Dear Rabbi Lamm: Agreeably to the several talks between us and Rabbi Jung, this will serve to confirm our mutual understanding as to the basis of your engagement as Associate Rabbi to our beloved Rabbi Leo Jung at The Jewish Center, 131 West 86th Street, New York, N. Y. 1. Your preliminary discussions with us and your possible association with The Jewish Center took place after you had decided to terminate your rabbinate with your congregation at Springfield, Massachusetts, and were than considering other rabbinical positions in or around New York City. in short, we did not, in any form or manner, seek to take you away from your rabbinate in Springfield and our discussions were based on your assurance to us that you had definitely decided to leave Springfield and were, in fact, seriously considering another rabbinate in Long Island which had been offered to you.2. Your position at The Jewish Center will be that of Associate Rabbi to Rabbi Leo Jung, and your duties will, of course, be, completely under his direction and supervision.3.While we agree that there would be no definite term of your engagement with us, and that it would be subject to termination at any time should either of us so decide, nevertheless, in fairness to you, we feel it is desirable tc fix a definite term of one year from the date of the commencement of your duties at our Center which is presently contemplated will begin on January 1, 1959. This initail term will be renewable for successive one year periods unless either of us shall otherwise decide at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the year, and so notify the other of such decision.4. You will receive compensation at the rate of $10,000.00 a year, plus the rent for your apartment in the immediate neighborhood of The Jewish Center, not to exceed $3,000.00 a year. We make no further financial commitment or promise to jIf the foregoing is in accord with your understanding, please be good enough to indicate your approval on the duplicate…

Dear Friends: A General Membership Meeting of The Jewish Center will take place in the Center auditorium on Monday evening, November 17th, 1958 at 8:30 P.M. In addition to extending a cordial and public reception to the new members who have joined the Center since our last Membership Meeting, there will be a general and open discussion on matters pertaining to Center good and welfare, and some musical entertainment to delight those who attend. We will also have a further and appropriate opportunity to welcome our newly appointed Associate Rabbi, Norman Lamm, and Mrs. Lamm. The meeting will be followed by refreshments and a social hour in which to fraternize with each other in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.We earnestly hope you will attend the meeting and thereby demonstrate your interest, enthusiastic support and encouragement in the continued welfare of our institution.ן Sincerely yoursMAX STERN President

Dear Mr. Stern: Please allow me to remind you about a number of matters which we discussed and which ought to be taken care of before the vacation period. As President, it is in place for you to contact those who will be asked to volunteer their services for the Auxiliary High Holiday Services. These people include Rabbis Karasick and Silverstein and Messrs. Saretsky and Rosenblum. Among Rabbi Karasick, Mr. Saretsky and Mr. Rosenblum we must find the personnel for all our services. I might suggest that in case we do need someone else, we might ask Mr. Gottesman to conduct the Minhah Service on Yom Kippur. We also must find someone to blow Shofar and road the Torah. I think Mr. Rosenblum would be excellent for the first task and some of the boys trained by Mr. Julius might volunteer for the second. We must have a Gabbai to replace Mr. Lerner, and I think Mr. Jakabovics would prefer to be at the Main Services.Also – a brief reminder of your own contribution of $250,00 for a Hazzan in the village synagogue of Panvel (via The Jewish Center Torah Society), and Mr. Kaufman’s offer to assist the Indian Jews. It is possible that instead of the $600 or $700 for Tefillin we might be able to use it for Siddurim and Chumashim.Warmest personal regards,Sincerely,Rabbi Norman Lamm

Dear Mr. Stern: Enclosed please find copies of my letters to India and to Israel, in keeping with my recent memorandum of Sivan 18. I learned from Rabbi Lamm of your generous contribution of $250.00 for the salary of the Chazan in Panvel and the $700.00 contribution for the Tefillin which you were good enough to obtain. Since the money brought by Rabbi Lamm to India for Tefillin cannot be sent from there to Israel, due to Indian Valuta regulations, I am arranging for the transfer of these monies for other purposes. Thus, for instance, your contribution of $250.00 is already available to our friends in India for the Panvel Chazan. Since Mr. Saul Bernstein, the Administrator of the Orthodox Union, will be leaving next week for Israel, he will arrange for the payment of the Tefillin to the Ministry of Religions. This way, we will get a course of IL 2.16 per dollar, instead of IL 1.80.I will permit myself to call you on Thursday to find out whether you are available for a meeting of our Overseas Commission on Wednesday, June 21st.With many thanks for your generous support and with kindest personal regards, I amVery sincerely yours,Dr. Samson R. Weiss Executive Vice President8RW/sd Inc.Mr. Max Stem 1 West 81st Street New York 24, N. Y.

ידידי ומכובדי, הרב נחום לאם שליט״א. אחרי דרישת שלומך הטוב ובתשובה למכתבך מעש״ק כי השאלה: השתלשלות העניינים כבר ידועה לך על כל פרטיה. מלשכתו של הרב הראשי שליט״א מסרו לי שהספר נשלח אליך מזמן (אולי בדואר רגיל), ולרבנים וינברג ורקמן בדואר אוויר. לנבואות על התפתחויות בעתיד אין להיכנס. העמדה הרשמית היא שההחלטה וההנחיות בעינן עומדות. אגב, הגאון ר׳ שלמה זלמן אויערבך מ׳קול הורה׳ קובל בפני בקשר לצעיר יהודה, מבומביי, שנתקבל כתלמיד בישיבה בקיץ שעבר על מנת שיחזור להדריך את בני ישראל בהודו (ושבינתיים נפגשתי עמו לפי בקשת ראש הישיבה שליט״א). הישיבה מספקת את כל צרכיו ולא קיבלה תשלום מכל גורם שהוא. הבטחתי להרב אויערבך לשאלך אם אתה יודע משהו על הדבר.

To: Mr. Max Stern, Chairman, Joint Overseas Commission; From: Dr. Samson R. Weiss; Subject: London Meetings. In keeping with our discussion of Tuesday, May 15th, I set up a series of meetings in London. Haham Dr. Solomon Gaon checked with Chief Rabbi Brodie as to the best available dates. It was determined that my presence in London at the occasion of the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Chief Rabbis' Conference would be advisable and should be combined with the purpose of my trip. Accordingly, I left for London on Saturday night, May 26th and arrived in time to participate in the afternoon session of the Standing Committee. This committee is in charge of carrying out the resolutions adopted at the Bionnial Chief Rabbis' Conferences which Dr. Brodie initiated six years ago. Three of these conferences have taken place. The fourth one is scheduled for May, 1963 in Basel, Switzerland.Participants in this conference were: Dr, Brodie, Dr, Gaon, Rabbi Grunwald (Hamburg), Dayan Dr. Lew (London), Grand Rabbin Schilli (Paris), Chief Rabbi Schuster (Amsterdam), Oberrabbiner Taubes (Zurich), Chief Rabbi Toaff (Rome), and Rabbi Rose, the Secretary of Chief Rabbi Brodie.Of interest to us are the following issues, given here in condensed form(A) Calendar ReformIn view of a recent statement in the Osservatore Romano that the Pope favors Calendar Reform among other reasons for the purpose of obtaining a fixed day for Easter, there is great danger that such a reform may be introduced through the United Nations. When Calendar Reform proposals earn up last in 1954, it was the resistance of the Catholic Church which played a great role in the defeat of these proposals.The Pope now agrees to a reform which would divide the year in four equal quarters of 91 days each, a total of 364 days. The last day of the year, and in Leap Years the two last days, would be uncounted, unnamed "blank days." Thus, each year would begin with a Sunday as would each quarter. Accordingly, the Shabbo…

Dear Mr. Stern: I enclose a letter and an agreement from Bloch Publishing Company as to the distribution of the "Leo Jung Jubilee Volume." We shall be selling the book for $9.50. As you will notice, the agreement calls for a 50¢ return to The Jewish Center, i.e., $.75 net per volume, with an equal amount to the distributor. He will be in charge of advertisements, book reviewers, etc. I called Bloch, who offered me the identical agreement. A number of people with whom I have consulted all feel that Bloch is superior. I would, therefore, recommend that The Jewish Center, through one or two officers, enter the agreement with Bloch according to the enclosed statements.Sincerely,RABBI NORMAN LAMMEncl. (6)CC: Mr. Vuric Mits w/enclsMr. Gottesman w/encls

Dear Abraham: The recent exchange of letters between us as well as between myself and Mr. Kelman have caused me a great deal of distress. In particular, am I unhappy over the fact that misunderstanding has developed between the U.O.J.C.I. and us in New York. However, I am confident that with a bit of goodwill and intelligent exercise of restraint, plus some insight, the very warm and cordial relations that have existed heretofore will not only be preserved but even enhanced in the future. I cannot deny my very deep impression that our people in Bombay have committed some indiscretions. The last issue of Mebasser particularly aggravated an already tender situation in a manner that was utterly unnecessary and even cavalier. But I have a great deal of confidence in our Bombay Branch, and especially in you personally, Abraham, and therefore know that, with the help of G-d, we shall manage to re-establish the harmony that has prevailed heretofore and without which our sacred work cannot succeed.As human beings, with all the limitations that mortality places upon us, we sometimes find that we cannot see the forest for the trees. We find ourselves progressively more involved in details which may seem momentous and yet are, in truth, trivial and ephemeral. It is all too difficult to retain a true perspective when you are deeply involved in a situation which has many complications. Feelings tend to become ruffled, decisions are arrived at impetuously, and fundamentals are somehow overlooked. It is therefore understandable that because of all the complexities of the situation in which you find yourself, plus certain interpersonal irritations, that unwise things should be said and indiscreet remarks published.I beg you, however, to remember that the ultimate goals for which we strive are not to prove independence or superiority vis-à-vis a Jewish Agency Director or an Israeli Rabbi or an Iraqi follow-Jew or a Bene Israel community politician. Our goal is, quite simply, the pr…

Dear Mr. Stern: The enclosed is for your information, This was received together with a letter to Dr. Weiss, who is making a copy and sending it on to you. As you will notice, the situation is extremely delicate and I think we ought to ponder once again how to avoid any deterioration of the situation when the Israeli Rabbis arrive. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm.

Dear Rabbi Gotthold: Thank you for your letter of February 3rd and the copies of your letters to Mr. Max Stern and Mr. Jhirad. Yesterday evening, Mr. Max Stern and some members of our Overseas Commission met to discuss your communications. We also had the benefit of the presence of Haham Dr. Solomon Gaon. Since time is of the essence, as you so correctly point out and as we here are so deeply aware, I am informing you immediately of the decisions reached. (1) The Overseas Commission of the Orthodox Union is willing to participate if necessary in the expenditures for yourself and Rabbi E. Kushelevsky in India with the amount of $2,000. The figures quoted by you were not clear to us. Firstly, since we are to pay only for maintenance, the figures given under this item do not amount to $4,000, but only to $3,000. Secondly, we find the amount of $600 per month unreasonably high, even assuming that these amounts are a combination of salaries payable in Israel and actual maintenance of the rabbis in India. We would, of course, assume that your Ministry would continue to pay your salary and that also Rabbi Kushelevsky would continue to receive at least part of his salary. This makes the figure of $4,000 even more questionable. If I stated above “if necessary,” I did so because Haham Gaon undertook to investigate the possibilities of obtaining Indian funds from the large Jewish trusts allocated for this purpose. We would appreciate it if you would immediately discuss this possibility with Rabbi Sassoon who is presently in Israel. These trust funds are frozen in India and cannot be utilized outside of the country. The Haham will take this matter up upon his return to England at the end of this month with some of the trustees. If, therefore, the amounts you listed under maintenance are intended for use in India, the Haham is hopeful that arrangements can be made with the trusts. Your immediate clarification whether part of the funds requested, and if so what percentage, is i…