Center for Jewish History

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The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture and heritage. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The partners’ archives comprise the world’s largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span a thousand years, with more than five miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films and photographs.

Every document holds a story. Every photograph preserves a memory. Together, they tell the story of Jewish life. At the ...
10/08/2026

Every document holds a story. Every photograph preserves a memory. Together, they tell the story of Jewish life.

At the Center for Jewish History, we preserve millions of irreplaceable records of Jewish life across generations and around the world and make them accessible to researchers, students, educators, and the public.

But preserving these stories for the future depends on support today.

On DAF Day, you can make an immediate impact by recommending a gift to the Center from your donor-advised fund. A contribution to your DAF provides an immediate tax deduction and allows you to recommend grants to charitable organizations now or in the future.

If you have a DAF, today is a chance to put your charitable dollars to work preserving Jewish history.

Donate at the link below:
https://www.cjh.org/donate/donate-now

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged...
10/08/2026

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged or removed from schools and libraries.

Jewish stories of courage, resistance, and survival deserve a place on our bookshelves. Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars introduces young readers to the story of a Danish family helping their Jewish friends escape N**i persecution during the Holocaust.

The novel has faced challenges in schools and libraries, with objections including its discussion of war, violence, death, and difficult historical events. But these are not reasons to turn away from history. Number the Stars helps young readers understand the Holocaust through a story of friendship, bravery, and the power of standing up for others.

As part of Banned Books Week, we’re sharing information and a quote from Number the Stars.

Because stories can teach us to be brave.
Because remembering history helps us recognize the consequences of hate.
And because young readers deserve the opportunity to learn, question, and understand.

📖 Let books be. Protect the freedom to read.

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged...
10/06/2026

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged or removed from schools and libraries.

Jewish stories of the Holocaust have not always been easy to tell, or easy for some to hear. Art Spiegelman’s Maus is one of those powerful stories. Through the form of a graphic novel, Spiegelman tells the story of his father’s survival during the Holocaust while exploring memory, loss, family, and the lasting effects of trauma.

Maus has faced challenges and bans in schools and libraries, with objections often centered on its language, violence, imagery, and difficult subject matter. But confronting difficult history is part of understanding it. Maus gives readers a deeply personal window into the experiences of a Jewish family during one of history’s darkest chapters.

As part of Banned Books Week, we’re sharing information and a quote from Maus.

Because difficult stories still deserve to be told.
Because remembering the Holocaust matters.
And because silencing a story cannot erase the history behind it.

📖 Let books be. Protect the freedom to read.

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged...
10/06/2026

This week is Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read and to recognize books that have been challenged or removed from schools and libraries.

Jewish books and stories, including works about the Holocaust, have faced many challenges and bans. Sometimes these challenges focus on claims that particular passages are “inappropriate” or “unsuitable” for young readers, even when those passages are part of a larger story documenting Jewish life, persecution, survival, and history.

Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl is one example. Different editions and adaptations of Anne’s diary have been challenged or removed from school libraries. In several cases, objections focused on Anne’s honest writing, on passages that were part of her actual diary.

As part of Banned Books Week, we’re sharing some information and a quote from Anne Frank’s diary.

Because Jewish stories are human stories.
Because Holocaust history must be remembered.
And because these voices deserve to be read, not silenced.

📖 Let books be. Protect the freedom to read.

Today we celebrate Simchat Torah! Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in the Torah.” It is the joyful day when we celebrate t...
10/04/2026

Today we celebrate Simchat Torah!

Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in the Torah.” It is the joyful day when we celebrate the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle and immediately begin again with Bereish*t (Genesis).

It’s a day filled with singing, dancing, celebration, and gratitude for the Torah that continues to guide and connect the Jewish people.

Chag Sameach! חג שמח!

10/02/2026

Tonight begins Shemini Atzeret, and tomorrow we celebrate this special Jewish holiday during the day!

Shemini Atzeret follows Sukkot and is a unique day of gathering, prayer, reflection, and connection with Hashem.

It is also a time to pause after the joy of Sukkot and cherish our relationship with G-d and with one another.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and joyous Shemini Atzeret! חג שמח!

Mark your calendars for a series of upcoming events at the Center for Jewish History! Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism a...
10/01/2026

Mark your calendars for a series of upcoming events at the Center for Jewish History!

Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present
🗓️ Wednesday, October 21 | 7:00 PM ET
Join historian James Loeffler and The New Yorker staff writer Emma Green for a conversation about antisemitism, free speech, and American democracy. Cosponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society, the Center for Jewish History, and the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Grad School Mixer
🗓️ Sunday, October 25 | 5:00–6:30 PM
Join fellow students and graduate school attendees for an opportunity to connect, network, and build community.

Pivotal Elections in American Jewish History
🗓️ Wednesday, October 28 | 7:00 PM ET
On the eve of the 2026 midterm elections, join the Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society for the 2026 Amy Goldman Fowler Lecture, featuring a distinguished panel exploring pivotal elections and the evolution of Jewish political engagement across the ideological spectrum.

Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate
🗓️ Sunday, November 8 | 10:00 AM ET
Mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a full-day symposium presented by the Center for Jewish History and the American Jewish Historical Society. Four panels will explore American Jewish political traditions, antisemitism, foreign policy, and the future of American Jewish history.

📍 Explore the programs and register for upcoming events through the events link below: programs.cjh.org

New York University Columbia University Fordham University Pace University Baruch College Yeshiva University Hunter College CUNY City College Brooklyn College Hillel at City College Shalom Hartman Institute מכון שלום הרטמן The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) Leo-Baeck-Institut International

On September 29–30, 1941, N**i German SS and police units, together with their auxiliaries, murdered 33,771 Jews at Babi...
09/30/2026

On September 29–30, 1941, N**i German SS and police units, together with their auxiliaries, murdered 33,771 Jews at Babi Yar, a ravine just outside Kyiv, Ukraine. This was one of the largest mass shootings of Jews during the Holocaust.

The killings at Babi Yar continued under German occupation through 1943. Jewish victims were among the tens of thousands of people murdered at the site, including Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and non-Jewish civilians.

We remember the victims of Babi Yar and preserve the memory of the lives and communities destroyed during the Holocaust.

09/28/2026

Last Chance to See From Rubble to Roots: Six Stories of Survival and Resilience

In this special clip from our bonus reunion episode, hear Paul Goldstein reflect on discovering the story his father, Samuel, had carried in silence for decades.

Samuel survived Treblinka and helped plan one of the only uprisings in the camp. After Samuel died, Paul discovered handwritten pages hidden inside his father’s tallis bag, revealing a story he had never known.

Watch the full reunion episode on YouTube https://bit.ly/4xLqnMX
to hear more from Paul and Lyn Stiefel Hill as they reflect on family history.

And if you haven’t seen From Rubble to Roots, this is your last chance. The exhibition closes Thursday.

The bonus episode is made possible with support from Ancestry.

09/26/2026

You may know Passover, but have you heard of Sukkot?

Sukkot is a week-long Jewish holiday that begins tonight and commemorates the Jewish people's’ journey through the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. Just like Passover, it tells part of the story of how the Jewish people went from slavery in Egypt toward freedom.

During Sukkot, Jews build and spend time in a temporary structure called a sukkah, remembering the temporary huts our ancestors lived in during their journey through the wilderness.

Chag Sukkot Sameach! 🌿✨

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15 W 16th Street
New York, NY
10011

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Monday 9:30am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 7:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 7:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 7:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 3:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 7:30pm

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+12122948301

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