Center for Jewish History

Call Directions Website

Center for Jewish History For the latest hours & information
Plan your visit: https://new.cjh.org/visit/plan-your-visit

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.

10/23/2026

In 1972, a small group of Jewish women gathered around a dining room table with a plan to launch a Jewish feminist magazine. They called it Lilith.

Fifty years later, the publication of the print magazine continues, and Lilith has expanded into a multimedia hub for ideas, community, and transformation, where all Jewish feminists belong.

Lilith at 50: A Magazine and a Movement, an exhibit exploring 50 Years of Jewish Feminism, opens to the public on October 30th at the Center for Jewish History. Stay tuned for more next week.

Thank you for joining us last night for Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present. H...
10/22/2026

Thank you for joining us last night for Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present.

Historian James Loeffler and The New Yorker staff writer Emma Green led a timely and engaging conversation about antisemitism, free speech, and the challenges facing American democracy. Their discussion explored how history can help us understand the rise of antisemitism today and the difficult questions surrounding how we confront hatred while protecting fundamental freedoms.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us for this important evening, and to our cosponsors, the American Jewish Historical Society and the Shalom Hartman Institute, for making the program possible.

10/22/2026

For 75 years, the Claims Conference has worked to secure recognition, restitution, and compensation for Holocaust survivors, while helping preserve the documentary record of N**i persecution for future generations.

In this collaboration, Rio Daniel, CEO of the Center for Jewish History, speaks with Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference, about the importance of preserving archival records, and the responsibility to ensure that the experiences and histories of survivors are not lost to time.

Watch the full episode next week.

10/20/2026

Between October 20 and 26, 1939, approximately 3,800 Jews were deported from Vienna, Moravská Ostrava, and Katowice to the Nisko area of occupied Poland as part of the N**i regime’s forced-removal efforts.

CJH President Gavriel Rosenfeld explores the Nisko Plan, the brutal conditions deportees faced, and how these early deportations foreshadowed the N**is’ increasingly radical persecution of European Jewry.

Remembering the past is essential to understanding the history that shaped our world.

10/19/2026

One day. Four panels. 250 years of debate.

Celebrate America's 250th anniversary through the lens of Jewish American history at, Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate.

Hear leading scholars discuss democracy, belonging, political traditions, and America's place in the world.

Sunday, November 8
Admission starts at $9.
Reserve your spot at CJH.org.

---------------

Credits:
AJ Congress — Harry Belafonte at March — CR004: Harry Belafonte with his wife Julie Robinson at Montgomery March, 1965. Records of the American Jewish Congress (I-77). Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York.

Photo of Women at Liberty Bonds Drive — GA008: Group of women next to Liberty Bonds booth, 1918. National Jewish Welfare Board Records (I-337). Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York.

AJ Congress Selma March — TW001: American Jewish Congress member holding sign at Montgomery March, 1965. Records of the American Jewish Congress (I-77). Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, New York.

10/16/2026

On October 16, 1943, N**i forces raided Rome’s Jewish community, arresting 1,259 people, including women and children.

Weeks earlier, the community had been told that 50 kilograms of gold would spare them from deportation. They paid. The N**is came anyway.

Two days later, 1,022 Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Only 16 survived.

In this episode, CJH President Gavriel Rosenfeld recounts the roundup of Rome’s Jews and the devastating consequences of that October morning.

We remember the victims and honor the memory of those who never returned.

On This Day: October 15, 1946: N**i Officer Hermann Göring Commits Su***deOn October 15, 1946, Hermann Göring, commander...
10/15/2026

On This Day: October 15, 1946: N**i Officer Hermann Göring Commits Su***de

On October 15, 1946, Hermann Göring, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe and Adolf Hitler's designated successor, died by su***de hours before his scheduled ex*****on.

An early member of the N**i Party, Göring helped consolidate N**i power and played a role in establishing concentration camps for political opponents. Following the November 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, he directed measures to remove Jews from the German economy and confiscate Jewish-owned businesses and property.

After Germany's surrender, Göring was captured by American forces and tried at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. Before the sentence could be carried out, he swallowed a cyanide capsule he had concealed from his guards.

Göring's death came on the eve of the ex*****ons of other leading N**i defendants convicted at Nuremberg.

If you'd like to learn more about the Nuremberg Trials, join our program on November 2nd, titled "Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg."

Link below:

https://programs.cjh.org

Born on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, Ralph Lauren was named Ralph Lifsh*tz by Jewish immigrant parents from...
10/14/2026

Born on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, Ralph Lauren was named Ralph Lifsh*tz by Jewish immigrant parents from Belarus. He would go on to build one of the most recognizable fashion brands in the world, transforming classic American style into an international symbol of timeless elegance.

From his early days selling ties to establishing the Ralph Lauren Corporation, his career has been shaped by a distinctive vision of American fashion, drawing inspiration from tradition, heritage, and aspiration.

From Ralph Lifsh*tz to Ralph Lauren, his story is also a reminder of the many ways Jewish Americans have helped shape American culture.

Four reasons to be at the Center for Jewish History this fall 📚Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in Ameri...
10/13/2026

Four reasons to be at the Center for Jewish History this fall 📚

Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and Free Speech in America, Past and Present
🗓️ Wed, Oct 21 | 7:00 PM ET
Historian James Loeffler and New Yorker staff writer Emma Green on antisemitism, free speech, and American democracy.

Truth on Trial: 80 Years After Nuremberg
🗓️ Mon, Nov 2 | 7:00 PM ET
Natalie Livingstone, author of The Nuremberg Women, and journalist Nadav Eyal on justice after the Holocaust and its legacy today. Moderated by CJH President Gavriel Rosenfeld. Book signing and reception to follow.

Jews and American Democracy: 250 Years of Debate
🗓️ Sun, Nov 8 | 10:00 AM ET
A full-day symposium marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, with four panels on American Jewish political traditions, antisemitism, foreign policy, and the future of American Jewish history.

Delivering Knowledge: Jewish Midwives in Early Modern Europe
🗓️ Wed, Nov 11 | 7:00 PM ET
Author Jordan Katz and moderator Iris Idelson-Shein on what midwives’ lives reveal about women’s healing and Jewish communal life. Pay what you wish.

📍 Register for all four through the link below:

https://programs.cjh.org

Join Our Team at the Center for Jewish History!Passionate about Jewish history, culture, and preserving the stories that...
10/11/2026

Join Our Team at the Center for Jewish History!

Passionate about Jewish history, culture, and preserving the stories that shape our collective heritage? We’d love to hear from you!

Explore career opportunities at the Center for Jewish History and become part of a team dedicated to preserving the past and inspiring the future.

🔗 Learn more and apply through the link below:

https://www.cjh.org/about/employment-opportunities

Address

15 W 16th Street
New York, NY
10011

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+12122948301

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Center for Jewish History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share