Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Records (MS-434)

Researchers studying the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Records can gain insight into Jewish life in the Greater Dayton area. The collection is organized into ten series and twenty-nine subseries:

Series I, Organization, contains records relevant to the history and operation of the organization. The series is divided into nine subseries. Among these are Constitution, Mission Statement, and Meeting Minutes, as well as many of the organizations the federation oversees.

Subseries IA, Bylaws, Constitution, and Meeting Minutes, contains documents related to the administrative function of the organization. Meeting minutes are organized by board and arranged chronologically by year. Proposed budgets and financial reports often appear within this series because they were discussed during the meetings and located with the official minutes.

Subseries IB, Jewish Community Council, contains the constitution of the organization along with records relevant to the annual meetings convened by the JCC. It also contains annual reports to the community issued by the JCC and lists of its board members and affiliated organizations.

Subseries IC, Dayton Jewish Center (DJC) or Jewish Community Center (JCC), contains records related to the Jewish Community Center, also known as the Dayton Jewish Center, and Jewish Community Center Complex. This material includes the JCC's Bylaws, membership cards, and building plans and groundbreaking information.

Subseries ID, Jewish Family Services (JFS), contains records related the Jewish Family Services branch of the JFGD. This organization focused on helping Jewish families, particularly immigrants, settle into the community by providing English classes, citizenship classes, and services for orphans and the handicapped.

Subseries IE, Jewish Home for the Aged and Covenant House, contains documents to the Jewish retirement homes that have existed under the JFGD. This material includes their Articles of Incorporation, Constitution and Bylaws, and property tax exemption.

Subseries IF, Women's Guild, contains records related to the Women's Guild that operated out of Covenant House. These records include financial statements, invitations to events, and meeting minutes.

Subseries IG, Dayton Hebrew Institute (DHI) and Jewish Education, contains records related to the education of Jewish youths in Dayton. Meeting minutes for this branch of the JFGD are located in Subseries IA.

Subseries H, Youth Groups and Playguild, contains records related to the numerous youth groups affiliated with the Federation and also the Playguild, which was a group that put on an annual play for the community.

Subseries I/I, Center for Jewish Culture and Education (CJCE), contains all records relevant to the CJCE. Much of the material in this subseries relates to the planning, construction, and dedication of the building that took place between 1999 and 2003. Meeting minutes for this branch of the JFGD are located in Subseries IA.

Subseries IJ, Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), contains documents related to the JCRC, which is the central public affairs arm of the JFGD. The organizations Bylaws are located in this series. Meeting minutes for this branch of the JFGD are located in Subseries IA.

Series II, Subjects, contains files related to two subjects: Israel and Civil Rights. Jews in Dayton were heavily involved in supporting both Israel and the Civil Rights movement during the second half of the 20th century.

Subseries IIA, Israel, contains documents and publications related to Israel. Much of this material is focused on Israel's various anniversaries and the Yom Kippur War.

Subseries IIB, Civil Rights, contains documents and publications related to the Civil Rights Movement. This includes material on the Civil Rights Bill of 1968 and even an original program to the March on Washington where Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Series III, Temple Israel, contains records relevant to the local Reform Synagogue, Temple Israel. This material includes the synagogue's constitution and bylaws, correspondence, and invitations to events and services.

Series IV, Financial Records, contains much of the fiscal related material the collection houses. This includes records related to stocks and bonds, year-end statements, and ledgers.

Subseries IVA, Stocks & Bonds, contains records related to the buying, selling, and transfer of stocks and bonds by the JFGD.

Subseries IVB, Year-End and Misc. Financial Statement, contains consolidated year-end financial statements and various other financial statements of the JFGD.

Subseries IVC, Ledgers, contains the oversized ledgers located in the collection. These ledgers relate to various divisions of the JFGD and general funds.

Series V, United Jewish Campaign, contains documents, ledgers, and donation cards related to the annual campaign to raise money by the JFGD under the umbrella organization of the United Jewish Appeal.

Subseries VA, Budget, contains records related to the request and allocation of funding for the United Jewish Campaigns. The material is arranged chronologically and includes many of the budget committee manuals and summaries of allocations for the various campaigns.

Subseries VB, Public Relations, contains all of the records related to promoting the United Jewish Campaigns to the public. This includes mailings, brochures, speakers, and information on various fundraising events.

Subseries VC, Contributions (restricted), contains documents and pledge cards related to contribution raised during United Jewish Campaigns. This material is restricted to the public until 2086.

Series VI, Objects, contains all of the material of the collection that is not in document or audio/visual format. The series is divided into three subseries and includes objects of Jewish interest and various awards. Subseries VIA, Judaica, contains objects of Jewish interest such as tzedekah boxes, mezuzahs, and glasswork from ancient Judea.

Subseries VIB, Time Capsule, contains a time capsule put together in 1978 by the Federation and its affiliated organizations. It is to be opened in 2028.

Subseries VIC, Medals, contains medals from the Israeli mint and commemorative coins. Included are “The Medallic History of the Jewish People” medals, and the Pidyon Haben coin set.

Subseries VID, Phoenician Glass, contains ancient glasswork found by archeologists in Judea. This glasswork was donated by Moshe Dayan, a prominent Israeli military leader and politician, to the Federation in 1969.

Subseries VIE, Awards, contains awards granted to local community members for various achievements. Among these awards are plaques, certificates, and even a Silver Olympic Medal.

Subseries VIF, Misc. Objects, contains objects pins, medallions, stamps, and other various objects related to the JFGD.

Series VII, Literature, contains many of the journals, magazines, and books found in the collection. This series also contains Siddurim, or Jewish prayer books.

Series VIII, Multimedia, contains the audio/visual material of the collection. These include photographs, sound files, and VHS.

Subseries VIIIA, Photographs, contains photographs of various events and people. Pictures of events are arranged chronologically and pictures of people are arranged alphabetically by last name.

Subseries VIIIB, VHS, contains all of the Video Home System cartridges included in the collection.

Subseries VIIIC, Audio, contains sound files of oral histories and reports. These sound files are formatted on cassette tapes, CD, LPs, and magnetic tapes.

Series IX, Scrapbooks, contains all the scrapbooks the collections houses. Most of the scrapbooks of the collection focus on the United Jewish Campaign and the Jewish Community Council. They are arranged chronologically.

Series X, Newspapers, contains editions of the JCC News, the Dayton Jewish Chronicle, and the Dayton Jewish Observer.

Subseries XA: JCC News and Dayton Jewish Chronicles, contains editions of both the JCC News and the Dayton Jewish Chronicles. These two newspapers were published through much of the second half of the 20th century.

Subseries XB: Dayton Jewish Observer, contains editions of the Dayton Jewish Observer. This newspaper began publication in April 1996 and continues until the present.