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Friends of the Deaf Community Center (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records

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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
SCRC 11
Repository:
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Extent:
1.88 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred Citation:
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Friends of the Deaf Community Center Records, 1938-1981, SCRC 11, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Date:
1938-1981 (inclusive)
Creator:
Friends of the Deaf Community Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Form:
Clippings, Correspondence, Minutes (administrative records), Newsletters, Reports, and Yearbooks
Abstract:

The Friends of the Deaf was organized in April 1936, by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Olanoff, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Feinman, Herman Rosenfield, and Elias Wolf. The aim of the group was to set up a house for the Jewish deaf and their friends to hold meetings and religious services. In 1939, the building at 1516 West Girard Avenue was dedicated as the Friends of the Deaf Community Center. The Community Center provided a space for dances, interpreters, general counseling, and instruction in needed skills such as sign language, lip reading, speech development, and sense training. In December 1949, a nursery school for deaf children was established with the help of Dr. David Meyers, an otologist. Initially, Friends of the Deaf offered many of its services free of charge. Eventually, membership dues and enrollment fees for nursery school students were instituted in order to compensate the teaching staff and pay for assistive devices. The nursery school provided education for 2 to 3 year olds until 1975 when it closed due to lack of funding. In 1979, Friends of the Deaf sold the Community Center, but continued to provide services in association with the Hebrew Association of the Deaf at the Silent Athletic Club (SAC) of Philadelphia.

The collection consists of correspondence, reports of the administrative body, membership lists, annual yearbooks, and meeting minutes. The bulk of the collection is comprised of outgoing correspondence from Samuel Goldberg, President, Rose S. Olanoff, Executive Director, and Sarah Goldberg, President of the Women's Association. The meeting minutes and directors' reports document discussion regarding topics ranging from the physical maintenance of the center, the purchase of stamps and stationery, and fire insurance. The reports also discuss the setting up of social affairs, publicity, and soliciting financial contributions. The yearbooks give an overview of the activities at the Community Center and Nursery School which acted as a fundraising resource by including advertisements from supporting community members and businesses.

The records are arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Donated by Friends of the Deaf Community Center (Philadelphia, Pa.) in 1973, 1975, 1980, and 1984. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.

Collection processed and finding aid prepared in 1975 by J. Findberg. Subsequent accessions added and finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in 2013 by Jessica M. Lydon, Project Archivist. Finding aid reformatted and patron and administrative information updated in February 2020.

The following published work was removed from the collection and cataloged separately:

Council of Jewish Women. Seder tefilot Yiśraʼel: Prayer-book for Jewish deaf. Philadelphia: Council [of] Jewish Women, 1919.

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
Finding Aid Author
Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
Finding Aid Date
June 2024
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

The Friends of the Deaf Community Center Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The donor has not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.

Collection Inventory

Correspondence, 1952.
Box 1 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1953.
Box 1 Folder 2
Correspondence, January-April, 1954.
Box 1 Folder 3
Correspondence, May-September, 1954.
Box 1 Folder 4
Correspondence, October-December, 1954.
Box 1 Folder 5
Correspondence, January-May, 1955.
Box 1 Folder 6
Correspondence, June-September, 1955.
Box 1 Folder 7
Correspondence, October-December, 1955.
Box 1 Folder 8
Correspondence, January-April, 1956.
Box 1 Folder 9
Correspondence, May-August, 1956.
Box 2 Folder 1
Correspondence, September-December, 1956.
Box 2 Folder 2
Correspondence, January-April, 1957.
Box 2 Folder 3
Correspondence, May-September, 1957.
Box 2 Folder 4
Correspondence, October -December, 1957.
Box 2 Folder 5
Correspondence, January-July, 1958.
Box 2 Folder 6
Correspondence, August-December, 1958.
Box 2 Folder 7
Correspondence, 1960.
Box 3 Folder 1
Correspondence, 1961.
Box 3 Folder 2
Correspondence, January-June, 1962.
Box 3 Folder 3
Correspondence, July-December 1962,.
Box 3 Folder 4
Correspondence, January-July, 1963.
Box 3 Folder 5
Correspondence, August-December, 1963.
Box 3 Folder 6
Correspondence, January-May, 1964.
Box 3 Folder 7
Correspondence, June-August, 1964.
Box 3 Folder 8
Correspondence, September-December, 1964.
Box 3 Folder 9
Correspondence, November 30, 1979.
Box 4 Folder 1
Correspondence, undated.
Box 4 Folder 2
Directories for hearing impaired and handicapped, 1959, 1979-1980.
Box 4 Folder 3
Directors' reports, 1949-1973.
Box 4 Folder 4
Financial contributions, 1956-1957, undated.
Box 4 Folder 5
Guestbook, December 19, 1938-April 20, 1940.
Box 4 Folder 6
Hebrew Association of the Deaf membership lists, undated.
Box 4 Folder 7
Hebrew Association of the Deaf newsletters, 1972-1981.
Box 4 Folder 8
Holiday service schedules, 1970-1972.
Box 4 Folder 9
Minutes, 1950-1969.
Box 4 Folder 10
Newspaper clippings on the deaf, 1961.
Box 4 Folder 11
Nursery school, 1946-1973.
Box 4 Folder 12
Rose S. Olanoff biographical timeline and resume, April 16, 1974.
Box 4 Folder 13
Women's association, 1964.
Box 4 Folder 14
Yearbooks, 1954-1960.
Box 4 Folder 15
Yearbooks, 1961-1964.
Box 4 Folder 16
Yearbooks, 1965-1967, 1969.
Box 5 Folder 1
Yearbooks, 1970-1973.
Box 5 Folder 2

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