| | Abstract: | The 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, degree programs in Judaic studies are offered, as are lifelong learning programs on Jewish topics for adults. In 1947, two Cleveland institutions founded in the 1920s, the Jewish Teachers Institute and the Beth Midrash L'Morim (Hebrew Teacher Training School), merged to form the Cleveland Institute of Jewish Studies, under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education. In 1952, the Cleveland Institute of Jewish Studies became an independent agency. Through the initiative of Rebecca Aronson Brickner, the institute became known as the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies in 1963. It shared space with the Bureau of Jewish Education in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, before occupying its own building in Beachwood, Ohio. In 2002, the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies underwent another name change. To honor benefactors Laura and Alvin Siegal, the College was renamed the Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies. The collection consists of meeting minutes, office files, accreditation documents, course catalogs, evaluations, syllabi, scrapbooks, business documents, documents relating to Akiva High School, and the papers of several college employees. Administrators and faculty with papers included in this collection are former president David S. Ariel, former dean Lifsa Schacter, and many other educators employed throughout the years. | |
