Western States Jewish History Association

Biography

The Western States Jewish History Association, originally named the Western States Jewish Historical Society, began as an offshoot of the Southern California Jewish Historical Society, a local branch of the American Jewish Historical Society. The Association's founder, Norton Stern, and was appointed to create and publish a journal, The Western State Jewish History Quarterly in 1968.

Norton Stern was closely affiliated with the Santa Monica Temple, and an amateur researcher whose interest in history began as a hobby. He conducted massive amounts of genealogical/biographical research on Jews in the West, writing several articles and books, as well as a weekly column entitled "Our Pioneer Heritage," published in the Northern California Jewish Bulletin. His pursuits largely related to recovering the Judaism of many characters in early-American California (i.e. post-Gold Rush, mid 19th onward) as he canvassed cemeteries, early newspapers, business directories, and temple records to construct a richer narrative. Stern also conducted an extensive and highly valuable oral history project, interviewing many of the older Jewish residents in LA and the surrounding areas before his death in 1992.

Because Norton Stern's research interests extended beyond Southern California Jewish history, Stern broadened the focus of the journal to the entire American West, highlighting particularly the "pioneer phase" of Jewish arrival into areas in West in the 19th century. His research trips and interviews served as the basis of the Quarterly's early content, Stern and Kramer working closely to write and publish as much as they could. As popular and academic interest in both the history of the American West and Jewish history in the West expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, dozens of researchers and librarians became part of the Western Jewish History Association's network, submitting articles and essays of their own and assisting with Stern's research. These contributors also appear in the collection.

William Kramer began as one such contributor, but soon began to play an integral role in Stern's publication. Kramer served as the scribe, helping Stern to craft longer essays and books about his research. Kramer and Stern published several books together, and lectured together at synagogues and organizations throughout Los Angeles. As a rabbi, Kramer served at Temple Israel of Hollywood and later Temple Beth Emet in Burbank, as well as other congregations throughout the U.S. before he arrived in Los Angeles, and late in his life, an online community he called B'nai Bill. His work with the Temple Israel religious school promoted his involvement with a variety of Jewish educational committees, including the Western Association of Temple Educators and the Bureau of Jewish Education. Kramer also involved himself in other activities within the Jewish Community, serving in the Bureau of Jewish Education and several Reform and Liberal Judaism councils. He was also on the faculty at Hebrew Union College and California State University, Northridge. Many of the research files on Jewish organizations and institutions in Los Angeles contain materials he collected through his various commitments. Kramer also had an avid interest in Jewish art, writing frequently about local artists such as Hans Burkhart and Harry Lieberman. Much of Kramer's material in the collection was gathered in preparation for his autobiography, which was unfortunately never completed, as Kramer died in 2004.

The network of researchers, historians, and interested community members that Kramer and Stern created in the Western Jewish History Association continues to this day. As of 2008, the Quarterly began its 40th year of publication, thanks largely to the efforts of Gladys Sturman, David Epstein, and the Association's volunteers. Ms. Sturman and the volunteers worked to gather all of Stern and Kramer's research materials, distributing them to libraries throughout Southern California, including UCLA, the Autry National Center, and the Huntington Library. The Western States Jewish History Archive is but one of the portions of the materials they gathered, for a full list of libraries, refer to the Association's webpage, www.wsjhistory.com .

From the guide to the Western States Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)