Celebrating American Jewish History

American Jewish History is a fascinating, complicated, compelling, and beautiful story. It may surprise you to know that Jews first came to this land in 1654. This small group of Jewish refugees settled in New Amsterdam and from that moment on, there has been a Jewish presence in what would eventually become the United States. Since high school, I have been drawn to the study of American Jewish History, and as the child of a father from Memphis, TN and a mother from Duluth, MN, I’ve been especially interested in the history of Jewish communities from the middle of our country. This history is often less well known which, for me, makes exploring it irresistible!

To celebrate Independence Day, I’d like to share a few resources for your own exploration of American Jewish History. I hope that you discover stories that reflect your own families’ journeys, and I hope that what you learn expands your understanding of Jewish life in America. Happy 4th of July!

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/timeline/haven-timeline_0.html

http://americanjewisharchives.org/exhibits/aje/section-1.php

http://www.isjl.org/tennessee-encyclopedia.html

http://www.jhsum.org/exhibits/top-hats/

http://www.jhsum.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Too-Short.pdf

http://jwa.org/350years

http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/fajf/

http://www.jhsgh.org/photos.html

Ps: If you’d like to hear more about the Jewish community of Duluth, MN, you can watch my video about the women of this community by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/oJ0lS1pHbP8