Jewish Studies

An archive of movies and radio recordings from American Jewish history.

A collection of materials recording Jewish American history from 1654 to the present.

A collection of text documents and photographs from modern Jewish history.

The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies has its roots in New Haven, Connecticut but its collection now spans the Americas, Europe, and Israel. For more than three decades its mission has stayed the same: to record and project the stories of those who were there.

Long recognized as one of the world's leading research centers for the study of Hebraica and Judaica, the Hebraic Section serves as the Library's primary access point for reference and research activities related to the Ancient Near East, pre-Islamic Egypt, Biblical Studies, Jewish Studies, and ancient and modern Israel. The section has custody of materials in a variety of formats in Hebrew and its cognates, including Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, as well as Amharic, Coptic, and Syriac

A collection of multinational Jewish newspapers from 50 publications dating from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive is the largest collection of Jewish documentary films in the world. The archive stores over 18,000 titles from different periods of history, from the time of the Ottoman Empire to this day. The archive contains titles in almost every visual format; this includes film, different types of video and digital files.

A record of printings from the American magazine, the Yiddish Daily Forward from 1999-present.

A collection of materials recording Jewish American history from 1654 to the present.

Some resources are free and do not require registration, but others are only available for a fee.

A library notable for their collection of 18th and 19th century European Jewish archival material.

Full access to the resources requires registration.

The Jewish Women’s Archive is a national organization dedicated to collecting and promoting the extraordinary stories of Jewish women. JWA explores the past as a framework for understanding the issues important to women today; inspires young people with remarkable role models; and uses Jewish women’s stories to excite people to see themselves as agents of change.

Leo Baeck Institute is devoted to the history and culture of German-speaking Jews. Part of an international network with additional centers in London and Jerusalem, LBI – New York | Berlin documents and engages this legacy through its library and archival collections and public programs.

A collection of Sephardic cultural traditions including food, music, and the Ladino language.

A collection of primary source material including photographs, documents, letters, artifacts, art, and books.

The Yiddish Book Center is a nonprofit organization working to recover, celebrate, and regenerate Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors.

The University of Michigan Library is home to the largest collection of ancient papyri in North America. The documents in the Papyrology Collection, which span roughly 2,000 years, contain not only important religious texts — including 60 pages of the oldest known copy of the Epistles of Paul — but also personal letters, school primers, sales contracts and other records that paint a unique portrait of everyday life. Of the 18,000 pieces in the collection, about 5,000 have never been studied and translated, and continue to attract scholars from across the country and around the world.

A collection of audio-visual testimonies from witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust. Free registration.

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is the ultimate source for Holocaust education, documentation and research. From the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem's integrated approach incorporates meaningful educational initiatives, groundbreaking research and inspirational exhibits.

The Yiddish Book Center is a nonprofit organization working to recover, celebrate, and regenerate Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture.

YIVO is dedicated to fostering knowledge of the ongoing story of Jewish life, with a focus on the history and culture of East European Jewry—the ancestry of a significant proportion of Jews in the world today. This story has played an important role in shaping the times we live in.

Located in Atlanta, GA.

Located in San Francisco, CA.

Located in Jerusalem.

Located in New York City.

Located in Tel Aviv.

Located in Philadelphia, PA.

Located in Sydney, Australia

Access to the entire Aleppo Codex in full color photographs.

A database that allows you to search manuscripts by name, place of origin, original binding, and more.

Access to medieval and renaissance manuscripts.

A collection of over 12,000 Jewish medieval manuscripts within the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Collection and the Mosseri Genizah Collection.

The Jewish Museum presents selections from the Bodleian collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts.

The digitized collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts from the Oxford University owned by the Bodleian Library.

A collection of manuscript fragments that include Rabbinic literature and writings on natural science.

A large collection of manuscripts discovered in the Cairo Genizah (registration is required and free).

Access to thousands of Dead Sea Scroll fragments preserved by The European Association of Jewish Studies.

Explore one of the most important digitised collections of Hebrew codices, charters and scrolls.

A database of transcribed Geniza texts.

A compiled list of websites where users may access medieval manuscripts organized by country of origin or digitization.

The Kurt and Ursula Schubert Archive is one of the sections comprising the Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art.

A collaborative database of distinctive words that are used in the speech or writing of English-speaking Jews. Think of it as the Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary of Jewish language.

Tutorials in writing, speaking, and reading the Yiddish language.

Sound bite, tutorial, and video resources to the Hebrew language.

The Catalogue of Wall Paintings in Central and East European Synagogues represents one of the modules comprising the Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art. The Catalogue includes murals created within the framework of traditional Jewish folk culture (while omitting decorative paintings belonging to historicist building design).

A database of modern and ancient Jewish art, funerary art, printed books, architecture, manuscripts, and ritual objects.

The Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded by Professor Bezalel Narkiss in 1979. Today, the Center's archives and collections constitute the largest and most comprehensive body of information on Jewish art in existence, with approximately 180,000 pictures, sketches and documents. The digitization of the Index is carried out in cooperation with the National Library of Israel and the Judaica Division of the Harvard Library.

A collection of Jewish liturgical music scores, midi files, and additional information.

Located in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Robert and Molly Freedman Jewish Music Archive currently contains over 4,000 recordings, primarily in Yiddish and Hebrew.

The purpose of the Jewish Music WebCenter is to support and encourage scholarship and general enjoyment of Jewish music. This website provides an informational platform for activities by individuals and groups as well as academic and archival resources.

A musical project based in New York with large archives of sheet music, recordings, chant cards, and holiday guides.

A resource from National Library of Israel that preserves musical traditions from around the Jewish world for medieval liturgical poetry.

Jewish History Matters features interviews and in-depth discussion of new research and enduring debates about Jewish history and culture and why it matters. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or browse and listen to our latest episodes.

Judaism Unbound, a project of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future, is a project that catalyzes and supports grassroots efforts by “disaffected but hopeful” American Jews to re-imagine and re-design Jewish life in America for the 21st Century.