Scope and Content Notes

Series I contains correspondence and newspaper clippings of Lillian A. Friedberg from her close family and friends. Lillian and her family were avid letter writers throughout their lives. The majority of the letters involved discussions of goings-on in the family, often travel-related. Although this collection effectively reflects their lifelong lines of communication the bulk of the letters are between 1918 and 1943. These dates correspond with her marriage to Emanual Friedberg and her appointment as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

The letters written between Lillian and her husband Emanual cover their courting period and early years of marriage. Additional letters from Emanual include correspondence from time spent in Boston with Lillian's family. The researcher will also find materials relating to Emanual's work as a physician, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, and his time spent as Director of the Jewish Home for the Aged.

Letters written to Lillian by her siblings include those from her brother Elijah Adlow and sisters Dorothy Adlow and Chippe (Adlow) Hoffman. Elijah Adlow was a prominent member of the Boston judicial system serving as Chief Justice of the Boston Municipal Court from 1928 to 1973. The correspondence between Lillian and her brother relate to many issues regarding the Adlow family, especially their father Nathan Adlow. Letters from Dorothy Adlow often contained clippings of Ms. Adlow's articles, as she was an art critic for the Christian Science Monitor from the 1920s to the 1960s. There are also letters from Dorothy Adlow's husband Nicolas Slonimsky, a musicologist, composer, and author, particularly from the 1960s. Not much is known about Chippe (Adlow) Hoffman, but they also maintained a long correspondence with each other.

Simeon and Judith Friedberg, son and daughter of Lillian and Emanual, corresponded irregularly with their mother, although Simeon and his wife Joan wrote to her frequently during their six-month honeymoon to Western Europe in 1951-1952. A number of letters from her extended family, including her parents and in-laws, can be found in folders labeled "Other Family." Additional correspondence between Lillian Friedberg and her friends and acquaintances is in the "Miscellaneous" folders. Please note that letters written in Hebrew may be found throughout the Correspondence Series. Also, see "Series V: Postcards" for additional brief communications between Friedberg and others.

Newspaper clippings can be found in folders at the end of this series. There is an abundance of clippings about Lillian, especially pertaining to her involvement in the Jewish community in Pittsburgh. There are also many clippings about Elijah and Dorothy Adlow, though clippings may also be found clipped to many of the letters from these siblings. It should be noted that some of Dorothy Adlow's clippings coincide with topics she wrote about in her letters to Lillian. Those interested in mid-Twentieth Century art and art criticism will want to look closely at her newspaper clippings. Lillian Friedberg also collected the newspaper clippings of Nicolas Slonimsky, Dorothy Adlow's husband. Extensive material on Nicolas Slonimsky can be found at the Library of Congress website. There are a small number of clippings about Emanuel, Judith, and Simeon Friedberg. Additional clippings can be found on Lorin Maazel, Samuel Rosenberg, and Mary E. Switzer.

Despite Lillian Friedberg's extensive professional involvement in Jewish affairs, it should be noted that this aspect of her life is not strongly reflected in the Correspondence Series. The bulk of the series relates to her close relationship with her family.

Scope and Content Notes

Series II contains materials related to the education of Lillian Adlow Friedberg. It includes class notes, assignments, correspondence and clippings while attending the Dillaway School (1904-1910) and the Girl's Latin School (1910-1914), and Radcliffe College (1914-1919, all in Boston, Massachusetts. If the researcher is wishing to learn more information on Lillian's sister Dorothy Adlow they should look in the folders containing materials from Radcliffe, they include publications written by her sister while she was a student at Radcliffe (Box 9, Folder 25 and 29). There are also materials related to the dedication of a reading room at the Radcliffe Library in Dorothy Adlow's name (Box 9, Folder 26). Original order was retained as much as possible in descending order of educational accomplishments.

Scope and Content Notes

Series III covers Lillian's professional life as a lecturer and Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Pittsburgh. These papers are composed of manuscripts and organizational activities for the period of 1916-1975. This series is arranged in chronological order.

The manuscripts, are a collection of drafts of miscellaneous compositions primarily written by Lillian Friedberg: I Remember: Another Boston Childhood, Infant Prodigy, Head High, Self-Discipline and the Community Relations Program and Jewish Home and Family Life, published in 1950, where she wrote about the development of American Jewish cultural life. Friedberg's biographical information containing notes, correspondence, programs and bulletins can be found in the manuscript series of the collection. Other writings include editorials, poems, prayers and article submissions concerning research of modern Jewish affairs, human relations, (intercultural) education, religion and the role of women in war and peace from 1916-1967.

Materials relating to Lillian's organizational activities, mainly relate to her involvement in the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Pittsburgh. Included in the papers of organizational activities are minutes of the JCRC from 1938-1950. The collection contains reports, bulletins, booklets, lists, brochures, invitations, programs, clippings, articles, and newsletters concerning JCRC activities and involvement with education, religion, human relations, politics, Jewish life, civil rights, employment problems and improving community relations from 1942-1969. Papers also include radio scripts from 1946-1959 and television scripts mainly from Friedberg's show, "Faith and Freedom," from September 13, 1964-June 20, 1965. Also contained in this series are JCRC Executive Committee minutes and information pertaining to Lillian's retirement.

The series also contains correspondence from the American Jewish Archives from 1965-1974. Friedberg expressed her interest in American Jewish and Pittsburgh Jewish history through a collection of clippings, letters, booklets, newsletters and memoranda from 1943-1970.

Friedberg directed the education programs of Hadassah's Pittsburgh chapter. Materials such as programs, reports, clippings, memoranda, manuscripts, newsletters, yearbooks and scrapbooks relating to Hadassah's educational activities and concern for Jewish welfare from 1931-1944.

The series also contains minutes, notes, questionnaires, invitations, correspondence, lists, memoranda, announcements and articles pertaining to Friedberg's involvement with the activities of the American Jewish Congress of Pittsburgh as Vice-President and a member of the Joint Public Relations and Education Committees from 1940-1942. Friedberg's papers relating to the Jewish Women's Organization of Pittsburgh include minutes and speeches while President from 1940-1942.

Papers from other organizations include correspondence relating to the activities of the United Jewish Fund from 1941-1942 and correspondence as Chairman of the McMillen (educator) Memorial Committee from 1939. The collection contains bulletins from the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) from 1932-1943 and oral history interview notes from 1968-1969, which Friedberg conducted for the NCJW Oral History Project (see related collection ais 92:2 OH). Also included in the papers are minutes, by-laws, lists, membership cards, correspondence and memoranda pertaining to Friedberg's participation in the University of Pittsburgh's Israeli Room Committee from 1966-1974.

Friedberg maintained notebooks, circa 1930's and 1940's, containing information about women's studies, World War I, World War II, educational and economic welfare, international relations and Jewish studies. Also included are brochures and correspondence relating to "public interests," such as: employment, youth groups and Social Security from 1940-1941. Lillian received correspondence regarding Jewish European refugees requesting assistance to gain entry into the United States from 1939-1940. Friedberg's papers also contain a public relations handbook dated 1965-1966 with a copy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Lillian maintained correspondence with Patty Boyle, a colleague from Charlottesville, Virginia with whom she shared an interest in civil rights; also included are clippings and bulletins regarding desegregation from 1948-1959.

Scope and Content Notes

Series IV contains war publications for 1917-1967. It is a collection of information to research the social effects and implications of war. Lillian Friedberg's collection of publications contains information about World Wars I and II and the Arab-Israeli War.

The information regarding World War I consists of newsletters from 1917-1919 covering public opinion and social relations. The information about World War II consists of pamphlets, newsletters, clippings, speeches, bulletins and periodicals from 1935-1949. Topics include: fascism, public safety, war policies, education, economic and social planning, defense, foreign policy, promoting peace, mobilization for war, effects of war on people and countries, public opinion, labor, post-war reconstruction, boycotts, creation of the United Nations and writing and creativity. The papers include correspondence from Stephen Early, Secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, regarding approval of defense policy.

The information on the Arab-Israeli War consists of correspondence, "fact sheets," reports, news articles and clippings regarding background information, refugees and the status of Israel during the war in 1967. The collection includes three newspapers, Hadassah Magazine, The Jewish Chronicle and loose copies of The New York Times which provide coverage of the Arab-Israeli War. Correspondence concerning Israeli support and attaining peace in the Middle East can be found from federal Pennsylvania legislators: Representative William Moorhead and Senators Joseph Clark and Hugh Scott. The collection contains a letter from President Lyndon Johnson regarding working towards peace in the Middle East, his remarks on Middle East policy to the National Foreign Policy Conference for Educators and thanking Lillian for sharing her thoughts and feelings about the situation in the Middle East.

Scope and Content Notes

Series V contains approximately 1,700 postcards, spanning 1912-1968. The postcards comprise the bulk of this series. They are of two types, those used for correspondence with family and friends and blank travel and art postcards. The postcards document Pittsburgh as well as numerous places around the world such as Hong Kong, Africa, and Israel.

The earliest postcard in the collection dates 1912 and is from the divided back era (1907-1914). Most of the earliest postcards were printed in Germany. The collection contains numerous white border postcards, printed from 1915-1930. The white border postcards mostly printed in the U.S. were developed to save ink. The collection of white border post cards document city life and landscapes from New York City to Maine. The collection also contains a mix of linen (1930-1944) and photo chrome postcards (1945-present). There are also several folders that contain hand tinted and real photo postcards. The real photo postcards are often one of a kind or printed in limited quantities. They have been produced from the early 20th century to the present. Finally, there are the fold out postcard books and miniature postcards, which can be found in the folders labeled novelty and unique.

The art postcards make up a significant portion of the postcard, artwork, and souvenirs series. These blank postcards were collected over the years by Lillian and given to her by friends and family. All of the art postcards showcase artwork from various museum collections throughout the world. The museum collections include the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. These postcards are an example of Friedberg's passion for fine art.

Several art posters, theater programs, and playbills can also be found in this series. Works by Winslow Homer and Joan Magrina are featured on two posters in the collection. The theatre programs and playbills from various operas, symphonies, and plays date from 1912-1920. The programs include a 1914 performance by the Boston Pops and a 1920 Carnegie Music Hall performance by Josef Rosenblatt. These items are contained in folders 15-20 in box 8.