JHC Collections Hero
Welcome to our research center!
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center's archival collections focus on the history of Jewish individuals, families, businesses, and institutions in Greater Boston and New England. We welcome researchers of all kinds, from scholars and historians to students and people researching their family history. You can browse our collections and our many historical resources below; if you would like see original historical materials in person, please contact our archivists at jhcreference@jewishheritagecenter.org to schedule a research visit. (Please note: research appointments must be made in advance, to ensure that we have the collections you need onsite.)
More than 700,000 items from our collections have been digitized; you can view digitized materials online in our Digital Library and Archives. (Learn more below.)
For records of organizations and individuals outside of New England, please visit our partners at the American Jewish Historical Society in New York, located at The Center for Jewish History.
Our Collections
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center holds the records and papers of Jewish organizations and individuals from the Greater Boston metropolitan area and New England.
Our collections are cataloged as “institutional” or “personal.” Institutional records (denoted by an “I”- or "JHCI"-number) are from congregations, community service organizations, trade associations, Zionist organizations, burial societies, and academic and cultural organizations. Personal papers (denoted by a “P”- or "JHCP"- number) are from individuals or families, and in many cases, correspond to some of our institutional collections.
We also hold a variety of newspapers that served the Jewish communities of New England.
To view a list of all of the JHC's archival collections, go to our finding aid repository. There, you'll be able to browse finding aids for the over 250 archival collections the JHC holds; filter results by subject, name, or place; and perform keyword searches.
The finding aids--or guides to archival collections--describe what is in each collection (often listing each folder in a collection) and provide key information, including the size of the collections, dates they cover, languages they contain, subjects they cover, general descriptions of their content, and biographical or historical information about their creators.
For information on how to navigate our finding aids and tips on how to search them, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
Digital Library & Archives
From immigrant records to family histories to photographs, there's so much to explore in our Digital Library & Archives. Containing nearly 700,000 documents, the archives are fully searchable and enable you to research from anywhere with internet access.
Aside from a few open access collections (see below for further details), researchers must request access to our digital collections. There is no cost to do so.
To gain access to the Digital Library & Archives (DLA) website, create a free guest account by filling out this form and selecting the box at the bottom that reads "I want JHC DLA access, please". You can also join our mailing list using this form. Then return to the digital collections website and login with your newly created account credentials.
For more instructions on how to navigate our Digital Library & Archives, click here.
The following collections are open access and do not require a free guest user account:
- Abraham C. Ratshesky Papers
- Jewish Heritage Center Open Collections
- The Jewish Times
- Mary Antin Correspondence to Alfred Seelye Roe
For questions about the Digital Library & Archives, please email us at jhcreference@jewishheritagecenter.org. More information on our Digital Library & Archives, including tips for usage, and copyright, take down and citation policies, can be found here.
Subject Guides
The JHC has created subject-specific guides to help researchers easily find and use our collections on subjects frequently found in our archives. The subject guides provide links to finding aids (and, if applicable, to digitized collections on our Digital Library & Archives), as well as to JHC webinars, articles, and exhibits on the subject, and helpful external resources.
The JHC will continue to revise current subject guides to reflect newly-available collections.
Newspapers
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center has various newspapers within its collections.
Jewish Times
The Jewish Times (also known as The Boston Jewish Times) was a weekly newspaper serving the Greater Boston Jewish community, published from 1945 to 2001. The JHC has issues between 1945 and 1992, which have been fully digitized and are searchable.
Jewish Weekly News
The Jewish Weekly News was a weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of Western Massachusetts, published from 1945 to 1997. The JHC has bound volumes of issues of its entire run. Please e-mail us if you would like to make an appointment to view the volumes.
Jewish Journal
The Jewish Journal is a weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of Massachusetts' North Shore, published from the 1950s to present day. The JHC has bound volumes of issues from 1950 to 2011. Please e-mail us if you would like to make an appointment to view the volumes.
Databases
The JHC offers access to databases on Jewish organizations, cemeteries, and life cycle events. Click here to view descriptions of and links to the Jewish-related databases we offer.
Databases that are free (guest user account required):
- Boston, MA: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Immigration Records, 1904-1929
- Chelsea, MA: Marriages by Rabbi Icik Benkovitz, 1922-1956
- Massachusetts: Jewish Cemeteries from American Jewish Historical Society, 1875-2012
- Sharon, MA: Sharon Memorial Park Cemetery, 1945-201
Databases that require a JHC or American Ancestors membership:
- Charleston, SC: Inscriptions in Old Jewish Cemeteries, 1762-1903
- Massachusetts: Jewish Cemeteries of Western Massachusetts, 1647-1999
- Massachusetts: Organized Jewish Group Activity in 19th Century Massachusetts, 1843-1900
Microfilm Collections
The following are collections held in microfilm form. Please contact jhcreference@jewishheritagecenter.org to inquire about accessing these collections.
Publications
- American Jewish Quarterly, 1893-1982
- American Jewish History, 1979-1991
- Boston Jewish Advocate, 1905-1999
- Boston Jewish Chronicle, 1891-1893
- Farm Folk Mexico City, 1934-1938
- Idisher Fihrer Boston, 1913-1916, 1925-1926 (incomplete)
- Index to Americana in European Jewish Periodicals
- The Jewish Farmer, 1910-1959
Collections
Originals available at the American Jewish Historical Society in New York
- People's Relief Committee for Jewish War Sufferers Records, I-13
- Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, N.Y.) Records, I-37
- Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Records, I-66
- Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation Records, I-71
- Baron de Hirsch Fund Records, I-80
- Curacao Jewish Community Collection, I-112
- Mayor's Court (New York, N.Y.) Selected Briefs, I-151. You can also access these records via a searchable database on the Center for Jewish History’s website.
- New York (County) Hall of Records Selected Insolvent Debtors Cases, I-153. You can also access these records via a searchable database on the Center for Jewish History’s website.
- New York (County) Hall of Records Selected Incorporation Papers, I-154. You can also access these records via a searchable database on the Center for Jewish History’s website.
- Emma Lazarus Papers, P-2
- Mordecai Sheftall Papers, P-12
- Haym Solomon Papers, P-41
- Eliezer Drucker Papers, P-42
- Gomez Family Papers, P-62
- Leon David Crestohl Papers, P-63
- Hays Family Papers, P-130
- Stephen Wise Papers, P-134
- Justine Wise Polier and Eleanor Roosevelt Correspondence Collection, P-527
Reference Requests
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors welcomes reference questions about our collections. Please see our Finding Aids and Subject Guides (above) to learn more about the materials located at our archive. If you have a specific reference question, you may contact us at jhcreference@nehgs.org or 617-226-1245 and we will be happy to assist you.
To visit us for in-person research, scheduling an appointment is required.
For more information about scheduling an appointment, visiting us to conduct research, photocopy fees, and more, click here.