
Boxes 4-7. | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged into two subseries by type of performance. | ||||
Scope and Content:This series contains materials relating to the events that the Forum conducted, including correspondence between the Forum, artists, or agencies; photographs of the artists; newspaper clippings regarding the artist and their performances; promotional materials from each artist; promotional fliers for the Forum's performances; and programs from each performance. | ||||
Subseries A: General, undated, 1953-1990 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 4-7 | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged chronologically by date of performance. | ||||
Scope and Content:This sub-series contains materials from the four performances that the Forum held each year and are arranged by date of performance. Most concert files contain the program for the event, correspondence between the artist and the Forum before and after the concert, and various promotional materials that the artist sent to the Forum for publicity. These can be “glossies,” or professional photographs of the artist, and promotional brochures and fliers. There are concert files on most but not every performance. Some concert files are joined together by season instead of individual performance since there was a lack of material for some performances, such as the 29th Season (1986-1987). For a complete look at the performances held, see the Programs sub-series. The concert files include artists such as David Bar-Illan, Theodore Bikel, Mira Gilbert, Boris Goldovsky, Minuetta Kessler, Ruthi Navon, Jan Peerce, and Martha Schlamme. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
4 | 1 | Martha Schlamme, 11/22/1960 | undated, 1960 | ![]() |
4 | 2 | “The Golem,” 11/14/1961 | undated, 1961 | ![]() |
4 | 3 | Rakhel Hadass, 11/13/1962 | undated, 1962 | ![]() |
4 | 4 | Hanoch Greenfeld, 1/23/1963 | 1963 | ![]() |
4 | 5 | “Isaac Levi and Chelm,” 11/19/1963 | 1963 | ![]() |
4 | 6 | “A Literary Evening with Music,” 6/7/1967 | 1967 | ![]() |
4 | 7 | Jack Glatzer, 3/11/1968 | undated, 1967-1968 | ![]() |
4 | 8 | Netania Davrath, 4/24/1968 | 1962-1968 | ![]() |
4 | 9 | Mira Gilbert and Frances Alenikoff, 11/20/1968 | undated, 1964-1968 | ![]() |
4 | 10 | Ophra Yerushalmi, 1/22/1969 | undated, 1967-1969 | ![]() |
4 | 11 | “The Golem,” 3/26/1969 | 1968-1969 | ![]() |
4 | 12 | Ruth Rubin, 5/13/1969 | 1968-1969 | ![]() |
4 | 13 | Herbert Fromm Concert, 4/1/1970 | undated, 1966-1970 | ![]() |
4 | 14 | Louis Saguer | 1970 | ![]() |
4 | 15 | Seymor Schwartzman, 11/24/1970 | 1969-1971 | ![]() |
4 | 16 | Concert Including Margot Blum Scheville and Kenneth and Liora Sarch, 1/20/1971 | undated, 1969-1971 | ![]() |
4 | 17 | The Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, 3/21/1971 | undated, 1970-1972 | ![]() |
4 | 18 | Contemporary American Opera and Operetta featuring The Capers, 11/9/1971 | undated, 1971 | ![]() |
4 | 19 | “The Cantoral Art,” featuring Cantors Harold Orbach and Isaac Goodfriend, 5/9/1972 | undated, 1972-1973 | ![]() |
4 | 20 | A Chassidic Evening,” featuring Shlomo Carlebach, 11/14/1972 | undated, 1972 | ![]() |
4 | 21 | “Composers’ Evening,” 1/24/1973 | undated, 1972-1973 | ![]() |
4 | 22 | New England Regional Opera Co., “Jack and the Beanstalk,” 4/8/1973 | undated, 1972-1973 | ![]() |
4 | 23 | From Israel with Love,” featuring Gadi Elon, Tsachi and Yael, and Sadot Dancers, 5/30/1973 | undated, 1973 | ![]() |
4 | 24 | Mikhail Alexandrovich, 11/12/1973 | undated, 1973-1974 | ![]() |
4 | 25 | Theodore Lettvin, 1/20/1974 | undated, 1973-1974 | ![]() |
4 | 26 | “The Music of Spanish Jewry,” 3/20/1974 | undated, 1953-1974 | ![]() |
4 | 27 | “Jewish Popular Music,” featuring Mimi Sloam and Stan Porter, 5/14/1974 | undated, 1974 | ![]() |
4 | 28 | “Piano Music and Songs of Fathers and Sons,” featuring Lazar Weiner, Yehudi Wyner, and Susan Davenny Wyner, 1/22/1975 | 1972-1975 | ![]() |
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
5 | 1 | Misha Alexandrovich, 3/16/1975 | undated, 1974-1975 | ![]() |
5 | 2 | Herbert Fromm’s “Four Proverbs” and Leonard Bernstein’s “The Chichester Psalms,” 5/6/1975 | 1975 | ![]() |
5 | 3 | “From Shtetl to Stage Door,” 12/7/1975 | undated, 1975 | ![]() |
5 | 4 | “The Cantoral Art” featuring Cantors Boris Greisdorf, Murray E. Simon, & Norman Summers, 1/18/1976 | 1975-1976 | ![]() |
5 | 5 | “Soviet-Jewish Artists of the Boston Symphony Orchestra,” 3/28/1976 | 1975-1976 | ![]() |
5 | 6 | The Feenjon Group, 5/11/1976 | undated, 1975-1976 | ![]() |
5 | 7 | “Gimpel the Fool,” 11/14/1976 | 1976 | ![]() |
5 | 8 | Roman Totenberg, Fredrik Wanger, and The Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, 2/27/1977 | undated, 1976-1977 | ![]() |
5 | 9 | Misha Raitzen, 3/20/1977 | undated, 1974-1977 | ![]() |
5 | 10 | “The Sounds of Jewish Music,” featuring the Romanul Chamber Players, 4/17/1977 | undated, 1977 | ![]() |
5 | 11 | “In Celebration of Israel,” Ze’Eva Cohen and Danny Dayan, 5/15/1977 | undated, 1976-1977 | ![]() |
5 | 12 | Grand Opera with Boris Goldovsky, 11/8/1977 | undated, 1977 | ![]() |
5 | 13 | “The Cantica Hebraica,” 2/5/1978 | 1976-1978 | ![]() |
5 | 14 | David Bar-Illan, 3/26/1978 | 1976-1978 | ![]() |
5 | 15 | Jan Peerce, 5/7/1978 | undated, 1977-1978 | ![]() |
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
6 | 1 | Julius Chajes, 3/11/1979 | undated, 1979 | ![]() |
6 | 2 | “The Art of the Klezmer,” 4/8/1979 | undated, 1979 | ![]() |
6 | 3 | Judith Raskin, 5/13/1979 | undated, 1978-1979 | ![]() |
6 | 4 | The Sophie Maslow Dance Company, 11/11/1979 | undated, 1979 | ![]() |
6 | 5 | The Israel Piano Trio, 3/25/1980 | undated, 1980 | ![]() |
6 | 6 | Rivka Isachar, Anne Taffel, Ruth Saltzman, and Caltilena Quintet, 4/23/1980 | undated, 1980 | ![]() |
6 | 7 | Theodore Bikel, 5/27/1980 | undated, 1980 | ![]() |
6 | 8 | “A Concert in Celebration of Ernest Bloch and Herbert Fromm on his 75th Birthday,” 11/9/1980 | undated, 1980 | ![]() |
6 | 9 | Joseph Silverstein and Andrew Wolf, 3/25/1981 | 1961-1981 | ![]() |
6 | 10 | The Yakims and Mimi Sloan, 4/12/1981 | undated, 1963-1981 | ![]() |
6 | 11 | Nico Castel with Anne Lewin, 5/17/1981 | undated, 1978-1987 | ![]() |
6 | 12 | “The World of the Shtetle,” 5/31/1981 | undated, 1981 | ![]() |
6 | 13 | The New York String Ensemble, 11/15/1981 | undated, 1981 | ![]() |
6 | 14 | Fredrik and Jane Wanger and the Voice of the Turtle, 3/14/1982 | undated, 1982 | ![]() |
6 | 15 | Duo-Reim, 4/25/1982 | undated, 1981-1982 | ![]() |
6 | 16 | Shlomo Mintz and Paul Ostrovsky, 10/10/1982 | undated, 1982 | ![]() |
6 | 17 | The 25th Season | undated, 1981-1984 | ![]() |
6 | 18 | Honoring Lazar Weiner, 3/13/1983 | undated, 1983 | ![]() |
6 | 19 | The 26th Season | undated, 1983-1984 | ![]() |
6 | 20 | The 27th Season | undated, 1984-1986 | ![]() |
6 | 21 | Rivka Isachar and Hamakor, 11/18/1984 | undated, 1979-1984 | ![]() |
6 | 22 | The Parvarium, 5/5/1985 | undated, 1983-1985 | ![]() |
6 | 23 | The 28th Season | undated, 1985-1986 | ![]() |
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
7 | 1 | The 29th Season | undated, 1986-1987 | ![]() |
7 | 2 | American VocalArts Quintet, 3/1/1987 | undated, 1987 | ![]() |
7 | 3 | Yoseph Yankelev, 3/29/1987 | undated, 1985-1987 | ![]() |
7 | 4 | “Our Liturgical Heritage,” 5/17/1987 | undated, 1986-1987 | ![]() |
7 | 5 | Paul Zim, 11/15/1987 | 1983-1987 | ![]() |
7 | 6 | Michael Webster and Barry Snyder, 3/13/1988 | undated, 1983-1988 | ![]() |
7 | 7 | The New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, 4/17/1988 | undated, 1988 | ![]() |
7 | 8 | Washington Music Ensemble and Jazz in the Jewish Experience, 6/6/1988 | undated, 1988 | ![]() |
7 | 9 | The 31st Season | undated, 1988-1989 | ![]() |
7 | 10 | The 32nd Season | undated, 1989-1990 | ![]() |
Subseries B: Members, undated, 1953-1990 | ||||
English. | ||||
Box 7, Folders 11-14 | ||||
Arrangement:Arranged chronologically by date of performance. | ||||
Scope and Content:This sub-series contains a near complete collection of the Forum's event programs from 1958-1990. These were created for each performance by the Forum and indicate the name of artists, date and place of event as well as the title of songs (sometimes with translations) or additional information. | ||||
Box | Folder | Title | Date | Request |
7 | 11-14 | Programs | 1958-1990 | ![]() |