Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Congregation B'nai Israel minute book

Authors

• Congregation B'nai Israel (Keokuk, Iowa)

Other related names

• Kaplan, Arnold Harvey, 1939-, donor
• Kaplan, Deanne, donor

Call number

MS 56, Codex 026.1
(420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9977558144803681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1109804005
• https://colenda.library.upenn.edu/catalog/81431-p3df6k85h

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Origin

Date

1885-1906

Summary

This oversize volume is comprised of minutes from meetings of officers and the board and trustees of Congregation B'nai Israel in Keokuk, Iowa spanning the years from 1885 to 1906. The written records of the meetings are in chronological order and signed by the current secretary of the congregation. The meetings discussed all aspects of the congregation and the synagogue. Regular, special, trustee, and yearly meetings were chiefly held at the synagogue and occasionally at homes and businesses of members. Meetings were held by the officers of the B'nai Israel. Recorded are discussions concerning advertising, books, building maintenance and rental, burial plots, choir, the cemetery, committees, deaths, donations, dues, finances, fund raising, Hebrew school, High Holiday planning, membership, rabbis' contracts, resignations, and taxes. Searching for a rabbi to serve the congregation was ongoing during this time period. No quorum was noted when meetings were canceled. Several Jewish families active in the community and as officers of the congregation are noted throughout the volume such as the Carwalho, Hirsch, Lowitz, Lyons, Spiesberger, Stern, and Vogel families. Several mentions of the Women's Society activities and donations are written throughout the minutes. The last two leaves comprise a handwritten copy of the 1855 deed for the cemetery dated 1902. Stamp on first leaf: Lowry News Dealer, booksellers & stationers Keokuk, Iowa. The pages are ruled and have stamped numbers 1-384. Pages 209-383 are blank.

Extent

1 volume

Provenance

• Presented to the Penn Libraries 2012 by Arnold and Deanne Kaplan (eBay 1999) (Collectify accession no. 2006.12.26.01164).
   
• Sold on eBay November 1, 1999.
   

Subjects topical

• Congregation B'nai Israel (Keokuk, Iowa)
• Jews--Iowa--Keokuk--History--Sources
• Jews--Iowa--Keokuk--Social life and customs
• Synagogues--Iowa--Keokuk--History--Sources
• Synagogue officers--Iowa--Keokuk
• Synagogue officers
• Synagogues
• History
• Jews
• Manners and customs
• Iowa--Keokuk

Genres

• Codices (bound manuscripts)
• Minutes (Records)
• Minutes (Records)
• Manuscripts, American--19th century
• Manuscripts, American--20th century
• Sources

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies MS 56, Codex 026.1: Congregation B'nai Israel minute book are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is ©2025 University of Pennsylvania Libraries and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• Inside front cover and paste down — Paste down attached to inside front cover
• 384 — Copy of Deed for reference