Search the collections at the Center for Jewish History
Center for Jewish History: General Information
Lillian Goldman Reading Room
Ackman and Ziff Family Genealogy Institute
Henry Victor Besso Collection, ASF AR-9
Henry Victor Besso, scholar in the field of Sephardic Studies, writer, teacher, lecturer, and bibliographer, was born in Thessalonikē, Greece in 1905. In 1920, Henry settled in New York. He earned a BA from the City College of New York in 1931, and an MA from the Graduate School of Columbia University in 1934. From January 1933 to May 1941, Besso worked in various capacities for the Board of Education of New York City. He was associated with the field of teaching and academia, teaching and giving lectures at a number of universities in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Besso contributed to a large number of scholarly journals and magazines in Columbia, Spain, France, the United States and other countries.
Guide to the Papers of Evelyn Klapholtz, ASF AR 20
Evelyn Klapholtz was an educator and editor in the New York Metropolitan Area specializing in business education. Her credentials include a BA from Hunter College, and an MA from New York University, both in Business Education. Additionally she earned Permanent Teacher Certification in the State of New York. Since her retirement she has remained active in the community and worked on her family genealogy.
Records of the Central Sephardic Jewish Community of America, Women's Division, ASF AR-2
One of the priorities of the Women's Division activities was always education in Israel. The Committee for Scholarship for Secondary Education established many scholarships for institutions and individual students, first under the chairmanship of Mrs. Rosalie Hendricks, and since 1983 under the leadership of Mrs. Irma Cardozo. During the presidential term of Mrs. Lucy Touriel and Mrs. Rachel el-Hassid a scholarship of rabbinical students was established at Lady Judith Montefiore College in London, England, in memory of Dr. Nissim J. Ovadia. Under Mrs. Emily Levy's tenure many scholarships were awarded to qualified students in Israel in memory of Simon Nessim, past President of the Community. A scholarship at Yeshiva University for Sephardic Studies Program was established in tribute to Dr. Isaac Alcalay, Chief Rabbi of the Community. Under the tenure of Mrs. Ruth Schulson scholarships were awarded at Stern College for Woman, at the school for Blind (Kerem Or), and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University in the Negev in honor of Haham Dr. Solomon Gaon.