Philip Bernstein (1911-1995) Papers

Philip Bernstein was born June 6, 1911 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Jacob and Anna (Golufchin) Bernstein. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1932, where he was the student director of the Hillel. He received a Master's of Science degree in Social Administration from the School of Applied Social Sciences at Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University) in 1934. Bernstein was the Executive Secretary of the Cleveland Jewish Community Council and the Assistant Director of the Cleveland Jewish Community Federation from 1934-1943, during which time he also taught social administration classes at Western Reserve University.

Bernstein began his career with the national office of the Council of Jewish Federations (later the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJFWF)) when he and his family moved to New York in 1943. Bernstein was the Director of Field Service for CJFWF from 1943-1947 and the Associate Director of Field Service from 1947-1955, when he became the national Executive Director, a role he held from 1955-1967. He was the Executive Vice President from 1967-August 1979, when he retired. After his retirement, he served as the executive vice-president emeritus and a consultant for CJFWF from 1979 until his death in 1995.

During his many years with the CJFWF, Mr. Bernstein helped to establish the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the National Jewish Community Relations Council, helped to reorganize the Jewish Agency for Israel and helped to design Project Renewal, a joint program of the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel, which combats poverty in Israel. He also provided professional guidance for the 1986 merger of the New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and the New York United Jewish Appeal, which created the world's largest Jewish communal service organization. In addition, he served on the boards of the National Advisory Committee of the AFL-CIO Community Services Committee; the Brandeis University Institute of Contemporary Jewish Affairs, Advisory Committee; the Citizens' Crusade against Poverty; the Council for Social Planning and Progress Development; the Empire Housing Foundation in New York; the Interreligious Committee Against Poverty, Social Welfare Assembly; the National Assembly for Social Policy and Development; the National Conference on Social Welfare; the National Health and Welfare Retirement Association; the National Interfaith Consultation on Social Welfare, Steering Committee; the School of Advanced Social Studies, Board of Overseers; the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Ad Hoc Committee on Public Welfare; was the Chairman of the Social Services Division of the United Jewish Appeal-New York Federation of Jewish Philanthropies; was the Chairman of the Executive's Conference of the National Social Welfare Assembly; and was the president of the National Conference of Jewish Communal Services.

Bernstein received honorary degrees from Western Reserve University, Baltimore Hebrew College, and Hebrew Union College. In 1981, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by his alma mater, the School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

In addition to his 1983 book To Dwell in Unity: The Jewish Federation Movement in America Since 1960, Bernstein published numerous articles both in Jewish and general publications, such as the Journal of Jewish Communal Services, Harper's Magazine, The Nation, Opinion, B'nai B'rith Magazine, American Hebrew, Christian Century, Encyclopedia of Social Work, American Jewish Yearbook, Social Work Yearbook, and many others.

Philip Bernstein and Florence Michaelson were married on June 12, 1938 in Cleveland. They had two sons, Joel and Paul, and a daughter, Judith. Philip Bernstein died on November 18, 1995 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City at age 84.