Religious Studies

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Special Collections

A. Manuscript and Archival Collections

People's Temple Collection, ca. 1972-1990 (57 linear ft.) [ MS-0183 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=871 ]

Rebecca Moore, an associate professor of religious studies at SDSU, and her husband, Mr. Fielding M. McGehee III, donated to the SDSU Library their personal collection of materials relating to Peoples Temple, a religious movement that flourished in California in the 1970s, and that ended in the tragic deaths in Jonestown , Guyana in November 1978. Materials include audio tapes prepared by the group; tape summaries and transcripts; Freedom of Information Act documents from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation; and primary sources generated by Peoples Temple itself.
YWCA, San Diego Chapter Records (51.25 linear ft.) [ MS-0396 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=881 ]

The YWCA of San Diego County was founded in 1907 to provide social services and a broadening of educational, economical and political opportunities for women of all ages and races. Records includes materials from the early years of the YWCA in San Diego, administrative records, programs and events records, scrapbooks, and photos.
Lemon Grove Congregational Church Records, 1871-1996 (13.72 linear ft.) [ MS-0035 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=872 ]

The Lemon Grove Congregational Church was established in 1894. In addition to providing sectarian services to the community, the church has sponsored a number of nondenominational social service organizations. The collection includes correspondence, minutes of meetings of Trustees and Deacons, financial records, annual reports, records of the Missionary Society, Sunday School, Ladies’ Aid, Women's Fellowship, Women's Council, Golden Circle, photographs, and miscellany. The records relate to churches and religious organizations, cultural affairs, economic conditions, education, Lemon Grove, schools, social conditions, social services agencies, and women.
Reverend George Walker Smith Papers, 1950-2000 (23.30 linear ft.) [ MS-0399 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=2307 ]

The Reverend George Walker Smith Papers document Smith's ministerial career in San Diego at the Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church and Christ United Presbyterian Church, as well as his political, social, educational, and religious achievements. The collection includes sermons, church announcements, correspondence, Board of Education scrapbooks, news clippings, accolades, plaques and certificates of achievement, Kiwanis Club Information, and newsletters. The collection is divided into three series: Personal Files, Scrapbooks, and Awards/Plaques.
Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies Records, 1966-2006 (7.5 linear ft.) [ MS-0390 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=873 ]

In 1984, SDSU faculty members, administration and members of the San Diego community joined together to coordinate and support teaching and research in Judaic studies with the establishment of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies at San Diego State University. The focus of the Institute was to provide an organizational vehicle for the Jewish Studies Program at SDSU while providing an emphasis in Modern Jewish History and contemporary Jewish and Israeli affairs. The contents of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies Collection reflects financial, educational, and organizational matters that the LIJS handled over the course of its operational years 1985 – 2006, along with documents of the Jewish Studies Program at SDSU from as early as 1966, pre-dating the organization of the Lipinsky Institute in 1985.
National Conference of Christians and Jews Records, 1959-1977 (6.25 linear ft.) [ MS-0172 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=874 ]

The establishment of the National Conference of Christians and Jews came about in 1928 as a result of the reaction to the defeat of Catholic presidential hopeful Al Smith. The basic programs of the National Conference of Christians and Jews have as their goals the elimination of intergroup prejudices among religions, social, and political groups, as well as the various elements of the business community. The programs maintain that the ideals of justice and brotherhood are the basis for good human relations. The specific programs are aimed at problems in the following fields: inter-religious relations, youth-adult relations, education, equal opportunity, community relations, the administration of justice, religious communications, and relating publications. Materials in this collection relate to all aspects of the National Conference of Christians and Jews' activities. It includes correspondence, notes, memorandum, reports, agendas, minutes, biographical notes, press releases, and miscellanea.
Myron Shelly San Diego Hebrew Home for the Aged Collection, 1947-1995 (5.0 linear ft.) [ MS-0421 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=2978 ]

The Myron Shelley Collection consists of the operational and fiscal records of the San Diego Hebrew Home for the Aged, dating from 1973 to 1995.The San Diego Hebrew Home for the Aged, whose records are the greatest part of this collection, is a beneficiary agency of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County, and was founded to care for the elderly members of the Jewish communities of San Diego.
Hillel of San Diego Scrapbooks, 1947-1976 (4 linear ft.) [ MS-0400 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=1267 ]

The first general meeting for the establishment of a Jewish Counselorship on campus at San Diego State College was held on May 20, 1947 at the San Diego Club. This meeting involved prominent members of the Jewish community in San Diego, such as Al Hutler of the United Jewish Fund, Abraham Nasatir, professor at San Diego State College, Morrie Douglas of the Lasker Lodge B'nai B'rith, Morrie Kraus, Rabbi Jehudah Cohen. Ed Breitbard, and others. Also in attendance were 50 Jewish students from campus. The installation ceremony for the newly formed Jewish Student Organization was held September 30, 1947. The collection consists of four scrapbooks documenting the history of the Jewish Student Organization of San Diego from 1947 to 1976, preliminary decades to the formation of Hillel of San Diego under the auspices of the United Jewish Federation in 1977. The scrapbooks include by-laws and other organizational records, flyers, newspaper clippings, photographs, and newsletters advertising student events both on and off campus. Scrapbooks are filed chronologically.
Maury M. Travis Collection, 1905-1989 (3.75 linear ft.) [ MS-0401 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=1268 ]

Maury Marion Travis was born Moses Marion Kornfeld in West Virginia in 1905 to a large Orthodox Jewish family. He legally changed his name to Maury Marion Travis October 29, 1946 as a final severance of his Jewish roots due mostly to his objections to Zionism and the founding of the State of Israel, which he felt would precipitate "bloody wars." He had at one time been a member of Lessing Rosenwald's American Jewish Council for Judaism, strongly opposing the formation of the Jewish State in Palestine. Travis converted to Christianity and was baptized June 22, 1952 at Abraham Lincoln's New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, but continued to support the Jewish Anti-Defamation League his entire life. Travis was a resident of San Diego from the late 1970s until his death in late 1989 or early 1990. This collection consists of personal papers, correspondence, and press clippings which document Travis's personal life. It includes birth records, legal name change documents, and family correspondence with Travis's siblings, parents, and other extended family members. His profession as a Petroleum Geologist, along with his interest in the formation of the State of Israel, the Middle East in general, and his interest in anti-Zionism, are well represented. The collection also contains significant primary documents concerning anti-semitism in general, and in San Diego specifically, with publications of White Supremacy organizations. The collection is loosely filed chronologically.
Jiddu Krishnamurti Papers, ca. 1935-1979 (1.83 linear ft.) [ MS-0009 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=875 ]

Jiddu Krishnamurti was a spiritual lecturer and author who, at a teenager was hailed as the “coming messiah” by the Theosophical Society. In his early 30s he renounced his role and spent the rest of his life traveling the world teaching his spiritual ideals. The collection includes promotional material, photographs, correspondence, audio cassettes and albums, newspaper articles, and one video. Special Collections also holds over 200 volumes by or about Krishnamurti as part of its Alternative Religious Movements Collection.
Anti-Defamation League of San Diego Collection, 1946-1998 (1.25 linear ft.) [ MS-0424 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=2979 ]

Social topics addressed by comments and actions of the ADL include Antisemitism, Christian Antisemitism, racial discrimination and reverse discrimination, hate crimes, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel. Organizations investigated by the ADL and exposed for their alleged social injustices include the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan, Islamic extremists, Christian “cults”, etc. The collection consists solely of paper records, including correspondence, newspaper articles, and publications of the ADL, from1946-1998.
Bureau of Jewish Education Records,1948-1974 (.42 linear ft.) [ MS-0202 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=877 ]

The Bureau of Jewish Education of San Diego, formerly the Jewish Education Commission, was established in 1949. With four sponsoring groups, Beth Israel, Beth Jacob, Tifereth Israel, and the United Jewish Fund, and the participation of SDSU faculty such as Abraham Nasatir, the Bureau undertook to establish monthly forums and semester-long courses for junior and senior high school students, as well as for all community members on various topics, including Jewish music, culture, customs, marriage and family life, history, literature, and languages including Hebrew and Yiddish. The collection consists primarily of meeting minutes and committee reports.
Lasker Lodge Collection, 1887-1937 (.42 linear ft.) [ MS-0426 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=2981 ]

The first San Diego lodge, the Lasker Lodge #370 was founded in 1887 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1937. The contents of the collection consist of a bound minute book, beginning with the first meeting on June 26, 1887 and ending with a meeting on January 23, 1922, and book celebrating the lodge's 50th anniversary.
Paul Schraer Collection, 1948-1987 (.42 linear ft.) [ MS-0423 LA4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=2982 ]

The collection consists of by-laws, newsletters, membership lists, event announcements, correspondence, and a dues ledger book, collected by Paul Schraer and pertaining to lodge business of the B'nai B'rith Fox Lodge, B'nai B'rith Heartland Lodge, and B'nai B'rith Weinberger Lodge.
Greenwich Sermon Collection, 1812-1865 (.42 linear ft.) [ MS-0120 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=876 ]

This collection is of 40 manuscript sermons dating from August 1812 to April 1865. There is no information regarding the author of these sermons, though a record was kept of each time the sermon was preached, which is penciled in on the back of each folded, hand-bound pamphlet. The last three sermons seem to be written in a different hand.
La Jolla Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Records, 1951-1976 (2 microfilm reels) [ MS-0144 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=880 ]

The first meeting of what is now the La Jolla Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends was held in the Mission Hills Methodist Church in San Diego in the late 1940’s. The first official business meeting was held in 1951 at the home of Ruth and Joshua Bailey in La Jolla. The reproduced collection contains minutes and correspondence.
First Friends Church of San Diego Records, 1900-1971 (2 microfilm reels) [ MS-0109 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=878 ]

The San Diego Monthly Meeting of Friends had its beginnings in the home of S. L. and Ella K. Ward at 858 Front Street, on February 18, 1900, as an outgrowth of meetings held in the Roxbury Building, San Diego. This reproduced collection consists of monthly meeting minutes, and ministry and counsel minutes.
Palomar Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Records, 1968-1976 (1 microfilm reel) [ MS-0181 LA 4410, Special Collections and University Archives ] [Details]
[ http://infoguides.sdsu.edu/resourcelink.php?id=879 ]

The Palomar Monthly Meeting had its inception in 1965 as the Friends North County Worship Group, under the care of the La Jolla Meeting, and was granted monthly meeting status in 1973. This reproduced collection consists of minutes of meetings, correspondence, press releases, and clippings.

B. Print Collections

Alternative Religious Movements Collection [Details]
This collection primarily documents non-mainstream religions in America, including Theosophy (with particular emphasis on the Point Loma Theosophical community in San Diego and associated persons); Scientology; general esotericism; Spiritualism; New Thought; Christian Science; Rosicrucianism, and various other religious groups, especially in California.

The Alternative Religious Movements Collection brings together several previously existing Rare Book collections in Special Collections, including the Krishnamurti Collection, donor Hugh Hyde, gifts from the Institute for the Study of American Religions. To view this still-growing collections, search “Alternative Religious Movements Collection” in the PAC Advanced Keyword Search, and limit your search to “Special Collections.”
Rare Books Collection [Details]
Many books on the subject of religion appear under the LC letter “B”: browsing call number combinations throughout this area can often unearth interesting items. Possible keywords to use in searches include: religio*, sermon, sacred, spirit*, [denominations], preach*, etc.