The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS)

06/04/2026

Join the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research & AJHS for a book talk with author Rebecca Kobrin and moderator Annie Polland. June 8th at 1:00pm Eastern, online via zoom, free with RSVP! https://yivo.org/Bankers

What are immigrants to do when business opportunities abound in their new home, but banks refuse essential financial support? How could they make the journey in the first place without helping hands? In this lively history, Rebecca Kobrin chronicles the turn-of-the-twentieth-century Jewish immigrants who stepped up by doing the lending themselves. Arriving from the Russian Empire and settling primarily in New York, they made livelihoods by assisting fellow Jews, so they could purchase passage to the United States and, after arriving, obtain credit that other lenders would not dare provide. Drawing on previously unexamined archival materials in Russian, Yiddish, German, and English, Credit to the Nation traces the novel practices of bankers who not only enabled the flourishing of American Jewry, but also revolutionized the US financial industry.

06/03/2026

Within AJHS’s breadth of deeds, morning reports, letters, and newspaper clippings from the period, there exists information on three American Jewish officers of varying rank who have a shared wartime history despite being preserved in separate collections. All three men joined, or were enlisted in, the New York Infantry of the Union Army. These documents allow us to take a microscope to the fascinating details, recollections, and conflicts that form the whole of the Civil War story and underline the contributions that Jewish officers made in the cause for the United States we know today. Read the full article by Isabel Watkins: https://ajhs.org/civil-war-officers-in-the-ajhs-collections/

06/02/2026

The Jewish Center youth bowling club in Columbus, Ohio, circa 1955. National Jewish Welfare Board (I-337).

06/01/2026

In celebration of June Pride we invite you to revisit one of our favorite lectures from visiting scholar Golan Moskowitz, "Wild Outside in the Night: Q***r Jewishness and Childhood Liminality in the Picture-Books of Maurice Sendak."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM9Vgbc5XBo

The late Jewish American gay artist Maurice Sendak (1928-2012) chan...

06/01/2026

Molly Picon (second from right) and Jacob Kalich (left) on the “Carmela,” undated. From the Molly Picon Papers (P-38).
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05/31/2026

St. Louis Jewish Community Center Association's Jr. Volunteers arrive at Ft Leonard Wood to entertain 200 servicemen at the base. The program was organized by base chaplain David S. Lieb. St. Louis, Missouri, 1971. National Jewish Welfare Board (I-337).

05/30/2026

AJHS is thrilled to be a co-presenter at the MISHPACHAH FESTIVAL! From our friends at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a celebration of genealogy, heritage & immigration. AJHS will be leading a session on history podcast production at 2pm! From concept to creation, how series and episodes are crafted using archival audio, interviews, and oral histories. Registration is free, with $10 suggested donation. We hope to see you there!
https://mjhnyc.org/events/mishpachah-2026/

This day-long festival celebrates and explores Jewish genealogy, heritage, and immigration.

05/29/2026

Visiting Israeli soccer team conducts a clinic at the St. Louis JCC. St. Louis, Missouri, July, 1970. National Jewish Welfare Board Collection (I-337).

05/28/2026

"Here Comes Da Bagel Jeep." Korea's Roving Rabbi, Chaplain Herbert Yoskowitz travels with his assistant David Wainstein visiting Jewish personnel throughout Korea and bringing them fresh bagels and other supplies. This photo was taken in Camp Greaves, half a mile south of the Korean DMZ, 1952. National Jewish Welfare Board Collection (I-337).

05/27/2026

Members of the YMHA of Louisville, Kentucky participate in a handcraft class, knitting and making ragdolls, February, 1968. Part of the National Jewish Welfare Board Collection I-337.