The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of

American Jewish history ''American Jewish History'' is an academic journal and the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society. The journal was established in 1892 and focuses on all aspects of the history of Jews in the United States. The journal was ...

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 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. They are housed in the

Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva University Museum, ...

in Manhattan. The society has administrative offices in both

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

, and in Boston, Massachusetts. It has served as a public educational and interpretive function by publishing a journal, a newsletter, monographs and reference works 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 The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

Past Presidents

* 1892–1898:

Oscar S. Straus Oscar Solomon Straus (December 23, 1850 – May 3, 1926) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1906 to 1909, making him the first Jewish United ...

* 1899–1921:

Cyrus Adler Cyrus Adler (September 13, 1863 – April 7, 1940) was an American educator, Jewish religious leader and scholar. Early years Adler was born to merchant and planter Samuel Adler and Sarah Sulzberger in Van Buren, Arkansas on September 13, 186 ...

* 1921–1948: A.S.W. Rosenbach * 1948–1952: Lee M. Friedman * 1952–1954:

Salo W. Baron Salo Wittmayer Baron (May 26, 1895 – November 25, 1989) was a Polish-born American historian, described as "the greatest Jewish historian of the 20th century". Baron taught at Columbia University from 1930 until his retirement in 1963. Life ...

* 1954–1955:

David de Sola Pool David de Sola Pool ( he, דוד די סולה פול;‎ 1885–1970) was the leading 20th-century Sephardic rabbi in the United States. A scholar, author, and civic leader, he was a world leader of Judaism. Biography Early life and educati ...

* 1955–1958:

Jacob Rader Marcus Jacob Rader Marcus (March 5, 1896 –14 November 1995) was a scholar of Jewish history and a Reform rabbi. Biography Born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, United States into a traditional Jewish family and raised in Homestead, Pennsylvania, M ...

* 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

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

s, printed material, photographs, audio files, film files, digital material, and objects. 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 Congress (AJCongress or AJC) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The AJCongress was ...

, the

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...

, 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 HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Departme ...

(formerly the

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Departm ...

) 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 "The New Colossus" is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–1887). She wrote the poem in 1883 to raise money for the construction of a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''). In 1903, the poem was cast ...

" by

Emma Lazarus Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849 – November 19, 1887) was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. She is remembered for writing the sonnet "The New Colossus", which was inspired ...

, as well as very early American Jewish documents, including

Judah Monis Judah Monis (February 4, 1683April 25, 1764) was North America's first college instructor of the Hebrew language, teaching at Harvard College from 1722 to 1760, and authored the first Hebrew textbook published in North America. Monis was also the f ...

Hebrew grammar Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

textbook (1735), the first American

siddur A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ' ...

for

Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...

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 The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, including the

marriage contract ''Marriage Contract'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Lee Seo-jin and Uee. It aired on MBC from March 5 to April 24, 2016 on Saturdays and Sundays at 22:00 for 16 episodes. Plot Kang Hye-soo (Uee) is a single mother who ...

Haym Salomon Haym Salomon (also Solomon; anglicized from Chaim Salomon; April 7, 1740 – January 6, 1785) was a Polish-born Jewish businessman and political financial broker who assisted the Superintendent of Finance, English-born Robert Morris, as the prim ...

(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 The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, formerly known as the Judah L. Magnes Museum from 1961 until its reopening in 2012, is a museum of Jewish history, art, and culture in Berkeley, California. The museum, which was founded in 1961 by Sey ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, and became part of the American Jewish Historical Society in 2001.

Exhibitions

* 2014: "October 7, 1944," multimedia exhibition created by choreographer

Jonah Bokaer Jonah Bokaer (born October 1, 1981) is an American choreographer and media artist. He works on live performances in the United States and elsewhere, including choreography, digital media, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and social enterprise. ...

Online exhibitions & collections

* Jewish Museum in Cyberspace * Jewish-American Hall of Fame * Jews in Sport Online

References

External links

* *
American Jewish Historical Society Records
at the American Jewish Historical Society {{Authority control 1892 establishments in New York (state) Jewish-American history Jews and Judaism in Manhattan Organizations established in 1892 Jewish studies research institutes Jewish organizations Archives in the United States Jewish history organizations Non-profit organizations based in New York City Historical societies in New York City