Many collections of primary source materials about the history and background of the conflict are available online, including maps, diplomatic documents, and oral histories of both Israeli and Palestinian experiences of 1948.
The Avalon Project at Yale contains original versions of key diplomatic primary sources from the Balfour Declaration to the Camp David accords.
The Center for Jewish History holds both digital and paper archival collections from its five partner organizations: the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, which focuses on Eastern European history and the history of the Yiddish language, the American Jewish Historical Society, the Leo Baeck Institute, which collects German Jewish historical materials, the American Sephardi Federation, which collects materials from Middle Eastern Jewish communities, and the Yeshiva University Museum, which holds Jewish art and artifacts from around the world.
The Institute for Palestine Studies provides access to Palestinian sources on the events in the region from its founding in 1982.
Maps of the Middle East at the University of Texas at Austin hold the documents that trace the changing history of the political control of the region and the communities who lived there.
UNRWA Photo and Film Archive documents Palestinian life in the refugee camps since 1948.
Yad Vashem is the world's central repository of historical materials documenting the Holocaust.
Seton Hall's Special Collections holds materials that may be relevant to researchers in this area. Our collections are strongest in two areas: interfaith dialogue and diplomacy. In the area of interfaith dialogue, Seton Hall holds the papers of the founder of the Judeo-Christian Studies Institute, Monsignor John Oesterreicher, and the papers of Sister Rose Thering, whose research was instrumental in the reforms of Vatican II. In diplomacy, Seton Hall's key collections include the records of the UNA-USA, the American organization that supports the work of the UN, and the papers of Ambassador Thomas Melady, a diplomat with extensive ties in Africa, including Egypt. See the finding aids below.
Interfaith Dialogue
Nancy Elizabeth Forsberg was born August 5, 1922 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and died April 5, 2008. Forsberg studied at many institutions, receiving her Master of Arts degree from New York University, New York, New York in 1965 concentrating in Hebrew culture and education. She was ordained in June 1951 and became pastor of the First Congregational Church in Union, New Jersey in 1967. The Nancy Forsberg papers include printed materials, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, magazines, sheet music, maps, essays, transcriptions, photographs, certificates, and her awards, focusing on her work on matters of interfaith and inter-religious topics, and religious education.
Approximately 17.0 linear feet.
Kaufman was a tireless advocate for Jewish-Christian understanding, engaging in many forms of activism including public speaking, Holocaust education, and service in many organizations dedicated to promoting Jewish-Christian relations. She was inspired by her close friend Sister Rose Thering, a Catholic nun and activist against anti-Semitism, and served as the chair of the Sister Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies for many years.
15 boxes
John M. Oesterreicher was born February 2, 1904 in Stadt-Liebau, Moravia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, into a Jewish family. He studied theology at the Universities of Graz and Vienna, was ordained to the priesthood in 1927, and In 1953 he founded the Institute for Judeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. The John M. Oesterreicher papers include manuscripts, correspondence and sermons centering on his work in Judeao-Christian Studies and anti-Semitism. Approximately 125 linear feet.
Rose Elizabeth Thering was born on 9 August 1920, entered the Dominican sisterhood at 16 and later became a teacher. She was a lifelong activist dedicated to increasing tolerance and understanding between Christians and Jews, and her work had great impact, from legislation mandating the teaching of the Holocaust in New Jersey schools to documents created at the Second Vatican Council changing the relationship of the Catholic Church with Jewish people. Sister Rose Thering died 6 May 2006. The Rose Thering papers consists of the professional and personal papers of Sister Rose Thering. The collection includes writings, correspondence, speeches, travel information, and subject files.
Approximately 18.0 linear feet.
Professional papers of Dr. Michael Wyschogrod relating to his work in Jewish Christian studies.
Diplomacy and International Relations
Ambassador Thomas P. and Dr. Margaret B. Melady have been involved in diplomatic and international affairs since the 1950s, particularly on the continent of Africa. Ambassador Melady has held multiple diplomatic posts for the United States, including Ambassador to Burundi, Ambassador to Uganda, and Ambassador to the Holy See, and the couple have written multiple books on politics in Africa, including Ten African Heroes: The Sweep of Independence in Black Africa. The Thomas and Margaret Melady papers primarily consist of correspondence related to African political leaders and movements during the 1960s and 1970s. Some materials are in French and Spanish.
2.5 linear feet, approximately 400 items.
UNA USA Collection, 1923-2010, MSS 0052
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a not-for-profit national membership organization that seeks to further the ideals expressed in the UN Charter by advocating for the UN system among Americans as well as promoting American participation and leadership within the UN system. The UNA-USA Collection represents a vast array of materials and organizational functions. Some of these materials include, though are not limited to: papers, photographs, audiovisual materials like tapes and CDs, and various digital content. Many of the images are related to events or publications while papers tend to privilege UNA-USA governance materials.
56 linear feet