AJHS is the oldest ethnic, cultural archive in the United States.
AHJS Featured Holdings
Bring the story of Emma Lazarus to your classroom. Most famous for writing “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus’ life and legacy will inspire your students to participate in the ongoing conversation of what it means to be an American.
Educators looking for resources to teach social studies, American history, American-Jewish history, civic engagement, English language arts, or poetry and to build skills like inquiry, historical analysis, writing, and creativity.
Ideal for middle and high school students.
The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) fosters awareness and appreciation of American Jewish heritage and serves as a center for national scholarly research. Among our our archival treasures, exhibitions, and public programs is the handwritten original of Emma Lazarus’ The New Colossus, which graces the Statue of Liberty. We also collect and preserve records of the nation’s leading Jewish communal organizations, and important collections in the fields of education, philanthropy, science, sports, business, and the arts.
We are located within the Center for Jewish History on West 16th street in downtown Manhattan.
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Established in 1892, the mission of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American Jewish history. At our home on West 16th Street in downtown Manhattan, AJHS illuminates American Jewish history through our many archival treasures, scholarship, exhibitions, and public programs.
