Access
and Provenance
An Inventory to the
Louis Grossmann Papers
1896-1926. 2.0 Linear ft.
Manuscript Collection No. 92
| Access
and Provenance
|
An Inventory to theLouis Grossmann Papers1896-1926. 2.0 Linear ft.Manuscript Collection No. 92
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The LOUIS GROSSMANN PAPERS were donated to the American Jewish Archives by Rabbi Grossmann. All property rights are assigned to the American Jewish Archives. All literary rights to materials authored by Grossmann are held by the Grossmann heirs. Literary rights to materials authored by others are held by the individual author or his/her heirs. Questions concerning rights should be addressed to the Director of the American Jewish Archives.
The LOUIS GROSSMANN PAPERS are open to all users. The original manuscript collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish Archives.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
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Louis Grossmann was born in Vienna,
Austria on February 24, 1863 to Rabbi Ignatz and Nettie (Rosenbaum) Grossmann.
He immigrated to the United States and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. There
he attended Hughes High School and, later, the University of Cincinnati
and the Hebrew Union College. Grossmann completed his studies at the University
and the College in the same year, 
receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C. and being ordained a rabbi
by H.U.C. in 1884. In later years, Grossmann received two more degrees
from H.U.C., a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1889 and a Doctor of Humane
Letters degree in 1922. In 1911, Grossmann studied for a year at the University
of Jena.
Following his graduation in 1884 Grossmann went to Detroit, Michigan to become rabbi at Temple Beth El. He remained in Detroit until 1898 when he returned to Cincinnati to become both Isaac M. Wise's successor as rabbi of Congregation B'nai Yeshurun and a professor of ethics, pedagogy and theology at Hebrew Union College. Grossmann remained in both positions until 1922 when he retired and was elected Rabbi Emeritus by his congregation, and professor emeritus by H.U.C.
Grossmann was active in many different organizations. He was a founder of the Teachers Institute of Hebrew Union College and served as the Institute's principal from 1909-1918. He was an editorial writer for the American Israelite from 1900-1905 and was a member of the organizing committee for the First Universal Congress of Races in London, England in 1911. He was president of the Jewish Religious Education Association of Ohio, the Rabbinical Association of Ohio and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In addition, Grossmann was a founder and honorary president of the Western Association of Jewish Ministers.
Grossmann was also prolific as a lecturer and writer. Before joining the faculty at H.U.C., he lectured there on Comparative Religion in 1897. He also lectured on Jewish Ethics at the Lewissohn Foundation in New York in 1909. Among some of his more important and well known writings were: "Judaism and the Science of Religion" (1889); "Maimonides" (1890); "Aims of Teaching in Jewish Schools" (1918); and, with David Philipson, the biography, Isaac M. Wise (1900).
Louis Grossmann died in Detroit in 1926.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
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The LOUIS GROSSMANN PAPERS (1896-1926) describe the career of Louis Grossmann, rabbi and professor. The collection includes correspondence, sermons, book reviews, manuscripts, notes and personal items. The bulk of the material in the collection spans the years 1900-1925. The Papers are divided into four series:
The WRITINGS series (1897-1915) consists of one and one-half Hollinger boxes of sermons, addresses by various persons, book reviews and manuscripts. The sermons are arranged alphabetically, the addresses by persons other than Grossmann are arranged chronologically and the book reviews are arranged alphabetically. The manuscripts are untitled and undated and have been placed at the end of the series.
The NOTES series (n.d.) consists of two Hollinger boxes of his notes. Some of the notes have been labeled by Grossmann and are arranged according to those labels. The remainder of the notes are unlabeled and have been filed in the order in which they were found. Many of the notes in this series are written in Hebrew.
The PERSONAL series (1905; 1915) consists of one Hollinger box of awards, a diary for the year 1905 and miscellaneous items.
BOX AND FOLDER LISTING
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Box Folder Contents
SERIES A. CORRESPONDENCE
1 1 A-Z, General
2 Amos Society 1924-1925, n.d.
3 Union of American Hebrew Congregations
(UAHC) 1920-1924, n.d.
4 UAHC [Commission on Jewish Education] 1924-1925, n.d.
5 UAHC [Commission on Jewish Religious Educational Literature] 1918-1919
6 UAHC [Commission on Jewish Religious Educational Literature] 1920-1921
7 UAHC [Commission on Jewish Religious Educational Literature] 1922-1923
8 UAHC [Programs for Services] n.d.
9 Unidentified 1922, n.d.
SERIES B. WRITINGS
10 Sermons [A-W]
11 Sermons [Untitled] 1900, n.d.
12 Addresses by Others 1897-1915, n.d.
2 1-5 Book Reviews [A-W, Unidentified]
6 Unidentified Manuscripts n.d.
SERIES C. NOTES
7 Notes [Charity, Education]
3 1-5 Notes [Education]
6 Notes [Ethics]
7 Notes
4 1-8 Notes
SERIES D. PERSONAL
5 1 Awards, Certificates, n.d.
2 Diary 1905
3 Miscellaneous 1915, n.d.
SUBJECT TRACINGS
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Note: The following list of subjects is a selective index to
many of the topics and individuals in the LOUIS GROSSMANN
PAPERS. It is selective in that it only attempts to draw
attention to the more significant items in the
collection. It does not attempt to list every subject or
individual nor does it try to indicate all places that a
listed subject or individual appears in the collection.
When used in conjunction with the Box and Folder List,
the Subject Tracings should help the researcher locate
topics. References are to boxes and folders: e.g., 3/5
means Box 3, Folder 5.
American Jewish Historical Society 1/1
Central Conference of American Rabbis 1/1
Detroit, Michigan - Congregation Beth El 5/1, 3
Education 1/4; 2/1; 3/1; 5/3
Hebrew Union College 1/10; 5/1
Kohler, Kaufmann 1/1
Ladies Education Aid Society 5/3
Portugal 2/3
Russia 1/1
Wise, Isaac M. 1/10
Zepin, George 1/3,5,7