The Arnold S. Schutzberg Collection consists of documents relating to the history of the Jewish immigrant community in Cambridge and the compiliation of research for "Jewish Cambridge," a website no longer available online. Topics include immigration, Jewish businesses, family histories, and the establishment of synagogues. Records include photographs, building plans, photocopied documents, internet printouts, and correspondence as well as drafts and printouts of Schutzberg's website content. While the content spans ca. 1857-2010, almost all items from the 19th century are photocopies of documents deposited elsewhere. The majority of the records were created between 1990-2010.

Schutzberg was always actively involved in the Jewish community. During his retirement years he became dedicated to pursuing research and writing on the history of the Jewish immigrant community in Cambridge. Along with his wife, Schutzberg visited nearby archives including the American Jewish Historical Society and the Cambridge Historical Commission and collected stories and oral histories from fellow members of the Cambridge Jewish community. He compiled this information on a website, “Jewish Cambridge,” which he intended to use to “interactively research, recover, enhance, conserve, and maintain the history of the Jewish community of Cambridge, past and present.” Topics on the website included immigration, family histories, and the establishment of synagogues. This website is no longer available online. (In addition to the drafts and printouts contained in Series II, copies of some of the website content can be found in the CHC file on Jewish Cambridge.) Schutzberg also wrote a chapter, “Immigrant Jewish Cambridge,” for a Cambridge Historical Society book,A City’s Life and Times: Cambridge in the Twentieth Century. His authorship of newspaper op-ed pieces on Jewish history and his petition for historic landmark status for an early synagogue building are further examples of his work to achieve recognition for the Jewish community’s contributions to Cambridge life.

Significant topics included in Schutzberg’s research include Jewish businesses, organizations, and notable people. Another major focus of the research papers is the history of Cambridge synagogues. Synagogue building history, including architectural plans, is represented here. Schutzberg’s research also traced the history of some of the Jewish families who were early immigrants to Cambridge, including, among others, the Andelman and Busnach families.

As a former resident of Israel and early supporter of Israeli statehood, Schutzberg was also interested in collecting information on Zionism and Israel’s struggle for independence. Besides saving general information on Israel’s history, Schutzberg traced the community of people who, like him, had been involved in the military and in agricultural collectives in Israel. While some of these people may have been from Cambridge or the Boston area, it is not always possible to determine what, if any, connection these materials have to Cambridge history.

This collection predominantly consists of the background research Schutzberg compiled to support these projects. The research in this collection includes Schutzberg’s collections of photocopied documents, internet printouts, and correspondence. Schutzberg appears to have been gathering any information he could find on Jewish Cambridge and the product of his efforts is collected here.

While Schutzberg made notes on some of the photocopies, the majority are not annotated. The research papers also include sheets of notes and spreadsheets of data compiled by Schutzberg, but these comprise only a small percentage of the collection. He consulted City of Cambridge directories and United States Census records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and his notes and spreadsheets often reference these records. It is not always clear where the copies of the documents were obtained, but Schutzberg appears to have done a significant amount of research at the American Jewish Historical Society.link

The collection also included 18 books on Cambridge and Boston area history and urban planning. These books are available in the CHC research library.