Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups Records, 1940-1997

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups

Title: Records, 1940-1997

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Collections Department.

Size of Collection: 7.75 cu. ft.

Location Number:  Mss. BD J59a

 

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of twentieth-century records of the following Jewish youth groups in Louisville, Kentucky: Modern Femmes, Amitie, Gamma Kappa, and L’Chaim BBG (B’nai B’rith Girls), senior high clubs for girls; Rauch AZA (Aleph Zadik Aleph), Resnick AZA, and Pi Tau Pi, senior high clubs for boys; and Siempris Social Club, a junior high club for girls. The senior high clubs met at the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) downtown and, after 1955, at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) on Dutchmans Lane. Material includes meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, event programs, member rosters, songbooks, and scrapbooks featuring ephemera and photos. These records provide information about members, social activities and events, JCC sports leagues, philanthropic projects, and the clubs’ relationships with each other and the district and national B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO). More broadly, the collection documents teenage culture and Jewish youth identity in the 1940s-1990s.

Folder 1 contains miscellaneous material relating to the teen clubs for girls from the 1940s-1960s, including programs for the First Annual Debutante Charity Ball, sponsored by Mizrachi Women’s Organization; an undated invitation for a party at the YMHA; and information about a 1957 installation dance for Alpha Theta Chi (ATC), a junior high social club.

Folders 2-35 hold Modern Femmes records, including president (N’siah) notebooks, meeting minutes, notes about activities and events, member rosters, and information and correspondence from BBG as well as the district KIO (Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio) and the national BBYO. See also the Modern Femmes scrapbooks (folders 56-79).

Folders 36-40 hold miscellaneous records relating to AZA 107 (renamed Rauch AZA in 1957), Resnick AZA, and Pi Tau Pi. See also the Pi Tau Pi scrapbooks (folders 41-46).

Folders and volumes 41-95 consist of scrapbooks of Pi Tau Pi, Amitie, L’Chaim BBG, Modern Femmes, Gamma Kappa, Siempris Social Club, YMHA, and Camp Tall Trees. Scrapbook material includes photographs, ephemera, correspondence, and newspaper clippings. The YMHA scrapbook consists of news clippings documenting YMHA youth activities and programs, as well as other events relating to the Jewish community of Louisville (folder 94).

Separation note: This collection and the Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups photograph collection [022PC1a] were separated from the Jewish Community of Louisville records [Mss. BD J59].

Processing notes: Many of the scrapbook pages in the collection are fragile, with photographs and other items falling off the pages. Some have pages stuck together and damaged photos. The Gamma Kappa scrapbook pages were out of order and severely damaged; only some of the scrapbook pages were able to be kept in the collection. Most of the scrapbooks were disassembled by the donors and a few others were disassembled by the processing archivist. The processing archivist put album pages in folders, interleaved acid-free paper between pages with photographs, and placed loose items in labeled envelopes.

Some group photographs are missing from scrapbook pages and may be in the Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups photograph collection [022PC1a].

The following scrapbooks have been digitized: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages, ca. 1989 (folders 50-53); and Modern Femmes scrapbook pages, 1956-1960 (folders 64-67). To view the PDF scans of the scrapbooks, click on the links provided in the folder list below.

 

Related Collections:

Aleph Zadik Aleph Rauch Chapter 107 records [Mss. BD A369].

Aleph Zadik Aleph Rauch Chapter 107 Photograph Collection [022PC25].

Aleph Zadik Aleph Museum Collection [2022.23].

Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups Photograph Collection [022PC1a].

Jewish Community of Louisville records [Mss. BD J59].

Jewish Community of Louisville Photograph Collection [022PC1].

 

Historical Note

In the 1950s, social life for many Jewish teenagers in Louisville, Kentucky, revolved around a Jewish teen club system that had been developing for a few decades. The number of clubs fluctuated, but in the mid-twentieth century, there were twelve senior high clubs. Six were for boys: Rauch Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) #107, Resnick AZA, Vinson AZA, Condors, the Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi, and Mu Sigma. Six were for girls: Jolson B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG), Brandeis BBG, Amitie, Modern Femmes, Gamma Kappa, and Sigma Theta Pi. There were also junior high clubs, including the Hornets and Yellow Jackets for boys and Alpha Theta Chi (ATC) and the Sweaterettes for girls. Invitations for membership were extended through a formal “bidding” process like that used by fraternities and sororities.

The senior high clubs met every Sunday at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) after it opened in 1955, replacing the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) downtown. Junior high clubs met in the homes of officers or members. The JCC youth department was governed by a teenage board made up of representatives of the senior high and junior high clubs. Officers of the board formed the club council. The JCC hosted popular annual events for the teen clubs, such as Quiz Bowl and Skit Nite. Individual clubs had their own annual events, such as the Modern Femmes’ Romeo and Juliet dance, usually held at downtown hotels.

Membership and participation in the youth groups declined by the 1970s. The JCC asked groups who had not done so yet to formally affiliate with the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO). In the early 1980s, Louisville’s BBYO groups consisted of Resnick AZA, Mu Sigma AZA, Modern Femmes BBG, and Amitie BBG. Pi Tau Pi was not yet affiliated with AZA but was included in JCC senior high committee meetings.

Youth groups and organizations documented in the Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups records include:

• B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO) – Formed in 1944 as the umbrella organization for chapters of Aleph Zeta Aleph (AZA) and B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG). The first AZA chapter was formed in 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska. The first permanent chapter of what is now BBG was organized in 1927 in San Francisco, California.
• Modern Femmes – A senior high club for girls established in Louisville in 1941 as the Modern Femmes Social Club. The group affiliated with BBG in the late 1960s.
• Amitie – A senior high club for girls established in Louisville by the 1950s. The club affiliated with BBG by the 1970s.
• Gamma Kappa – A senior high club for girls established in Louisville.
• L’Chaim BBG – A senior high club for girls established in Louisville.
• Alpha Theta Chi (ATC) – A junior high club for girls established in Louisville.
• Siempris Social Club – A junior high club for girls established in Louisville.
• Rauch AZA #107 – A senior high club for boys established in Louisville in 1929. In 1957, AZA Chapter #107 became the Rabbi Joseph Rauch Memorial Chapter.
• Resnick AZA – A senior high club for boys established in Louisville by the 1940s-1950s. Its official name was Harry C. Resnick Memorial Chapter #832.
• Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi / Pi Tau Pi AZA – A senior high club for boys established in Louisville in 1947 as the Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi, a Jewish national society formed in 1909 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Lambda Kappa chapter separated from the national Pi Tau Pi society at some point, retained the name Pi Tau Pi for the group, and affiliated with AZA by the early 1990s.

Youth groups documented in the Jewish Community of Louisville Youth Groups photograph collection [022PC1a] include:

• Hen Hussies
• Amitie
• Modern Femmes
• Sigma Theta Pi (STP)
• Rauch AZA
• Resnick AZA
• Vinson AZA
• Mu Sigma AZA
• BBYO
• Condor

Sources:

Carol Ely, Jewish Louisville: Portrait of a Community (2003), pp. 162-166, 189-190

https://scrcarchivesspace.temple.edu/repositories/4/resources/718

https://jewishlouisville.org/the-j/youth-families/teens-and-young-adults/

Jewish Community of Louisville records [Mss. BD J59 / folder 578] 

 

Folder List

Box 1

Folder 1: Girls’ clubs miscellaneous ephemera, 1940s-1960s

Folder 2: Modern Femmes Romeo and Juliet dance, ca. 1953 and 1971

Folder 3: Modern Femmes alumni information, ca. 1960s

Folder 4: Modern Femmes newsletters and BBYO information sheets, ca. 1967-1969

Folder 5: Modern Femmes opening rituals and songs, 1971-1989

Folder 6: Modern Femmes president’s files, 1968

Folder 7: Modern Femmes minutes notebook, 1974-1975

Folder 8: Modern Femmes minutes and newsletter, 1974-1975

Folder 9: Modern Femmes president’s notebook, summer-fall 1976

Folder 10: Modern Femmes minutes and president’s notebook, 1976-1977

Folder 11: Modern Femmes president’s notebook and files, spring-summer 1977

Folder 12: Modern Femmes miscellaneous records, 1976-1978

Folder 13: Modern Femmes president’s notebooks and files, 1978-1979

Folder 14: Modern Femmes president’s notebook, summer 1980

Folder 15: Modern Femmes president’s notebooks, 1979-1981

Folder 16: Modern Femmes Skit Nite program and scripts, 1962, 1985, undated

Folder 17: Modern Femmes Sisterhood Fold projects, 1971-1984

Folder 18: Modern Femmes certificates, 1971-1987

Folder 19: Modern Femmes president’s files, 1981-1982

Folder 20: Modern Femmes miscellaneous records, 1982

Folder 21: Modern Femmes president’s notebook and files, 1982-1983

Folder 22: Modern Femmes president’s notebook and files, summer 1983

Folder 23: Modern Femmes president’s notebook and records, summer 1985

Folder 24: Modern Femmes 1983 reunion and member rosters from 1941-1985

Folder 25: Modern Femmes newsletters and ephemera, ca. 1983-1986

Folder 26: BBYO and BBG manuals and forms, ca. 1960s-1980s

Folder 27: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, 1975-1980

Folder 28: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, 1979-1980

Folder 29: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, 1980-1981

Folder 30: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, 1981

Folder 31: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, 1982

Folder 32: BBYO and BBG correspondence and information, ca. 1982-1983

Folder 33: KIO correspondence, 1983

Folder 34: BBG member kit, 1984-1985

Folder 35: BBYO and BBG information, ca. 1985

Folder 36: AZA #107 miscellaneous records, ca. 1940-1952

Folder 37: Senior high boys mailing lists, 1961-1965

 

Box 2

Folder 38: AZA Resnick newsletter and reunion records, 1979 and 1997

Folder 39: The Pitaupian, May 1949-May 1950

Folder 40: The Pitaupian, June 1950-April 1953

Folder 41: Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi scrapbook material (1 of 4), 1947-1950

Folder 42: Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi scrapbook material (2 of 4), 1950

Folder 43: Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi scrapbook material (3 of 4), 1951

Folder 44: Lambda Kappa chapter of Pi Tau Pi scrapbook material (4 of 4), 1947-1953

Folder 45: Pi Tau Pi AZA scrapbook material (1 of 2), 1991-1992

Folder 46: Pi Tau Pi AZA scrapbook material (2 of 2), 1991-1996

Folder 47: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (1 of 3), 1986-1988

Folder 48: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (2 of 3), 1986-1988

Folder 49: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (3 of 3), 1986-1988

Folder 50: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (1 of 4), ca. 1989 (click to access PDF)

Folder 51: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (2 of 4), ca. 1989 (click to access PDF)

Folder 52: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (3 of 4), ca. 1989 (click to access PDF)

Folder 53: Amitie scrapbook magnetic album pages (4 of 4), ca. 1989 (click to access PDF)

Folder 54: L’Chaim BBG scrapbook magnetic album pages (1 of 2), 1990-1991

Folder 55: L’Chaim BBG scrapbook magnetic album pages (2 of 2), 1990-1991

Folder 56: Modern Femmes senior send-off scrapbook pages, 1986

 

Box 3 (oversize)

Folder 57: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 4), 1942-1953

Folder 58: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 4), 1942-1953

Folder 59: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (3 of 4), 1942-1953

Folder 60: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (4 of 4), 1942-1953

 

Box 4 (oversize)

Folder 61: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1954-1956

Folder 62: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1954-1956

Folder 63: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 5), 1956-1960 (click to access PDF)

Folder 64: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 5), 1956-1960 (click to access PDF) 

Folder 65: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (3 of 5), 1956-1960 (click to access PDF)

Folder 66: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (4 of 5), 1956-1960 (click to access PDF)

Folder 67: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (5 of 5), 1956-1960 (click to access PDF)

 

Box 5 (oversize)

Folder 68: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1959-1963

Folder 69: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1959-1963

Folder 70: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 3), 1962-1965

Folder 71: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 3), 1962-1965

Folder 72: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (3 of 3), 1962-1965

 

Box 6 (oversize)

Folder 73: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1965-1966

Folder 74: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1965-1966

Folder 75: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1966-1968

Folder 76: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1966-1968

 

Box 7 (oversize)

Folder 77: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1970

Folder 78: Modern Femmes scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1970

Folder 79: Modern Femmes senior send-off scrapbook pages, 1979-1981

 

Box 8 (oversize)

Volume 80: Amitie scrapbook, 1970-1977

Folder 81: Amitie BBG senior scrapbook magnetic album pages, 1976-1980

Folder 82: Gamma Kappa scrapbook pages and loose material, ca. 1965-1968

Folder 83: Gamma Kappa scrapbook pages, 1972-1973

 

Box 9

Folder 84: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1961-1965

Folder 85: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1961-1965

Folder 86: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages, 1965-1966

 

Box 10 (oversize)

Folder 87: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (1 of 3), 1970-1971

Folder 88: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (2 of 3), 1970-1971

Folder 89: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (3 of 3), 1970-1971

 

Box 11 (oversize)

Folder 90: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1972-1973

Folder 91: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1972-1973

Folder 92: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (1 of 2), 1978-1981

Folder 93: Siempris Social Club scrapbook pages (2 of 2), 1978-1981

Folder 94: YMHA scrapbook pages, 1940s

 

Box 12

Volume 95: Camp Tall Trees scrapbook, 1952

 

Subject Headings

Aleph Zadik Aleph.

B’nai B’rith Girls.

B’nai B’rith Youth Organization.

Greek letter societies – United States.

Jewish Community Center (Louisville, Ky.)

Jewish camps – Kentucky.

Jewish girls – Kentucky – Louisville.

Jewish youth – Societies and clubs – Kentucky – Louisville.

Jews – Identity.

Jews – Kentucky – Louisville.

Pi Tau Pi.

Young Men’s Hebrew Association (Louisville, Ky.)