Access and Provenance Biographical Sketch Scope and Content Note Box and Folder Listing

An Inventory to the George Zepin Papers Manuscript Collection No. 50 1914-1916. 1.2 Linear ft.

ACCESS AND PROVENANCE

The GEORGE ZEPIN PAPERS were received by the American Jewish Archives from  the estate of George Zepin, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1964. Property rights have been assigned to the American Jewish Archives. All  literary rights to materials authored by Rabbi Zeplin are held by the  Zeplin 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 GEROGE ZEPIN PAPERS are open to all users. The original manuscript  collection is available in the reading room of the American Jewish  Archives.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHtop

George Zepin was born in Kiev, Russia on June 8, 1878, the son of Otto and Hannah Zepin. He was brought to the United States in 1882.  In 1900 he  graduated from the University of Cincinnati (A.B.) and was ordained at  Hebrew Union College.

Zepin began his rabbinic career by serving as a rabbi in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1900 until 1903. In 19O3 he was appointed to the newly-created position  of Field Secretary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC).  In this capacity,Zepin travelled throughout the United States bringing  Reform Judaism and the UAHC to small towns and bringing information about American Jews and Jewish congregations to the UAHC. In 1905 Zepin was appointed  as the first director of the UAHC Department of Synagogue and School Extension.  He resigned from this position in 1906 and then spent one year as superintendent  of the Jewish Social Agencies in Chicago and one year as rabbi of Congregation  Beth El in Fort Worth, Texas. While in Fort Worth he also served as Commissioner  of Charities for the city.

In 1910, Zepin was re-appointed Director of the  Department of Synagogue and School Extension. He maintained this position until 1917, when he became the secretary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. As UAHC Secretary Zepin was a constructive worker in the fields of Jewish religion and Jewish social service. He played a vital role both in the  development of the UAHC and its Department of Synagogue and School Extension. He founded, wholly or in part, many of the UAHC departments and affiliates,  such as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods and the National Federation of Temple Youth. Zepin served for a number of years as the Executive Secretary of the National  Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and the National Federation of Temple  Brotherhoods. In 1941 Zepin resigned as Secretary of the UAHC. He was then appointed Honorary Secretary of the Union as well as secretary of the UAHC-CCAR Joint Committee on Rabbinical Pensions.

In 1942 Hebrew Union College awarded Zepin the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. In 1914 Zepin married Laura Lehman. He died in 1963.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTEtop

The GEORGE ZEPIN PAPERS, 1914-1961, document Zepin's career as a Reform rabbi and secretary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The collection consists of two series: 

• A. GENERAL
• B. SERMONS AND ADDRESSES.

SERIES. A. GENERAL, 1914-1961, consists of correspondence, biographical articles, a file concerning the UAHC-CCAR pension plan, outlines for articles, notes Zepin kept on many of his readings and miscellaneous material. Much of this material concerns Zepin's career after he resigned from the position of UAHC Secretary in 1941.

SERMONS B. SERMONS AND ADDRESSES is by far the largest segment of the GEORGE ZEPIN PAPERS. It contains transcripts, manuscripts and outlines for many of Zepin's sermons and addresses. Many of them are for presentation to children's groups, which demonstrate Zepin's extreme interest in children and religious education. Other sermons and addresses reflect Zepin's concern with modern life, the Jewish synagogue and American Judaism. The sermons and addresses are alphabetically arranged by title.

BOX AND FOLDER LISTINGtop

Box      Folder    Content



SERIES A. GENERAL

1        1    Correspondence and personal memorabilia, 1914-1961. 
         2    Biographical information and newspaper clippings, 1915-1947.
         3    Nearprint and addresses concerning the Joint CCAR-UAHC pension
                   plan.
         4-8  Notes, outlines for articles and miscellaneous material.

2      1       Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1921-1936; n.d. 


SERIES B. SERMONS AND ADDRESSES

2        2    Itinerary for several of Zepin's speaking tours, 1926-1947.      
         3      "Admiration" through "Business is Business"                      
         4    "Calmness of Washington" through "Days of Sorrow." 
         5    "Dear Rabbi" through 'Friendship."
         6    Funeral sermons and prayers.
         7    "Future of Judaism" through "How Tolstoi[sic] the Novelist Became
                   Tolstoi[sic] the Philosopher."
         8    "The Idea of Missions through "Israel's Gift to Mankind."


3        1    "Jacob's Dream" through "Jews and Judaism."
         2    "Joseph in Prison" through "Like Eagles."
         3    "Manners" through marriage sermons and prayers.
         4    "Materialism of Our Day" through "Missions and Missionaries."    
         5    "Modern Ideas in the Religious Education of Children" through "On
                   Luck."
         6    "On Theatre Going and Problem Plays" through "The Possibilities of
                   the Comonplace."
         7    Prayers, benedictions and innovations [general].  
         8    "Preparation" through 'The Religious Unrest."


4        1    "Remarks..."
         2    "Self-Sacrifice" through speech before the Southern Rabbinical
                   Association.
         3    "Statehood and Reiigion" through "Threshhold of a New Year." 
         4    "Time is Short" through "Types of Jewish Congregations." 
         5    "The Unaffiliated Classes" through "The Uses of Money." 
         6    "Vacation Thoughts" through address to "Welfare Fund Rally".  
         7    "What Ails the Synagogue?" through "What's Going to Happen to
                   Religion?"
         8    "When Board Members Go Visiting" through "Youth Movement." 
         9    Not titled.