United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York

UJA-Federation of New York's Oral History Project was started in 1981 by the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York. Upon the merger in 1986 of Federation with UJA, the project was continued under the auspices of UJA-Federation of New York. The project was modeled on the oral history programs at other organizations, and in consultation with the William E. Wiener Oral History Library at the American Jewish Committee. It eventually grew to include over 200 oral histories, many shared with the oral history programs of other Jewish organizations because of overlapping histories, donors and leaders, and to encourage wider access to these materials. Affiliations in addition to the American Jewish Committee include the oral history programs at the Jewish Museum, the 92 nd Street Y and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA).

According to the most recently published catalog, "The Oral History Collection 2001", the purpose of the project was "to record the history of this organization through taped memoirs of volunteer and professional leaders whose lives influenced and were influenced by UJA-Federation." The project documented the American Jewish experience in the field of Jewish communal work in general and, in particular, gave an historical perspective on the activities of UJA-Federation and its agencies in the United States and in Israel.

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