Letters to the President (RESTRICTED), 1979-1981

The Beth Ahavah Papers primarily document the first decade of activities sponsored by Beth Ahavah, a gay and lesbian synagogue in Philadelphia. Beth Ahavah donated the papers to the Library/Archives in 1987.

Besides information specifically about Beth Ahavah, the collection includes extensive documentation of the International Conferences of Gay and Lesbian Jews and information from other gay and lesbian synagogues. Other papers in the collection trace Beth Ahavah's interaction with non-Jewish gay groups and non-gay Jewish groups.

A small percentage of the papers have been embargoed for 50 years from their creation date to maintain the privacy of individual members and employees. For additional material about congregation Beth Ahavah, see its newsletter, The Shofar, in the Library/Archives' General Ephemera Collection.

The collection is organized into six series: "I. History"; "II. Financial records"; "III. Organizational records"; "IV. Correspondence"; "V. Material from other organizations"; and "VI. Reference files." A folder-level inventory is provided below.