JHC Collections Hero
Research
EXPLORE OUR ARCHIVES
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center's archives focus on the history of Jewish individuals, families, businesses, and institutions in Greater Boston and New England.
Our Collections
Visit our Collections Repository to explore our nearly 300 archival collections, which include personal papers from individuals and families (denoted as “JHCP-” or “P-”) as well as institutional archives (denoted as “JHCI” or “I-”) from congregations, community service organizations, trade associations, advocacy groups and academic and cultural institutions. We also hold a variety of newspapers that reported on the Jewish communities of New England.
You can search by keyword and filter results by subject, name, or place.
Each collection has a finding aid that describes what is in the collection (often listed by folder) and provides key information including collection size, date range, languages, topics and themes, biographical backgrounds, and historical context.
For more information on how to navigate our finding aids and tips on how to search them, see our Frequently Asked Questions.
Guide To Copyright, Fair Use, & Citation Policies
Photocopy and Scanning Services
Further questions? Please contact us at jhcreference@jewishheritagecenter.org or 617-226-1245
Research Online: Digital Library and Archives
More than 700,000 items from our collections have been digitized and are freely accessible online through the Digital Library and Archives (DLA).
From immigrant records to family histories to photographs, the DLA has so much to explore. The archives are fully searchable and enable you to research from anywhere with internet access.
To gain access to the full 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". Then return to the Digital Library and Archives and login with your newly created account credentials.
The following collections are open access and do not require a free guest user account:
- Abraham C. Ratshesky Papers (P-586)
- Abraham Strauss Papers (P-648)
- Adolphus Strassman Papers (P-939)
- Louisa May Alcott Club Records (I-210)
- United Hebrew Benevolent Association (Boston, Mass.) Records (I-223)
- Mary Antin Correspondence to Alfred Seelye Roe (JHCP-012)
- Leopold Morse Papers (JHCP-013)
- The Jewish Times, Boston, MA
- Jewish Neighborhood Voices Oral History Project
For more information on how to access and use our Digital Library & Archives, click here.
Research in Person: Visit Our Reading Room
If you would like to see original historical materials in person, please contact jhcreference@jewishheritagecenter.org to schedule a research visit. We welcome researchers of all kinds, from scholars and historians to students to people curious about their family history or any aspect of the Jewish American past.
Research appointments must be made in advance to ensure that we have the collections you need, as many of our materials are stored offsite. We ask that you please reach out at least a week in advance of your potential visit.
The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center is open for research:
- Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
During your appointment, our team will welcome you to the Jewish Heritage Center reading room at the American Ancestors headquarters at 97 Newbury Street in Boston, MA. Our non-circulating research library means materials must stay on site, but we are happy to have you view materials in person and scan or photograph when appropriate.
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.
Medicine and Health
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.
Microfilm
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
Databases
The JHC offers access to databases on Jewish organizations, cemeteries, and life cycle events. Several are free with a guest user account, while others require a paid Jewish Heritage Center or American Ancestors membership.
FREE DATABASES (USER ACCOUNT REQUIRED):
- Boston, MA: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Immigration Records, 1904-1929
- Chelsea, MA: Marriages by Rabbi Icik Benkovitz, 1922-1956
- Massachusetts: Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, 1875-2012
- Sharon, MA: Sharon Memorial Park Cemetery, 1945-2013
DATABASES FOR MEMBERS (JEWISH HERITAGE CENTER OR AMERICAN ANCESTORS):
- Massachusetts: Jewish Cemeteries of Western Massachusetts, 1647-1999
- Massachusetts: Organized Jewish Group Activity in 19th Century Massachusetts, 1843-1900
- Charleston, SC: Inscriptions in Old Jewish Cemeteries, 1762-1903
Photocopy and Scanning Services
Members of the Jewish Heritage Center and American Ancestors receive 25 free copies per calendar year.
For requests from non-members or from members who have exceeded their 25 free copies:
- PDFs and JPEG images (suitable for research, classroom, presentations): $0.40 per image
- TIFFs (publishing quality): $12.00 per image
- Paper copies: $0.60 per copy
- Plus $10.00 service fee per every 50 copies. Maximum copies provided = 250
Requests are generally completed within 2-6 weeks from receipt, depending on the nature of the item being copied and the overall volume of requests.