A premier center preserving New England Jewish history, exploring Jewish heritage, and advancing understanding of the American Jewish experience.
Jewish Neighborhood Voices
New at the JHC! Explore “Jewish Neighborhood Voices,” an online exhibit based on oral histories with individuals growing up in three historically Jewish neighborhoods of Greater Boston in the 1920s through the 1950s.
Events
"Der Shusterman": Stuart Weitzman and the History of the Jewish Shoe Industry
March 20, 2025
Join the Jewish Heritage Center for an exclusive online program in which historian Dr. Jonathan Sarna and shoe designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Stuart Weitzman will explore the vital role of the Massachusetts shoe industry in the Jewish immigrant experience of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Featuring Stuart Weitzman in Conversation with Dr. Jonathan Sarna
Tracing the History of Boston Jews, Disability, and US Immigration Policy
April 7, 2025
Join the JHC for the first webinar in our three-part-series, as Historian in Residence Dr. Hannah Zaves-Greene explores the experiences of Boston’s turn-of-the-century immigrants through materials and harrowing stories from collections in the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center archives. Learn how the U.S. government’s harsh public-charge laws targeted immigrants with disabilities, and discover how Jewish advocates, attorneys, and social workers fought these discriminatory policies.
Past Events: Video Library
Missed a Jewish Heritage Center event? Want to re-watch a talk? You can explore the JHC's video library to watch recordings of past events.
In The Spotlight
Learn About the Story of Passover
The holiday of Passover is often referred to as a “festival of freedom,” but what do American Jews mean by freedom? Dr. Jessica Cooperman uses materials from the JHC collections to explore some of the many ways that American Jews have interpreted the meaning of Passover in the 20th century.
Helen Alpert and Samuel Kalesky welcoming a refugee child to Boston. I-96: The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).
HIAS Boston Port Records Update
As of a January 2025 update to the Digital Library, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Boston Port Records from 1953 are now available digitally.
Joanne Fox Brumberg with a goat in Lynn, circa 1949, Jewish Neighborhood Voices collection in the JHC archive.
Jewish Neighborhood Voices Exhibit
Explore the JHC's new online exhibit about Jewish immigrant neighborhoods.
Bring JHC to your Community!
We offer a variety of programs featuring stories and themes from our archival collections. In addition to programs scheduled at our Boston location, JHC staff members are available to talk to your school, synagogue, community center, or organization, for in-person or virtual presentations.