The papers of Emil Schorsch document both his personal life as well as his career as a rabbi in both Germany and the United States. Included in the collection are personal documents, correspondence of both professional and personal nature, sermons, articles, and essays by Emil Schorsch, and clippings, diaries, albums, and published works by others, which he collected and saved. Sermons and lectures chronicle his commitment in educating the Jewish community in both the teachings of conservative Judaism, Jewish history, and in preparing for immigration. In particular, his writings show a deep concern for the lives of Jewish youth in Germany at that time. Personal documents include immigration papers regarding his move from Germany to England, and then the United States. A large section of correspondence with his father-in-law's family illustrates a close familial bond, and the tragedy of his in-laws not being allowed to leave Germany and subsequently perishing in the Holocaust

Series I contains documents reflecting the career of Emil Schorsch, as well as his personal family life. Education-related papers, financial and medical documents, autobiographical writings, and records relating to the Schorsch families' immigration to England and the United States can be found in this series. Correspondence is contained in Series II and is divided into two subseries: Professional and Personal. Most of the records are arranged chronologically, however, those sections in which Schorsch organized topically have been preserved in their original order. Professional correspondence has been further divided into three sections, Section A includes early letters from the 1930s, Section B hold correpondence between Schorsch and certain Jewish organizations, and Section C consists of correspondence that Schorsch kept separately that concerned a Rabbinical conference and a community of exiled German Jewish Rabbis. Personal Correspondence is divided into two sections. Section A is arranged alphabetically, while Section B relates directly to the Schorsch family's immigration to first England and then the United States

Writings comprise the bulk of the Emil Schorsch Collection. Subseries 1 contains notebooks that date from Emil Schorsch's days as a student at the University of Tübingen and the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau. Subseries 2 holds general sermons, sermons presented at special occasions such as circumcisions, Bar Mitzvahs, and weddings, and eulogies. Subseries 3 documents Emil Schorsch's work in educating his congregation in Hanover through lectures on the topics of Jewish religious life, culture, and history. The speeches that make up Subseries 4 are largely dedicated to the youth community of the synagogue. However, speeches to other age groups and populations are also present. Most of the material in Subseries 5 appears to be articles and manuscripts, but it is possible they were also used as lectures, speeches, sermons, and drafts for books. Many of the items appear to have been published. In some cases the published version appears in the folder either alone or with the draft. The items in Subseries 6 are mostly extracts from various books discussing religion and spirituality, apparently copied by Emil Schorsch on a typewriter for research purposes

Series IV chronicles the history of the Jewish community of Hanover both before, during, and after the time Emil Schorsch served as rabbi in the community. Included are detailed listings of Jews deported by the Nazis from Hanover. The series also contains articles that were written in response to the dedication of the new synagogue in Hanover in 1963, the text of the inauguration speech by Emil Schorsch, and other published information about the dedication. Series V contains clippings from various newspapers collected by Emil Schorsch. The articles are many and cover a wide variety of subjects, including but not limited to topics that occur in other areas of the collection. The last series, Series VI, consists of other material collected by Emil Schorsch that did not subscribe to the definitions of the other series

Emil Schorsch was a rabbi in both Germany and, later, the United States. Throughout his rabbinical career he was a strong proponent of conservative Judaism. He was born in Hüngheim (Baden) in 1899. After attending a teachers' seminar in Esslingen he began his studies at the Jüdisch-Theologisches Seminar in Breslau in 1923. In 1926 he married Fanny Rothschild from Esslingen, in Württemberg. He graduated from the seminary in 1928. In 1927, a year before graduation, he accepted a position as Ortsrabbiner in Hanover, with the special responsibility of developing programming for Jewish youth. In 1931 he became president of the Zion-Loge Hanover, the local branch of the B'nai B'rith. He was also a member of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rabbiner-Verband. In the summer of 1933 Emil Schorsch was sent by the Jewish community to Palestine to learn how to prepare Jewish youth for immigration from Germany. Upon his return to Germany he began to train Jews for immigration to Palestine, in addition to fulfilling his rabbinical duties in Hanover. Among Emil Schorsch's accomplishments in Hanover were the organization of religious youth educational programs, having Hebrew recognized as compulsory for receiving a high school diploma (Abitur), and the establishment of a Lehrhaus that existed for ten years. In addition, Emil Schorsch established a Jugendheim (youth center) for the community. He also worked at cultivating both the choir and the library of the congregation

During Kristallnacht of November 1938 the synagogue was destroyed. Emil Schorsch was imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp for ten days along with other leading members of the Jewish community. He subsequently immigrated to England in December 1938, along with his wife, Fanny, and their two children, after receiving a permit from the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Rabbi Hertz. They moved to the United States in March 1940. Emil Schorsch served as a rabbi in Pottstown, Pennsylvania from 1940 until 1964, as well as a military chaplain in the Pottstown area throughout the Second World War. In 1963, he returned to Germany and gave a speech at the opening of the new Hanover synagogue. He died in Vineland, New Jersey in 1982. His son, the historian Ismar Schorsch, served as the sixth Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and as the President of the Leo Baeck Institute

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