Alan Maisel and Bernard Catcher collection on Brooklyn politics

The collection contains materials relating to Brooklyn politics collected by Alan Maisel and Bernard Catcher. The collection contains articles about local school districts and development in East Flatbush, ephemera relating to P.S. 119, endorsement letters and ephemera for a variety of state and local Democratic political candidates, and issues of newsletters related to B'nai B'rith. The collection also contains issues of "The Democrat," the Rambam League's "The Commentary," portraits of President Eisenhower, photographs of various local leaders in the late 60s and early 70s, press releases and newsletters from the Madison Club, and two scrapbooks.

Much of the political campaign ephemera consists of pamphlets and flyers for local Brooklyn district and Kings County candidates, such as those campaigning for judgeships and assembly positions. They also contain ephemera relating to Democratic primary candidates for Congress, Attorney General, and State Senate candidates. The majority of the political campaign ephemera dates from the mid 1980s to the early 2000s, with a small minority of materials dating from the 1960s, 1970s, and late 2000s.

The collection also contains various newsletters from local civic organizations, as well as two scrapbooks. The scrapbook "East Flatbush" contains information relating to racial integration in Flatbush schools, as well as a 1968 general study on East Flatbush. The second scrapbook, "Statistical Information on Population, Housing, Crime, Etc.," contains newspaper articles from various sources about restoration plans and development in different Brooklyn and greater New York/Long Island neighborhoods, as well as their racial and ethnic makeup and crime statistics. A large portion of the second scrapbook contains information relating to East Flatbush and East Flatbush schools. While many of the articles in the second volume are dated to the mid to late 1970s, many are also undated and do not contain their newspaper volume number or source.

The political ephemera and material on B'nai B'rith provide insight into the Brooklyn Jewish community and the political involvements of Brooklyn Jewish organizations. The ephemera and endorsements, such as the newsletters of the Madison Club, also provide insight into political issues and affiliations within different Brooklyn neighborhoods. Additionally, the ephemera and scrapbooks document shifting demographics and the fight over racial integration in schools in East Flatbush.