The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history.

History

The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States. The Society's library, archives, photograph, and art and artifacts collections document the American Jewish experience. AJHS is located at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan.

AJHS serves public educational and interpretive functions by publishing a journal, a newsletter, monographs and reference works; organizing and curating exhibits; and developing resources and curricula on the American Jewish experience.

In 2007, it was among over 530 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Past Presidents

1892–1898: Oscar S. Straus 1899–1921: Cyrus Adler 1921–1948: A.S.W. Rosenbach 1948–1952: Lee M. Friedman 1952–1954: Salo W. Baron 1954–1955: David de Sola Pool 1955–1958: Jacob Rader Marcus 1958–1961: Bertram Korn 1961–1964: Abram Kanof, MD 1964–1967: Leon J. Obermayer 1967–1969: Philip D. Sang 1969–1972: Abram Vossen Goodman 1972–1975: Abraham J. Karp 1975–1976: Maurice Jacobs 1976–1979: David R. Pokross 1979–1982: Saul Viener 1982–1985: Ruth B. Fein 1985–1988: Morris Soble 1988–1990: Phil David Fine 1990–1993: Ronald C. Curhan 1993–1998: Justin Wyner 1998–2003: Kenneth J. Bialkin 2003–2007: Sidney Lapidus 2007–2010: Daniel R. Kaplan 2011–2014: Paul B. Warhit 2014–2020: Bernard J. Michael 2020-present: Felicia Herman

Publishing The Society publishes books, a genealogy program, museums tours, academic assistance and other related educational activities. Additionally, the American Jewish Historical Society publishes the following publications: Heritage, a bi-yearly newsletter American Jewish History Jews in Sports Online

Collections The American Jewish Historical Society has some 40 million items in its archives,Jennifer Schuessler, Jewish Center Faces Backlash After Canceling Play Criticized as Anti-Israel, New York Times (October 11, 2016). including manuscripts, printed material, photographs, audio files, film files, digital material, and objects.Donations of Materials to AJHS Collections, American Jewish Historical Society. Important elements of the Society's collection include hundreds of historical manuscripts and other records of American Jewish groups, including the papers of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, the Synagogue Council of America, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, and the Hebrew Benevolent Society,Manuscripts Showing Jews' Role In U.S. History Are Documented, New York Times (March 29, 1971). as well as the papers of HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) from 1954 to 2000; United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York and predecessor organizations from 1909 to 2004; and the American Soviet Jewry Movement.Special Holdings, American Jewish Historical Society.

The Society holds the original manuscript of The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, as well as very early American Jewish documents, including Judah Monis's Hebrew grammar textbook (1735), the first American siddur for Jewish holidays printed in English (1761), and the first Hebrew-English prayerbook published in the United States (1826). The Society also holds documents from American Jewish Patriots of the American Revolution, including the marriage contract of Haym Salomon (1777). The Society's Loeb Portrait Database of American Jewish Portraits is a repository of more than 400 portraits of pre-1865 American Jews.

The Society also maintains the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1969 at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California, and became part of the American Jewish Historical Society in 2001.

Exhibitions 2014: "October 7, 1944," multimedia exhibition created by choreographer Jonah Bokaer.

Online exhibitions & collections Jewish Museum in Cyberspace Jewish-American Hall of Fame Jews in Sport Online

See also Texas Jewish Historical Society

References

Further reading Kaplan, Elisabeth. 2000. "We Are What We Collect, We Collect What We Are: Archives and the Construction of Identity." The American Archivist. 63, no. 1: 126–151.

External links

American Jewish Historical Society Records at the American Jewish Historical Society