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May is a national month of recognition of the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to American culture. Jewish American History Month acknowledges the achievements of American Jews in fields ranging from sports and arts and entertainment to medicine, business, science, government, and military service.

 

 

 

Jewish American Heritage Month
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society.

 

JAHM Jewish American Heritage Month
The JAHM Coalition is convened by the United Jewish Communities, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the American Jewish Historical Society and the Jewish Women's Archive and consists of a steering committee that includes a number of organizations. Each with unique experiences and perspectives that are vital to the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month for the benefit of this national observance. Also see the American Jewish Archives site.

 

350 Years of American Jewry: Illuminating Documents and Photographs
The site covers a broad spectrum of the American Jewish experience from immigration, military roles, entertainment, education, and more.

 

Yiddish Book Center
The Yiddish Book Center offers free online access to the full texts of nearly 11,000 out-of-print Yiddish titles. The Center works to rescue Yiddish and other modern Jewish books and open up their content to the world.

 

 

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was the founded in Vilna, Poland, in 1925 and relocated to New York City in 1940. Their mission is to preserve, study and teach the cultural history of Jewish life throughout Eastern Europe, Germany and Russia. Their educational and public outreach programs concentrate on all aspects of this 1000-year history and its continuing influence in America.

 

USHMM: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Located among our national monuments to freedom on the National Mall, the Museum provides a powerful lesson in the fragility of freedom, the myth of progress, the need for vigilance in preserving democratic values. With unique power and authenticity, the Museum teaches millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide. And we encourage them to act, cultivating a sense of moral responsibility among our citizens so that they will respond to the monumental challenges that confront our world. Today we face an alarming rise in Holocaust denial and antisemitism—even in the very lands where the Holocaust happened—as well as genocide and threats of genocide in other parts of the world. All of this when we are soon approaching a time when Holocaust survivors and other eyewitnesses will no longer be alive.

The site is available in more than 20 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Chinese.

 

Librarians' Internet Index: Judaism
This is a portal site providing links to authoritative, reviewed sites on topics ranging from anti-semitism to Yiddish. An excellent place to start.

 

The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum is devoted exclusively to art and Jewish culture. Its collections now comprise 27,000 items, ranging from archaeological artifacts to works by today’s cutting-edge artists.

 
 

 

 
 

The Finkelstein Memorial Library has thousands of books devoted to all aspects of Jewish history, culture, and heritage. Below is a brief list to get you started.

 

Wondering what to read next?

 

Start with our Jewish Contemporary Reading Lists
and Children's Reading Lists.

 

Jewish Book Week
Provides reviews of everything from fiction to graphic novels, cookbooks, and children's books. Extensive archive of past reviews.

 

Jewish Book Council
Provides information on current and past National Jewish Book Awards.

 

 

 

The synagogue in America : a short history / Raphael, Marc Lee.
New York University Press, c2011 296.65 RAP

 

The Hebrew republic : Jewish sources and the transformation of European political thought / Nelson, Eric.
Harvard University Press, 2010. 320.011 NEL

 

Back to the sources : reading the classic Jewish texts / edited by Barry W. Holtz.
New York : Summit Books, c1984.  296.1 BAC

 

The Jewish home advisor / Alfred J. Kolatch ; [illustrations by Terry Guglielmino].
by Kolatch, Alfred J., 1916-
Jonathan David Publishers, c1990.  296.74 KOL

 

Jewish literacy : the most important things to know about the Jewish religion, its people, and history / Joseph Telushkin.  Morrow, c1991.  296 TEL

 

Standing again at Sinai : Judaism from a feminist perspective / Judith Plaskow.
by Plaskow, Judith. HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.   296.082 PLA

 

The book of legends = Sefer ha-aggadah : legends from the Talmud and Midrash / edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky ; translated by William G. Braude ; introduction by David Stern.  Schocken Books, c1992.  296.1420521 BOO
 
Everyman's Talmud / by A. Cohen ; introduction by Boaz Cohen.  Schocken Books, 1975.  296.12 COH

 
A history of Israel : from the rise of Zionism to our time / by Howard M. Sachar.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1996. 956.9405 SACHAR

 

The nine questions people ask about Judaism / by Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin  foreword by Herman Wouk.  Simon and Schuster, c1981.  296.74 PRA

 

The Third Jewish catalog : creating community : [with a cumulative index to all 3 catalogs] / compiled and edited by Sharon Strassfeld, Michael Strassfeld.  Jewish Publication Society of America, c1980.  909.04 THI

 
What happens after I die? : Jewish views of life after death / Rifat Sonsino, Daniel B. Syme.  UAHC Press, c1990.  296.3 SON

 

Response to modernity : a history of the Reform Movement in Judaism / Michael A. Meyer.  Oxford University Press, 1988.   296.8346 MEY

 
 

 

The library has hundreds of DVDs, both documentary and entertainment, related to Jewish history and culture. Below is a brief sampling.


 

The Jews [DVD] : a people's history / a film by Nina Koshofer and Sabine Klauser ; produced by Gruppe 5. West Long Branch, NJ : [Distributed by] Kultur, c2009. DVD 909.09 JEW

 

Heritage [DVD] : civilization and the Jews / Thirteen/WNET ; hosted by Abba Eban.
New York : Home Vision Entertainment, c2002.DVD 909.04924 HER 

 

Jewish Intellectual History [DVD] : 16th to 20th century / David B. Ruderman.
Chantilly, Va. : Teaching Co., c2002.  DVD 181.06 JEW

 
The Jewish Americans [DVD] : a series / by David Grubin.
[Washington, D.C.] : Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association ; Hollywood, CA distributed by PBS Home Video, 2008 .  DVD 973.04924 JEW
 

Late marriage [DVD] / Morgane Production and Transfax Film present.
 New York : New Yorker Video, c2002. DVD FOREIGN LATE MARRIAGE

 

Watermarks [DVD] : the Jewish champions who defied Hitler / produced by Yonatan Israel, Yaron Zilberman ; directed by Yaron Zilberman ; written by Ronen Dorfan, Yonatan Israel, Yaron Zilberman.
New York, NY : Kino on Video, 2005.  DVD 940.531 WAT

 

Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls [DVD] : secrets of God revealed.
 Shawnee Mission, KS : New Liberty Videos, [2006]  DVD 296.155 MYS

 
Kedma [DVD] / Agav Hafakot ; BIM ; MK2 Productions ; MP Productions ; R&C Produzioni ; Arte France Cinema, a film by Amos Gitai ; produced by Amos Gitai and Laurent Truchot ; screenplay by Amos Gitai and Marie-Jose Sanselme ; directed by Amos Gitai.
New York, NY : Distributed by Kino on Video, [2004]  DVD FOREIGN KEDMA

 
Into the arms of strangers [DVD] : stories of the Kindertransport / Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Sabine Films, Skywalker, U.S. Holocaust Museum ; producer, Deborah Oppenheimer ; written and directed by Mark Jonathan Harris.
 Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, c2001.  DVD 940.531 INT

 

Forgiving Dr. Mengele [DVD] / produced by David E. Simpson ; directed by Bob Hercules, Cheri Pugh.
New York : First Run Features, 2007.  DVD 940.5318 FOR

 

 
Conspiracy [DVD] / directed by Frank Pierson ; written by Loring Mandel.
 New York : HBO Home Video, 2001.  DVD DRAMA CONSPIRACY

 

Enemies, a love story [DVD] / a Morgan Creek Production ; produced and directed by Paul Mazursky ; screenplay by Roger L. Simon & Paul Mazursky.
Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, 2002.DVD DRAMA ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY
 

Ushpizin [DVD] / directed by Giddi Dar ; written by Shuli Rand.
 Burbank, Calif. : New Line Home Entertainment, 2006.  DVD FOREIGN USHPIZIN
 

 

 

 

 

Additional Film Resources

National Center for Jewish Film
The National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF) is a unique nonprofit motion picture archive, distributor and resource center housing the largest, most comprehensive collection of Jewish-themed film and video in the world. The ongoing mission of NCJF is to gather, preserve, catalogue, and exhibit films with artistic and educational value relevant to the Jewish experience, disseminating these materials to the widest possible audience.

 

Jewish Film
"Our purpose is to highlight notable films and videos of Jewish interest. Our focus is to entertain readers and to aid in Jewish film festival programming."

 

 

 

 

 


The great cantors [CD]Wadhurst, East Sussex, England : Pearl ; New York : Distributed by Qualiton Imports, p1990. CR R COLL GC G 85
           

Requiem [CD] : the Holocaust / David Axelrod.by Axelrod, David. Nashville : Liberty, p1993.  CD C AXEL REQ L 58

                       
We're coming back [CD].  by Shlock Rock (Musical group).  Forest Hills, NY : Shlock Rock, n.d. CD R SR WCB S 48

 
Uncle Moishy sings Jewish holiday favorites [CD].  by Uncle Moishy (Musical group)
Brooklyn : Suki and Ding, 1994.  J CD ZR UNCLUMS U 22
                       

The ultimate Jewish wedding & party music [CD].s.l. : Tara Music, p2005.   CD Q COLL UJW T 05

                       
The So Called seder [CD].New York : JDub Records, p2005. CD R COLL SCS J 02

                       
The High Holy days [CD] = Yamim nora.im.
[Owings Mills, MD] : Tara Music, c1998.CD R MIZR HHD M 12 

 
Phases [CD] : a Nonesuch retrospective / Steve Reich. New York : Nonesuch, p2006. CD J REIC PNR N 62

 

Va-titpalel Hanah [CD] : Vatispalel Chana / Chanale.
by Fellig, Chana. [New York?] : Chanele, c2005. CD Q HEBREW FELL F 22

 

Sameach [CD] : Sephardic dance mix / featuring Shlomo Haviv, Yosi & Avi Piamenta ; Eli Mandelbaum.  [New York?] : Sameach Music, 2004. 

 

American Jewish summer [CD] : songs of the Jewish youth camping movement.
Studio City, CA : Jewish music group, 2005. CD Q JEWISH AJS J 02

 
Songs of our fathers [CD] / Andrew Statman, David Grisman.  San Rafael, CA : Acoustic, 1995. CD Q STAT SOF S14

 
 
 
 

 

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