The Friends of the Aaron Garber Library was an auxiliary support organization of the Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies (formerly Cleveland College of Jewish Studies) was a non-denominational institution of higher Jewish learning supported by the Jewish community of Cleveland, Ohio. Accredited by the state of Ohio, the college offered degree programs in Judaic studies at the undergraduate and graduate level and lifelong learning programs for adults on Jewish topics.
The Aaron Garber Library was the academic library of Siegal College and a central library of the Cleveland Jewish community. Its holdings comprised northern Ohio's largest Judaica and Hebraica collection. Its holdings spanned the vast range of Jewish knowledge with more than 40,000 volumes, plus periodicals, CDs, tapes, music and software in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. The library began in 1924 as the library of the Bureau of Jewish Education. In 1939 the Bureau named it to honor the memory of one of its leaders, Aaron Garber (1877 - 1938), a founder and president of the Cleveland Hebrew Schools.
In 2012, Siegal College and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) announced that they had combined their adult education programs into a new initiative, the Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University. Siegal College closed under the new arrangement and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland became responsible for Siegal College's library, the Aaron Garber Library. As Siegal College was absorbed by Case Western Reserve University and the Aaron Garber Library was closed, some of its holdings were acquired by CWRU. The fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Aaron Garber Library also stopped. The organization closed in 2016.
The primary mission of the Friends of the Aaron Garber Library was to promote and support the Aaron Garber Library and continuing education in Jewish learning through programming, volunteer service, and fundraising.
The mission of the Friends of the Aaron Garber Library was accomplished via two separate vehicles: the sponsorship of the Mandel Jewish Community Center Cleveland Book Festival and the sponsorship of the division of Jewish Studies at Siegal College. Once the college closed in 2014, the Friends supported the division of Jewish Studies of Siegal Lifelong Learning at Case Western Reserve University. The secondary mission of the organization was then to provide funds to the Mandel Jewish Community Center.
The Friends of the Aaron Garber Library was most active from the mid 1960s through the mid 2000s. The organization evolved through a number of names: Founders Cabinet, Woman's Association Cabinet, Woman's Association of the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies, Friends of the Library of Siegal College, College of Judaic Studies Association, and Friends of the Aaron Garber Library.
The Friends of the Aaron Garber Library Records, 1963-2014 and undated, consist of academic calendars, agendas, announcements, annual reports, budgets, bulletins, bylaws, calendars, catalogs, certificates, correspondence, flyers, forms, information packets, invitations, marketing materials, minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, outlines, color and black and white photographs (31), press releases, programs, proposals, rosters, scrapbooks, and workbooks.
The collection will be of interest to persons seeking information about volunteer and philanthropic efforts to support Jewish education, specifically the Aaron Garber Library of the Cleveland College of Judaic Studies (Siegal College). This collection is of value to researchers studying libraries and institutions of higher Jewish education throughout the United States in general and in Cleveland, Ohio, more specifically. Those interested in the history of women's involvement in voluntary institutions in the mid twentieth century will also find the collection of value. The collection reflects the values and interests of one of the larger Jewish communities in the United States, including the community's emphasis on transmitting knowledge of Jewish culture to future generations.
The collection is arranged in three series.
The researcher should also consult MS 5126,
Processed by Jordan Rothkopf, Amber Stout, and Jackie Wilson in 2017.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5420 Friends of the Aaron Garber Library Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Rita Saslaw in 2016.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.