Sandmel was a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, serving as its president in 1961, the American Association of University Professors, the Archaeological Institute, the American Academy of Jewish Research, the American Society for the study of Religion, the Association for Higher Education, the American Oriental Society, the Central Conference of American Rabbis and Cincinnati's Literary Club. In 1940 he married Frances Langsdorf Fox of Philadelphia. The collection consists of correspondence and writings that reflect Sandmel's interest in the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the chaplaincy, Judaism, New Testament scholarship and theology. The bulk of the materials in the collection span the years 1955-1979. Letters are arranged chronologically within each folder.
Miscellaneous correspondence is arranged by date.
There is correspondence in this series pertaining to Sandmel's work as a chaplain during World War II, his scholarly activities and tenure at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, his connection with several Jewish Reform organizations, and his publications. The materials in Series B are arranged alphabetically by title or subject. Span dates for this series are 1955-1980. None of the works in this series were ever published and most are undated. The letters from Frances to Samuel Sandmel are numbered from 1 to 388, while Samuel's letters to his wife are dated and the letters are arranged chronologically.