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Albert Adatto and Emma Adatto Schlesinger papers and sound recordings, approximately 1890-1992

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Adatto, Albert; Schlesinger, Emma Adatto
Title
Albert Adatto and Emma Adatto Schlesinger papers and sound recordings
Dates
approximately 1890-1992 (inclusive)
1970-1990 (bulk)
Quantity
35.34 cubic feet, (41 boxes)
Collection Number
1640, 3462
Summary
Papers of Sephardic researchers from Washington State
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Request at UW

Languages
Collection materials are in English, Hebrew, and Ladino.
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Biographical Note

Emma and Albert Adatto were early researchers into Sephardic history and customs in the United States. Born in Istanbul, Emma and Albert came to the United States as small children in 1912 with their parents Nessim and Anna. Their mother insisted that her children pursue higher education at the University of Washington: Emma Perachia Adatto Schlesinger completed both a BA, and, in 1935, her MA with a pioneering thesis on Sephardic folklore. She continued to write about Sephardic culture throughout her life.

Albert Adatto (1911-1996) was a Sephardic researcher, retired military historian and guidance counselor of Bellevue, Washington. During his retirement, Adatto, who had written an M.A. thesis on the history of Seattle Sephardim in 1939, resumed his study and research. He also prepared many ojas , or traditional Sephardic pages, to commemorate happy life events and to honor national leaders. He also organized personal friendship missions to various Latin American and European nations.

Numbering over 300 items, Adatto's library constitutes one of the largest private collections of Ladino books in the country. From rare texts on Jewish ethics and religion, missionary literature in Ladino, myriad Ladino novels, and an extensive cache of Ladino newspapers from Istanbul, Izmir, and New York, Adatto's collection reflects the diversity of Ladino cultural production over the centuries. Adatto also created unique Sephardic amulets, called ojas, written in a script known in Latin as transitus fluvii (which literally means "crossing the river") and sent them to friends on special occasions and to famous personalities like Anwar Sadat and Johnny Carson.

Source: https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/seattle-sephardic-legacies/albert-emma-adatto-schlesinger/

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Content Description

Correspondence, writings, notes, research and project files, commemorative pages, tape-recorded songs and interviews, speeches. Includes copies, translations, and related materials to the ojas created by Albert Adatto. Also includes historical materials collected by Adatto and materials related to Albert's other interestes, such as the history of stamps (philately) and English-language publications in Japan around the Second World War.

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Other Descriptive Information

Forms part of the Washington State Jewish Archives

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 5 accessions.

  • Accession No. 1640-003, Albert Adatto and Emma Adatto Schlesinger papers and sound recordings, 1939-1992
  • Accession No. 3462-001: Emma Adatto Schlesinger published articles, 1981-1982
  • Accession No. 1640-004, Albert Adatto papers and sound recordings, 1968-1991
  • Accession No. 1640-005, Albert Adatto papers and sound recordings, approximately 1970s, 1982-1989
  • Accession No. 1640-006: Albert and Emma Adatto Ladino research and collected materials, approximately 1890-1990
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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and Subjects

Subject Terms

  • Judaism--Sephardic rite--Customs and practices
  • Ladino language--Research
  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Sephardic authors--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Sephardim--Music
  • Sephardim--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington)

Geographical Names

  • Washington (State)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ephemera
  • Oral histories
  • Oral histories
  • Personal correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Research (documents)
  • Sound recordings
  • Sound recordings

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Adatto, Albert--Archives
    • Adatto, Albert--Family
    • Angel, Marc--Correspondence
    • Arditti, Adolfo--Correspondence
    • Armistead, Samuel G., 1927-2013--Correspondence
    • Elnecavé, Nissim (creator)
    • Elnecavé, Nissim--Correspondence
    • Matza, Diane--Correspondence
    • Papo, Joseph M., 1902---Correspondence
    • Schlesinger, Emma Adatto--Correspondence

    Corporate Names

    • Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington) (host institution)


2007 (Last modified: 9/29/2023)

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