In addition to his professional activities, Dushkin was involved in many other aspects of Jewish life, such as the Reconstructionist movement in the USA, the David Yellin Teachers’ Seminary and the Neot Kedumim Biblical reserve in Israel. He maintained close friendships with many affluent American Jews, who often contributed funds to the various causes with which he was connected. The papers reflect these activities and friendships. Dushkin’s files are arranged in a loose chronological order. Most of the files contain private correspondence as well as letters on a variety of subjects, of which only the major ones have been mentioned in the file descriptions.
After the expulsion of the Christian religious community which settled there for the first time in 1427, the convent located in Ain Karem at Saint John the Baptist's birtplace was founded in 1679. Its oldest archives still held by the Custody of the Holy Land are dated from the beginning of the 18th century. The entire fonds consist of general correspondence and of documents related to canonical visits and regulations for instance,
