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History
 Websites presented in alphabetical order "People of a Thousand Towns": The Online Catalog of Photographs of Jewish Life in Prewar Eastern Europe 
 This collection of 17,000 photographs from the YIVO archives is a visual record of pre-World War II Jewish communities. In some cases, the pictures are all that remains. Online albums document holiday observance, Yiddish writers, immigration, women's roles, and formal studio portraits. Users must register to search the full catalog. http://yivo1000towns.cjh.org/ Topics: History, Holidays & Observances, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History, Society & Social Science Last updated Feb 5, 2003 350 Years of American Jewry: Illuminating Documents and Photographs
This exhibition organized in 2004-05 "examines the intertwined themes, and sometimes conflicting aims, of accommodation, assertion, adaptation, and acculturation that have characterized the American Jewish experience from its beginnings in 1654 to the present day." Some of the topics explored in the exhibit include immigration, Jews and the American military, and education and intellectual life. From the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives. http://www.americanjewisharchives.org/aja/aje/ Topics: Judaism Last updated May 6, 2008 Academic Guide to Jewish History
Well-organized access to hundreds of Jewish historical resources. Find information gateways, encyclopedias, biographies, libraries, archives, indexes, bibliographies, full-text articles, journals, and more. Searchable and browsable. This site, a collaborative effort among 12 institutions, is directed by Jenny Mendelsohn of the University of Toronto Libraries. http://link.library.utoronto.ca/jewishhistory/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Sep 30, 2009 American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS)
The American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic historical organization in the U.S. The society collects archival, published, and artifactual sources depicting the religious, communal, cultural, and political life of American Jewry, and how that community has contributed to the wider society. The site does not include an online catalog of their archives and library; however, it does include information about using the various research sources and lists of Essential Readings and Web sites. http://www.ajhs.org/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Oct 21, 2002 Arranged Marriages?
Brief answer to the question, "Is it true that traditionally, Jewish marriages were arranged marriages?" Discusses the use of a "shadchan" (matchmaker) who introduces the individuals, and how arranged Jewish marriages were not coerced. Includes links to related material about finding your soul mate, the Jewish wedding, and married life. From Chabad.org. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/69429/jewish/Arranged-Marriages.htm Topics: Families, Judaism Last updated Jun 3, 2009 Beyond the Pale: The History of Jews in Russia
The online version of an original exhibit with over 400 photographs presenting an in-depth, illustrated history of Jews in Russia. http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/beyond-the-pale/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History, Photograph Collections: Regional Last updated Jun 7, 2009 Center for Jewish History
Detailed information about this "central repository for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people," a project of five respected research facilities. The Web site has online catalogs of their libraries and archives, and descriptions (including some images) of the center's exhibits and family history resources. The Center, in New York City, has materials on Ashkenazic or Sephardic resources, Yiddish language, Jewish art, and genealogy. http://www.cjh.org/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Feb 3, 2003 Centropa: Jewish Heritage in Central and Eastern Europe
An online collection of Central and Eastern Europe "pre (and post)-Holocaust family photographs and oral histories," Assembled by an "international team of historians, filmmakers, web designers, journalists, educators, photographers and Jewish community activists," these historical and contemporary materials may be accessed by subject, theme, country, and family. The site also has columns featuring books, travel, and food. http://centropa.org/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Nonfiction by Genre, Photograph Collections, Photograph Collections: History, Recipes by Region, Recipes by Region: United States, Regions of the World Last updated Mar 11, 2004 Chagall Windows, Hadassah Hospital Jerusalem
This site features images of the stained glass windows created by the artist Marc Chagall, located at the synagogue at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem. Includes background information about the twelve windows, which represent "12 sons of the Patriarch Jacob, from whom came the Twelve Tribes of Israel." From the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. http://www.md.huji.ac.il/chagall/chagall.html Topics: Judaism Last updated Oct 23, 2007 Culture and Costume: Depictions of Jewish Dress Across Five Centuries
This small exhibition or rare prints "documents the perceptions and imaginings of travelers and artists who illustrated Jewish modes of dress and ways of life in various parts of the world from the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries." Illustrations are accompanied by brief essays. From the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York. http://www.jtsa.edu/prebuilt/exhib/costume/index.html Topics: Fashion, Judaism Last updated May 6, 2008 The Danish Jewish Museum
This Copenhagen museum, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, uses the space of the Royal Boathouse to house a collection documenting the history of Denmark's Jews. The site features an illustrated overview of the collection, a glossary, a brief bibliography, and links to related sites. In English and Danish. http://www.jewmus.dk/?language=uk Topics: History, Judaism, Museums, September 11 & Beyond Last updated Jun 15, 2004 Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting
"Over the past century, the various connections between American Jews and the nation's entertainment media have generated a discussion that has been extensive, passionate, and, at times, contentious." This online exhibit explores these discussions through illustrated commentaries on themes such as "Yiddish Film and Radio," "Hollywood's Jewish Question," and "Seinfeld." Includes related links. From the Jewish Museum, New York. http://www.jewishmuseum.org/online/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Mar 27, 2005 Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies
This site has information about Sephardic communities worldwide. It has essays (some with links) on the history and genealogy of the Sephardim and the Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language and literature. There is also has an online exhibit about the Jewish communities of Greece during the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s, biographies of scholars, and information about the foundation and its publications. http://www.sephardicstudies.org/ Topics: History, Judaism, Languages Last updated May 17, 2002 From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America
To commemorate the 350th anniversary (2004) of Jewish settlement in the United States, the Library of Congress created this exhibition featuring more than 200 items from its Judaica collection. The items portray the Jewish experience from immigration and acculturation to discrimination, acceptance, and assimilation. Items displayed include George Washington's letter to the Newport Hebrew Congregation, General Grant's edict banning Jews from Kentucky, and Abraham Lincoln's letter rescinding that ban. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/ Topics: Correspondence, History, Holidays and Observances Individually, Judaism, Libraries & Archives by Type Last updated Oct 19, 2004 From Swastika to Jim Crow
Explores "the little-known story of German refugee scholars who were expelled from their homeland by the Nazis and found new lives at the historically Black colleges in the American South." Includes information on black-Jewish relations and racism in Europe and the United States, a history and profiles of black colleges, lists of famous refugees and students, video clips, a discussion guide, and links. Online companion to the PBS television series of same title. http://www.pbs.org/itvs/fromswastikatojimcrow/ Topics: Black Resources, College and University Education, Judaism, Social Issues Last updated Feb 2, 2005 Half a Day on Sunday: Jewish-Owned Mom and Pop Grocery Stores
The online version of this historical exhibit about Jewish grocers in Washington, D.C., features "an illustrated historical essay, a searchable database of grocery stores and photographs, ... and a video about Jewish grocers' experience in Washington." Some of the grocery database entries are accompanied by photos of the stores. From the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington. http://www.jhsgw.org/exhibitions/online/momandpop/ Topics: Judaism, U.S. History By Place Last updated May 6, 2008 HebrewBooks.org
Those interested in Jewish life in America will find treasures here. The site reproduces over a thousand books and over two hundred journals published in Hebrew in the United States from 1860 to the present. If one wants to know about Jewish laws concerning Coca Cola or prohibition, or what the rabbis had to say about the Titanic , it is here. http://www.hebrewbooks.org/ Topics: History, Judaism, Languages Last updated Mar 8, 2005 Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) 9-part series that chronicles the history of the Jews from inception through the biblical period to the 1990s. The site provides program summaries along with related interactive features, maps, documents, and video resources. Also includes a timeline, lesson plans, and links. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heritage/ Topics: History, Judaism, Lesson Plans Last updated Mar 3, 2004 The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives
This center, located at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, is "committed to preserving a documentary heritage of the religious, organizational, economic, cultural, personal, social and family life of American Jewry." The site features interactive exhibits on Judaism, the center's journal, genealogy resources, a guide to creating a synagogue archive, a description of holdings, and related research materials. Searchable. http://www.americanjewisharchives.org Topics: History, Judaism, Libraries & Archives by Type Last updated Jan 5, 2005 Jasenovac: Holocaust Era in Croatia, 1941-1945
"This Web site chronicles crimes committed during the Holocaust in Croatia and highlights artifacts from the Jasenovac Memorial Area Collection," including "documents, photographs, maps, film, textiles, transcripts, testimony, and personal objects." Produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/jasenovac/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History, War and Peace: Resources on Iraq, Wars & Conflicts Last updated Jun 11, 2003 The Jewish Americans
Companion to a 2008 Public Television Service (PBS) "documentary that explores 350 years of Jewish American history. ... [It] is a journey through time, from the first settlement in 1654 to the present." The website features introductions to themes (such as migration, assimilation, pursuit of economic opportunity, anti-Semitism, political activism, and being Jewish in modern America) and related video clips. Also includes lesson plans and links to related sites. http://www.pbs.org/jewishamericans/ Topics: Judaism Last updated Jan 24, 2008 Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State (JGSWS)
Focuses on Jewish family history by collecting, preserving, and disseminating genealogy-related knowledge and information. Offers information on Washington Jewish history, getting started in genealogy, state and national resources, and research. Maintains a small library of materials related to Jewish genealogy (the holdings are listed on the site) and holds monthly meetings. http://www.JGSWS.org/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Jan 26, 2003 The Jewish History Resource Center
The Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History offers a site with thousands of staff-evaluated links in many categories. Users may search by time periods, topics, resources (maps, documents, etc.), or organizations. The site receives daily updates. http://www.dinur.org/1.html?rsID=219 Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Aug 13, 2007 Jewish Life in the American West: Generation to Generation
This exhibit "explores the history and adventure of Jews in the American West from early exploration along the Santa Fe Trail in the 1820s through decades of immigration and settlement in Western cities and towns." This site also includes a dreidel game, brief biographies of prominent western Jews, classroom activities, and other educational resources. From the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/jewish_life/ Topics: Emigration & Immigration, History, Judaism, Society & Social Science, United States History Last updated Nov 10, 2009 Jewish-American Hall of Fame
This virtual museum is dedicated to Jews who have contributed to American history and culture. It includes people such as Abraham Zacuto, who produced Columbus's navigational charts; Levi Strauss; Leonard Bernstein; and Barbra Streisand. It also includes places such as the Touro Synagogue and events such as the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Users may browse chronologically or click on a specific subject. In addition to the virtual tour, there is a special exhibit and links to sites with further information about the subjects. http://amuseum.org/jahf/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Mar 6, 2004 Jewish-American History on the Web
Historical materials from Jewish-Americans of the 19th century. Features information on Jews in the Wild West, and the Civil War (including a database "of over 7,000 Jewish-Americans who fought during the war"). Also contains transcripts of articles from the journal The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, and related links. http://www.jewish-history.com/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Oct 15, 2005 Jews in America: Our Story
"In September 1654, 23 Jews from Recife, Brazil ... landed in the harbor of New Amsterdam (later to become New York City). ... Two out of the 23 refugees stayed and planted the seeds of what would become the first American Jewish Community. This web site tells the story of how that community grew." Features a timeline and artifact galleries browsable by time period. From the Center for Jewish History. http://www.jewsinamerica.org/ Topics: Judaism Last updated Jan 15, 2008 The Kibbutz
Background about the Israeli kibbutz movement. "The kibbutz (Hebrew word for 'communal settlement') is a unique rural community ... based on the principle of joint ownership." The first kibbutzim "(plural of 'kibbutz') were founded some 40 years before the establishment of the State of Israel (1948)." Includes data on population, and material on organization, types of work, raising children, traditions, and the future. From the Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/kibbutz.html Topics: Judaism Last updated Feb 2, 2009 Kibbutz: What, Why, When, Where
This article provides an overview of the Israeli kibbutz movement, which began with "a small group of young Jewish immigrants from eastern Europe, inspired by Zionist and socialist ideals, set[ting] up the first kvutza ('group' in Hebrew, renamed kibbutz, 'community' when membership grew)" in Palestine. Includes background about the first kibbutz established in 1909, crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, sources of income, labor, family life, and distribution. From the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/11/Focus%20on%20Israel-%20Kibbutz Topics: Judaism Last updated Feb 12, 2009 Medici Archive
Established by Grand Duke Cosimo I in 1569, the archive consists of nearly 3 million letters that offer a "panorama of two-hundred years of human history, as told in the words of the people most immediately involved." This developing, searchable project contains Arts & Humanities, including antiquities, art, books, coins, drawings, maps, medicine, music, theater, and more; Jewish History (religion and culture); and the history of Costume and Textiles. Documents in Italian, with English translations. http://www.medici.org/ Topics: Correspondence, History, Judaism Last updated Oct 12, 2002 National Museum of American Jewish History
Located on Philadelphia's Independence Mall, the National Museum of American Jewish History is the only American museum that is dedicated to the Jewish experience in the United States. The museum's Web site presents visually stimulating representations of current (and some previous) exhibits, including the permanent exhibit Creating American Jews . Also included is a description of each exhibit mounted since the museum was founded in 1976. This site also includes juxtaposed timelines of world, American, and American Jewish history, a calendar of events, an interactive "Fun Page," and links to Jewish news, culture, and museums worldwide. http://nmajh.org/ Topics: History, Judaism, Museums, Museums by Place: United States, U.S. History By Place Last updated Jun 15, 2004 New Vilna Review
This online magazine covers Jewish arts and letters with articles about Jewish culture, spirituality, and history. It includes fiction, poetry, book reviews, and essays. Also provides a "Jewish Boston" section, and an email newsletter. http://www.newvilnareview.com Topics: Judaism Last updated Nov 12, 2008 Nextbook
"Nextbook is a national initiative to promote Jewish cultural literacy in new and innovative ways. ... [It] is a gateway to Jewish culture, history, and ideas for Jews and non-Jews alike." The site presents reading lists (such as "Discovering Myself"), book reviews, cultural news items, and links to related Web sites. Searchable. From Keren Keshet - The Rainbow Foundation. http://www.nextbook.org/ Topics: History, Judaism Last updated Apr 26, 2006 Photographs From the Warsaw Ghetto
Exhibition of amateur and professional photographs taken by Germans and others, depicting life and events in the Warsaw Ghetto, which was liquidated by the Nazis in World War II after resistance by the Jewish residents. Divided into four sections: self-help organization, album of a German soldier, workshops in the Warsaw Ghetto, and the SS General Jurgen Stroop Collection. From Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority. http://www1.yadvashem.org.il/exhibitions/warsaw_ghetto/home_warsaw.html Topics: History, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History, Wars & Conflicts Last updated Feb 2, 2005 Printer, Publisher, Peddler: The Business of the Jewish Book
This online exhibition documents the history of the Jewish book trade from the 15th through the 20th centuries using examples from the University of Pennsylvania's library collections. Includes a bibliography and a link to a related exhibit about the Jewish book. From the University of Pennsylvania Library. http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/cajs/PrinterPublisherPeddler/ Topics: Judaism, Printing, Publishing, and Book Arts Last updated Oct 30, 2006 Remember the Women Institute
This nonprofit group "conducts and encourages research and cultural activities that contribute to including women in history. Special emphasis is on women in the context of the Holocaust and its aftermath, including post-World War II immigration." The library section of the site features several bibliographies on women and Holocaust, and some book and film reviews, art, and Web links. http://www.rememberwomen.org Topics: History, Judaism, Women, World War II Last updated Mar 9, 2005 A Short History of the Jews of Greece
Illustrated essay on the Jewish presence in Greece. Topics include ancient times to the 20th century, the Nazi occupation, and the German, Bulgarian, and Italian occupation zones. By the founder and former director of the Jewish Museum in Greece. http://www.greecetravel.com/jewishhistory/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism Last updated Jun 8, 2004 Southwest Jewish Archives
"Dedicated to collecting and recording the dramatic history of pioneer Jews in the Desert Southwest, covering Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas," including the Crypto-Jews who trace "their family histories back to Spain and Portugal." Features materials on Jewish pioneers, railroad builders, ranchers, and merchants; synagogues and religious objects; Crypto-Jews; finding aids for the archive's collections; and transcripts of over 20 oral histories. Includes photographs. From the University of Arizona. http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/bloom/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Nonfiction by Genre, Photograph Collections, Photograph Collections: History, Photograph Collections: Regional, Photograph Collections: Regional: United States Last updated Dec 24, 2004 Stalin's Forgotten Zion: An Illustrated History, 1928-1996
In 1934, Stalin created the Jewish Autonomous Region in the region of Birobidzhan in Siberia as a Soviet alternative to Palestine. This online version of an exhibit created for the Judah Magnes Museum uses archival photographs and multimedia to document the experiment and its failure. It examines the notions of Jewish identity, culture, and community. http://www.swarthmore.edu/Home/News/biro/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History, Photograph Collections: Regional Last updated Dec 4, 2004 Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Project
High school students from the Urban School of San Francisco conducted and transcribed interviews and created audio and video files about Holocaust survivors, U.S. soldiers who helped liberate concentration camp prisoners, and Japanese Americans held in internment camps in World War II. Includes links to related sites. http://www.tellingstories.org/ Topics: History, Judaism, Nonfiction by Genre, United States History, World War II Last updated Jun 1, 2006 Treasures from the Jewish Cultural Renaissance in Germany, 1898-1938
This online tour of an exhibit demonstrates the rich Jewish culture that existed in Germany "beginning at the turn of the 20th century and ending as the Nazi regime took power." Includes annotated images of books, magazines, photographs, and illustrations. From the special collections of the Gelman Library at George Washington University. http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/spec/kiev/treasures/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Literary Movements and Periods, Literature & Books, Photograph Collections: History, Photograph Collections: Regional Last updated Dec 5, 2004 Voices of the Holocaust
"First-hand accounts of incredible tales of horror, survival, and liberation of 70 victims of Nazi atrocities and oppression during World War II. The interviewees included farmers, lawyers, artists, carpenters and others from all economic levels, and covering many religions, nationalities, and languages from across Europe." The interviews were conducted in 1946 in displaced persons camps around Europe and transcribed into English by Dr. David Pablo Boder, an Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) psychology professor. Forgotten until 1998, the recordings and typescripts were discovered and made public by IIT's librarians. http://voices.iit.edu/ Topics: History, Judaism, War and Peace: Resources on Iraq Last updated Dec 23, 2005 The Warsaw Ghetto
Dozens of documents relating to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of April and May 1943, in which Jews fought back against the Nazis in World War II. Includes contemporary reports, biographies of participants, government documents, and excerpts from newspaper articles, books, and diaries. From the Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/warsawtoc.html Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Nonfiction by Genre Last updated Nov 9, 2004 The Warsaw Ghetto Today
A virtual exhibition marking Britain's first Holocaust Memorial Day in 2001. A brief history includes sections on Jewish Warsaw prior to September 1939, war and occupation, the Warsaw Ghetto, deportation, the Jewish Fighting Organization, the uprising, and after the uprising. Also features an interactive map of Warsaw with current photographs of relevant sites, a bibliography, and links. From the Grange Museum of Community History. http://warsawghetto.epixtech.co.uk/ Topics: History, History By Place, Judaism, Wars & Conflicts Last updated May 19, 2004 Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS)
Dedicated "to discovering, preserving, and disseminating the history of the Jews of Washington State," this well-organized site features details about the society including membership information, a publications list, events, and a small photo gallery, plus local, national, and international links. The society's archives, which include many oral history interviews, are housed at the University of Washington. http://www.wsjhs.org/ Topics: History, Judaism, U.S. History By Place Last updated Jul 28, 2003 YIVO Institute for Jewish Research: Online Galleries
Founded in Vilna, Lithuania, the YIVO Institute is one of the foremost centers of Jewish learning. The website has several online galleries with artifacts and photographs of the Jewish Labor Bund, actress Ida Kaminska, treasures from the archives, posters from prewar Poland, and artifacts from the Vilna Ghetto. http://www.yivoinstitute.org/exhibits/exhibits_fr.htm Topics: History, Judaism, Photograph Collections: History Last updated May 6, 2007 |
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