Jewish Community Center of Oakland Records

The records of Jewish Community Center of Oakland, dated from 1958-1987, with the bulk of them dating before 1979. There are very few materials acquired after 1979; therefore, most series stops before or around that year. The collections can be roughly categorized into four parts: minutes for Congregation and Sisterhood meetings, Constitutions - original and revised versions - for Congregation and Sisterhood, newsletters, and Correspondence for Sisterhood.

The collection is rich in its minutes for Congregation and Sisterhood meetings before 1979, which provides us with a very detailed overview of the Congregation's activities for the begining twenty years. Financial records of Congregation and Sisterhood are complete and also well organized, all coming with the minutes in each month. Annual budgets of Sisterhood can be found from GENERAL FILES. The minutes index is a special feature, providing a quick access to the motions passed by either board of trustees meetings or general membership meetings of the Congregation.

Two versions of Congregation Constitutions are available, one possibly the original proposed version around 1965 and another probably drafted later. In addition, Constiutions for Sisterhood are also available in the original version dated 6/10/1959 and versions dated in 1966, 197?, and 1980.

Bimonthly newsletter "Chabashot" ranged from 1966-1983, however, with several gaps in between. These materials still can give us some senses about Congregation activities after 1979.

There is no correspondence for neither Congregation officer nor rabbi. Correspondence for Sisterhood presidents can be found in GENERAL FILES of Sisterhood.

In summary, one may observe that more than half of the collections are related to Sisterhood, including minutes, constitutions, and correspondences. On the contrary, there is lack of records for Men's Club or Hebrew School except those cumulative Record Cards.