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center for jewish history

By Pulpit & Press: German Reform Comes to America

Exhibition on view through October 25, 2014at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, NYC) (Above image fabricated with maps from the David Rumsey Map Collection: www.davidrumsey.com.) In the mid-to-late 19th century, many German-born rabbis left Germany to practice their faith in the United States. Isaac Leeser, Isaac Mayer Wise, David Einhorn, Max Lilienthal, and Bernard Felsen­thal educated congregants from the pulpit, spread…

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The Molly Picon Story, Part 6: “Isn’t She Wonderful?”

With this post, we wrap up Sarah Ganton’s series on Molly Picon, for decades a household name in Yiddish theater and vaudeville, then a Broadway star and performer with the USO, then a radio personality. We’re very fortunate to have a rich record of her life through the archives of the American Jewish Historic Society, one of the five partners of the Center of Jewish…

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The Molly Picon Story, Part 5: Postwar Europe–and Radio

We continue Sarah Ganton’s story of Molly Picon, for decades a household name in Yiddish theater and vaudeville, then a Broadway star and performer with the USO, then a radio personality. We’re very fortunate to have a rich record of her life through the archives of the American Jewish Historic Society, one of the five partners of the Center of Jewish History. Join us in…

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Save the Date: “World War I and the Jews” Conference in NYC, Nov. 9-10

Decorative embroidery by Rose Biegeleisen Axelrod, depicting German ruler and allies during World War I. Translation from the German: “We are united and no power can separate us. Our armies have forced their way, through storm and darkness, to victory."  Collection of Yeshiva University Museum Gift of Sylvia A. Herskowitz To mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I and to consider the war’s…

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The Molly Picon Story, Part 4: The War, English Songs and the Great White Way

We continue Sarah Ganton’s story of Molly Picon, for decades a household name in Yiddish theater and vaudeville, then a Broadway star and performer with the USO, then a radio personality. We’re very fortunate to have a rich record of her life through the archives of the American Jewish Historic Society, one of the five partners of the Center of Jewish History. Join us in…

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A Somber Trove of Family Letters

by Kevin Schlottmann, Archival Services Manager, Center for Jewish History The Leo Baeck Institute’s Milli Frank correspondence (AR 6686) contains dozens of letters and postcards sent to Milli Frank in Brooklyn, New York, between 1937 and 1944, by her parents, aunts and uncles in Germany. Later, some of these relatives wrote to her from the concentration camps of France. None of them appears to…

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The Molly Picon Story, Part 3: Broadway Comes Calling

We continue Sarah Ganton’s story of Molly Picon, for decades a household name in Yiddish theater and vaudeville, then a Broadway star and performer with the USO, then a radio personality. We’re very fortunate to have a rich record of her life through the archives of the American Jewish Historical Society, one of the five partners of the Center of Jewish History. Join us…

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Adah Isaacs Menken. Photo: American Jewish Historical Society. She flew on fake horses above the stage, wore nude bodysuits so audiences would think she was naked, married four men (and divorced three)—and was surrounded by rumors of affairs with dozens of famous writers. Actress Adah Menken (1835-1868) was one of the first international celebrities, due more to her daring exploits and shrewd publicity than her…

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Reagan, Russia and a Jewish March on Washington: Digitizing 75,000+ Objects From the American Soviet Jewry Movement

Poster from the Union of Councils for Soviet Jews Records: “Mr. Gorbachev, before you talk arms, let’s talk bodies.” For the march and rally for Soviet Jews Pre-Summit, December 6, 1987. American Jewish Historical Society. Thanks to generous support from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission (NHPRC), the Center for Jewish History began digitizing more than 75,000 objects from the American Jewish Historical Society’s Soviet…

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Great news! The Center for Jewish History now provides full access to the world’s largest online collaborative family tree, Geni.com, free of charge. Courtesy of the Geni Public Access program, users logging in to Geni.com on-site at the Center for Jewish History can take advantage of the website’s Pro features, including full access to their database of family trees and family history projects, enhanced research…

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