National Conference of Christians and Jews Records

Collection

Identifier: MS-0172

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The National Conference of Christians and Jews Collection documents the organization's social, financial, and political activities from the late 60's to the mid 1970's. The majority of the material is devoted to the San Diego chapter's events, administration, and committee meetings. Documentation includes correspondence, professional diaries, biographical notes, press releases, minutes, and financial statements.

Highlights of the collection include documentation of the 44th Anniversary Dinner, biographies of major figures related to the organization, and inter-religious seminar documentation. Also presented is detailed documentation about the Equality and Quality of Education Conference, including correspondence about the affirmative action workshop and youth relations committees. The majority of the materials are organized chronologically.

Dates

Creation: 1959-1977
Creation: Majority of material found in 1968-1975

Creator

National Conference of Christians and Jews (San Diego, Calif.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.

Historical Note

Founded in 1928, The National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ) was a human rights organization focused on combating intereligious prejudice. NCCJ's origins can be traced back to 1924, when the convention for the Federal Council of Churches of Christ began to discuss the growing power of the Ku Klux Klan. As a result, a committee on goodwill between Christians and Jews was developed.

As NCCJ's foundation was rooted against racial and religious prejudice, the official organization was created after the defeat of Al Smith in the 1928 election. After Smith's defeat, the Christian and Jewish committees of goodwill decided to develop a program encouraging positive interfaith relations. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes presided over these first conferences, promoting diversity and tolerance among the committee.

In 1962, Dr. Jacob Cunningham, along with several other prominent San Diegans, formed a chapter for San Diego. The chapter worked with community agencies in the area, developing human relations workshops related to labor management issues. Many of these issues included equal opportunity for employment, wage negotiation, and employee education. In 1966, Cunningham was replaced by Nathan Jerald. It was then that the San Diego chapter developed more intensive youth/adult relations programs and community relations programs. The youth/adult program promoted equality with regard to age, focusing on the interactions between the youth, parents, teachers, and state representatives. The community relations program provided training for law enforcement, promoting cooperative action at the neighborhood level. Cunningham took over as President in 1971, and Dennis C. Hart took over in 1975.

The basic programs of the National Conference of Christians and Jews are divided into seven program areas; all of which are used to fight bigotry, racism, and inter-group prejudice. The programs include inter-religious relations, youth and adult relations, issues about equal opportunity, education, community relations, religious news service, and publication programs. To better represent the breadth of the organization, NCCJ changed their name to The National Conference for Community and Justice in 1990. It is still in operation today.