The mission of the American Jewish Historical Society is "to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish past and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history." Constituting the oldest ethnic historical organization in the United States, the Society provides detailed...

Designed as a partnership between five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art (including the American Jewish Historical Society, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the American Sephardi Federation), the Center has combined holdings of approximately 100-million archival documents, artifacts, paintings, and textiles. From the organization's homepage, visitors can learn...

Since the rise of the nickelodeons, Jews have been bringing their own performance sensibilities to audiences all over the United States and the world in many different incarnations. Ranging from the comic genius of Jerry Lewis to the vaudeville legend Al Jolson, Jews (like many other ethnic groups) have become an indelible piece of the American entertainment fabric. Provided by The Jewish Museum...

There is much about the Jewish experience in America that is similar to that of other immigrant groups, including the processes of acculturation, discrimination, acceptance, and assimilation, to name but a few. This special online exhibit from the Library of Congress features more than two hundred objects of American Judaica from its extensive holdings, supplemented by other items loaned by other...

In an effort to recognize the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture, May was proclaimed Jewish American Heritage Month. To help celebrate, this website was created by a collaboration of various government entities, including the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. There are a wide array of topics covered...

Established in 1976, the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) moved into a new building on Independence Mall in Philadelphia in 2010. Over its history, the NMAJH has explored American Jewish identity through "lectures, panel discussions, authors' talks, films, children's activities, theater, and music." On the web site, visitors can learn about exhibitions, education outreach...

The story of American cities can be told in its waves of new immigrants and arrivals throughout the past several centuries. Philadelphia is no exception to this rich brocade of human existence and this digital collection from Temple University tells part of the fantastic story. This offering brings together photographs from the Philadelphia Jewish Archives and other agencies, including the...

Noted filmmaker David Grubin recently completed a documentary for PBS which explores 350 years of Jewish American history. This compelling profile focuses on the tension between "identity and assimilation" and at its heart is "quintessentially an American story." Visitors to the site can start their journey through the site by watching video clips from the program organized by themes. These themes...

This engaging project from the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries archives over one hundred years of Jewish newspapers published in Pittsburgh such as the Jewish Criterion, the American Jewish Outlook, and the Jewish Chronicle. It's worth noting that the first Jews in Pittsburgh consisted of a small community of German immigrants who came to the area in the 1840s. It was not until 1895 when the...