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American Jewish Education Program

A New Initiative from the American Jewish Historical Society

The American Jewish Historical Society is proud to present the American Jewish Education Program, a proposed new initiative that will transform AJHS into a genuinely and actively national organization – reflecting the geographic diversity of its vast collections and engaging audiences around the country, and the world, with the extraordinary history of Jews in the United States.

This initiative will support the expansion of digital-based web content, K-12 curriculum and online learning, podcasts and video content, and academic fellowships and publications; supporting AJHS and its audiences as we embark on a new era of outreach and engagement and seek to expand our national footprint. This initiative will allow us to fully realize our mission and establish AJHS as America’s preeminent resource on American Jewry.

Through this new initiative, AJHS will:

  • Expand the Society’s visibility and audiences both onsite and online through increased marketing and distribution for produced content.
  • Heighten prestige, garner donor faith and enthusiasm, and enhance our standing, both within in the scholarly community and at large, with the return of the Office of the Historian, a key role that will serve as AJHS’s resident scholar and manager of the relationship with the Academic Council, the American Jewish History journal, the Biennial Scholars’ Conference, and other crucial academic programs. The historian will also be a key partner in public programming, fundraising, public relations, and the cultivation of new collections.
  • Develop scalable, accessible platforms and networks that promote AJHS’s vast collections and allow users to find information about American Jewish history and culture, including documentary productions, podcasts and other audio and video content, public lectures and programs, community events, and print and digital publications, as well as classroom curricula and teacher training.
  • Foster strategic partnerships with organizations including museums, other archives and libraries, distribution media networks, and educational technology producers to increase AJHS’s footprint and reputation as our nation’s repository for American Jewish history.
  • Establish the foundation for the creation and wider adoption of the Jewish American History Network, currently being piloted in partnership with the American Sephardi Federation.

In 2022, AJHS relaunched its website, creating a solid foundation from which to expand digital engagement with the archives, allowing for publication of articles, access to featured collections, production of videos, podcasts, curriculum materials, and more, with ease. Updated to be mobile-friendly across all operating systems and devices, the new website has increased our online visitorship tenfold, reaching thousands of people worldwide.

  • Online Content
    Robust funding is critical to sustaining our ever-growing digital footprint, supporting growing needs for digital collections, “snackable” video content to engage audiences across all ages, and ensuring the AJHS website is a rich, one-stop shop for researchers of all stripes - lay, professional, academic, family, etc - to learn about the extraordinary history of Jews in the United States.
  • Podcast Network
    AJHS has seen immediate and great success with the launch of our first podcast in May, which augurs well for our plans to grow our media presence; The Wreckage already has listeners in 48 states and 35 countries, including Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, and Australia, with numbers growing daily. We have surpassed 8,000 listens in our first season, and have now entered the top 7.5% of podcasts, worldwide. We seek to expand into a full podcast network, producing high-quality shows covering a broad variety of topics, and making full use of our collections and the stories they contain.
  • Hiring of Historian & Director of Academic Programs
    A crucial component of our growth and engagement potential, the Historian & Director of Academic Programs will be responsible for the creation of public-facing content, producing a steady stream of articles, presentations, and other key content for AJHS Digital, AJHS’s online repository for learning about American Jewish history. Additionally, this position will work directly with the AJHS Academic Council on academic programs, including the Biennial Scholars Conference, the American Jewish History journal, ensuring its adherence to intentional, cultivated scholarship, and other scholarly initiatives as identified.
  • Fellowship Program
    As we seek to deepen our relationships with early career scholars, AJHS will expand our fellowship program to build upon the success of the Lapidus Fein fellowships that are awarded to graduate students each year. Adding funding to this initiative will allow us to extend these fellowships to 3 additional graduate students each year, and nurture the next generation of scholars.
  • American Jewish History Journal and Other Publications
    A vital resource and historic in its own right, American Jewish History is one of the preeminent, peer-reviewed journals in our field today. An infusion of support will allow us to reimagine the Journal for distribution beyond the small scholarly community, create additional opportunities for licensing and corresponding digital content, and to partner with and potentially acquire smaller independent journals of American Jewish history, such as the Southern Jewish Historical Society’s annual to expand our publishing reach.

While investments in digital media are critical to a bright future for AJHS, onsite and live-streamed programs are a core element of achieving our mission. Hosting lectures, symposia, panel discussions, film screenings, book talks, family programs, and other opportunities to bring excited audiences into the building are a key part of bringing this history to life.

  • Monthly Public Programs
    AJHS is seeking funding to underwrite our robust line of public programs. Since the return of in-person programming after the Covid closures ended, AJHS has hosted incredible authors like Matthew Dallek, Gary Shteyngart, and Pamela Nadell, filmmakers like the late Nancy Buirski, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, and many more.
  • Increased Support for Live-Streaming and Recording
    Many in-person programs can live on as live-streamed and recorded videos, increasing our engagement and giving us opportunities to partner with media companies like the Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS) and C-SPAN. Last October’s symposium, Fighting Fascism, re-ran on JBS and was made available to more than 2 million households nationwide.

American history as taught in most K-12 schools does not currently give light to significant Jewish Americans as major players in key historical moments. The Jewish population of the United States is often not accounted for as a presence beyond topics such as immigration in the 19th century or the Holocaust. An intersectional history that includes multiple perspectives from numerous peoples offers students and teachers a more robust and effective understanding of history. Materials easily available for teachers that meet Common Core and other state specific curriculum requirements that include and illuminate American Jewish moments of impact in American history are difficult to locate and limited in scope.

  • Curriculum Development
    Currently, AJHS has produced one curriculum project that is available online: the Emma Lazarus Curriculum Project which delves into topics like the arts, activism, immigration, and antisemitism and xenophobia. While this curriculum is easily accessible via our website, it reveals the need for a more comprehensive, flexible catalog of curriculum materials chronicling the American Jewish experience. Data released by Project Tomorrow indicates that roughly 50% of teachers customize digital content they find online to meet their class needs. This data also indicates that just 26% of first-year teachers and 33% of teachers who have been in the classroom 11 years or more feel confident regularly using online curricula. By encouraging teachers to use this online curriculum and adapt it to their classrooms, AJHS can have a much deeper impact in K-12 classrooms.
  • Onsite and Online Engagement With Students
    AJHS will develop in person and online sessions with K-12 students to highlight the incredible stories in our collections. These programs will allow AJHS to connect with potentially thousands of students per year, and aid AJHS in gaining an increasingly large footprint in upper elementary and middle schools, potentially reaching tens of thousands of students per school year. Through strategic partnerships with organizations like the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, the AJHS collections and mission will be brought to students and teachers who might not engage with us otherwise or know about our resources.
  • Teacher Training
    Through strategic partnerships with organizations like the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, AJHS will continue its proven track record of training K-12 educators in the best ways to incorporate Jewish American history into their classrooms. Providing these summer sessions to teachers in social studies, language arts, and other cross-curricular subjects will maximize our efforts in support of our mission: that American Jewish history IS American history.

Sponsors

The American Jewish Education program has been made possible by a generous foundation gift from Sid and Ruth Lapidus.

For more information on how to support the American Jewish Education Program, contact Annie Cotten, Director of Advancement: acotten@ajhs.org.

Thank you to our generous donors who made the American Jewish Education program possible.

Gifts $1,000,000+

Ruth and Sid Lapidus

Gifts $100,000-999,999
The Ford Foundation
Gifts $10,000-$49,999

Hedy Zankel

Gifts $5,000-$9,999

Elizabeth Stern
Joel and Adele Sandberg
Eric Peters

Gifts $1,000-$4,999

Penn Lupovich
Jerry Wyner
Crown Family
Ruth R. Rubin
David and Madeleine Arnow
Alan G. and Elaine Weiler
Nancy and Martin Polevoy

Gifts $500-$999

Harold T. Shapiro

Ira and Beth Rutkow

The Bialer Family

Tom Burnett

Ilana and Jeffrey Previdi in Recognition of Skip and Nancy Karetsky

Carol Levy

Anonymous

Steven S. and Ilene G. Rosenthal

David and Eugenia Hochman

The L.E. Phillips Family

Judith and Roger Widmann

Nan Bases

Richard A. & Amelia Bernstein

Gifts $1-499

Sheryl and Arthur Rosenberg

Kelly and Jacob Jonas

Charles and Alice Kurland in Memory of Marc Kurland

Omri Tubi

Rabbi Robert and Susan Rubin

Berton and Judith Pekowsky

Stanley and Arlene Nivasch

David Band and Susan Klein

Rabbi Raphael M. and Jeanette F. Miller

John E. Gilcrease

Steven and Susan Fisch

Barry and Margery Mitnick

Norbert Wolloch, M.D. in Memory of Zygfryd B. Wolloch

Judith Fox

Lawrence and Sherry Wachtel

David Magier

Rabbi Albert Gabbai

Neil D. and Cecelia M. Spandorf

Sandy Starkman

Hon. Carole Princer Levy

Michael E. and Linda Miller

Robert D. and Toby Reisman

Hillary Sweig & Marissa H. Sweig-Trigger

Irene R. Plotzker

Morton J. and Beverly F. Marshack

Ronnie Fishman

Richard and Sandra Brown

Harvard L. Armus

Tobey H. Shaffer

Norman and Gail Antin

Irwin Rubman

Phyllis Ringel

Beth Adrienne Greenberg

Ira and Carol Rubin

Jeffrey I. and Karen L. Rosenthal

Marvin and Eileen Fishman

Edward C. Tannen

Sally and William Williams

Dr. Eliot and Carolyn Folickman

Alan Brandt

Stuart Kolbert

Robert and Marjorie Solomon

Nancy I. Klein

Robert and Donna

Edward S. Hochman

Jayne Cohen

Basil G. Bernstein, M.D.

Louis Vatman

Esther Joy Schwartz

Dr. Ronald and Ruthe Golden

Larry and Mindy Spiewak

Anonymous

Paul Gordon

Dr. Martin E. and Shaynee Joan Kessler

Jean M. and Lewis C. Hecht

Michael B. Weinstein

Louis Harris in Memory of Linda Harris

Leo and Nancy Sawyer

Olga Avrasina

Zita and Edward Rosenthal

Loren and Marlene Wolsh

Leonore A. Briloff

Elliott Meisel

Anna M. Abrams

Drs. Frederic T. and Marilyn M. Schwartz

Samuel and Renee Fredman

Martin and Amy Melman

Saul and Alla Gorman

Chester Singer

Marc Dittenhoefer

Stanley Fox & Maureen Buckley-Fox

Paul B. Bergman

Merill Losick

Gerald Sorin

Abby Ginzberg

Dr. Stanley and Paula Wolfe

Robert L. and Joyce Blumberg

Laura and Steven Krich

Jerry Meites

David Siegel and Nancy Lazarus

Dr. Eugene and Pastor Connie Shatz

Judith Garcia

Carla Lowenheim

Dr. Robert and Leslie A. Buerki

Nancy J. Goldberg

Andrew Reiner

Dr. Marc G. and Madeleine C. Holzer

Barbara and Gerald Wagger

Alan Shapiro

Michael J. and Klara K. Lewis

Dr. Andrew Kohen

Ms. Barbara M. Bibel

Jules and Barbara Meisler

Roy B. and Sarajane R. Karadbil

Dr. Alice Friedman

Joseph G. and Judith E. Rosenstein

Anonymous

Ted B. and Ann G. Lackowitz

Audrey and Eli Weinberg

Anonymous

S.D. Rosenbaum

Arthur and Betty Salz

Anonymous

Shelley A. and David Y. Jacobson

Michael and Cherie Trachtenberg

Miriam Golob

Susan Erlich

Anonymous

Ava F. Kahn

Dan Slobin

Harvey A. Strickon

Lionel M. and Marsha S. Schooler

Alan J. and Susan K. Schlesinger

Martin and Pauline Leitzes

Aaron and Sharon Eidelman

Avi Feldblum

Steven J. Matthews

Oren Teicher

Robert Plutzker

Evelyn and Oscar Weiss

Phyllis Lusskin

Stewart Fishbein and Peter Aupperle

Randi D. Eckstein

Leslie Montroll

Francine Jacobs

Anne Z. and David T. Casey

Marian and John Borden

Joshua N. and Ricki Lowitz

Drs. Daniel Soyer and Jocelyn Cohen Soyer

Maurice and Barbara Zilber

Barbara Chesler

Rikki Horne and Rudy Petersdorf

Elissa Sampson

Dr. Leslie Verter

Professor Stephan F. Brumberg

Bill Bogatz

Lottie Tartell

Stephen M. Smith

Wayne and Marcia Redlich

Franklin and Bonnie Gold

Joel Spector

Professor Hal Tepfer

Nick Pearson

Myron Koltuv, Ph.D.

Robin and Michael Howald

Paul M. and Susan Hyman

Natalie Hoskins

Arthur Elstein in Memory of Rochelle Elstein

Marcelle Kaplan in Memory of Judge Barbara Colodner

David I. Herschfeld

Joseph and Evalyn Basloe

Melissa R. Klapper

B. Anonymous

Gerald S. and Natalie Levitt

Debra and Eric Ruder

Aaron Margolies

Pauline Schwager

Joel L. and Deborah B. Gellen

Sydelle B. Sonkin

Linda Fenton

Marc S. and Joy G. Gerber

Mark J. and Ronni L. Reiner

Peter M. Gotleib

Dr. Martin and Jean Frankel

Peter and Laura Strauss

Stanley and Laurie Maurer

Edyce and Allen Rau

Dr. Linda S. Ferber, Ph.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Solender

Ruth S. Dengrove

Hal and Marjorie Stern

Judge Jed S. Rakoff

Dr. Hasia Diner

Mark H. Rosenberg

Michael Simon

William M. and Nahma Sandrow Meyers

Michael A. and Margaret Meyer

Florence and Marvin Gerber

Dr. Pamela S. Nadell and Edward D. Farber

Drs. Fredric and Irene Meyer

Judge Howard F. Sachs

Gerald Greenbach

Samuel A. Cohen

Bernard and Ruth Simon

Mark W. and Robin B. Gordon

Barbara St. Lifer

Philip Goldman

Sandra Williamson

Honey Kessler Amado

Drs. Judith and Jonathan Levin

Dr. Frederick Friedman

Harvey E. Rothenberg

Judith Zuckerman

Stanley I. Raskas

Marylin Silverman

Marvin M. Slott, D.D.S.

Bernard Weichsel

Paul R. Alter

Rabbi Joshua L. Segal

Andrew S. and Kathy Berkman

Myra B. Levine-Harris

Cary H. and Frieda Weintraub Baer

Richard Altman

Marvin Pertzik

Dr. Howard A. and Kathleen Mirsky

Joseph Graf

Professor David Gersh

Bob and Cynthia Rawitch

Lucy C. and Harold W. Guenther

Bert Brodsky

Gordon Schonfeld in Memory of Gabriel Schonfeld

Daniel Weiss

Helga Ackerman

Peter S. and Leslie P. Levine

Harriet and Myron Bussel

Jerome and Deborah Schwell

Reuben D. and Judith S. Rohn

Leonard M. Wasserman

Andrew J. Edelson

G. C. Simon

Steven Rabinowitz in Honor of Herbert and Minnie Rabinowitz

Nathaniel and Esther Wice

Marshall Grupp in Honor of Seymour and Claire Grupp

Shelley G. Levine and Don M. Jacobs in Memory of Annette Goldstein

Karen and Laurence J. Margolis

Judith Herr

Ira M. Blassberg

David J. Hellerstein

Mildred Glaberman

Stephen C. and Elizabeth A. Messner

Judith K. Steinman

Nell Minow and David Apatoff

Theodore and Lynn Kotzin

Kalman and Rhoda Goldstein

Lawrence and Susan Lubow

Bruce L. and Carolyn Anders

Denise and Gary Rosenberg

Robert I. and Annie Mendelson

Ilissa and Paul Warhit

Dr. Gilbert H. Mayor

David M. Spector

David J. Nathan and Rebecca Chaplan

Jerry Arbittier

Alissa Ballot

Andrew and Merrill Silver

Amy B. and James A. Tuchler

Arthur and Beth Birnbaum

Dr. Sherwin and Selma Radin

Lisa and Ralph Kleinman

Ms. Diana M. Savit

Drs. Edwin and Roselyn Kolodny

Richard S. Leaman

Dr. Edward S. and Daryl L. Shapiro

Natalie Berkowitz

Thomas and Carol Perloff

Ann A. Einhorn

Sholom Sanders

Ilsa P. Klinghoffer and Paul Dworin in Memory of Leon and Marilyn Klinghoffer

Luis Lainer

Lorelei Hammerman

Dr. Lawrence and Rosalie Berman

Paul Katz

Margaret and Howard Fluhr

Reed Schneider

Betty and Stuart Cotton

Adam Offenhartz

Henry Oliner

Rabbi Jonathan Waxman and Sarrae Crane

Jeffrey Levinson in Memory of Richard Levinson

Dr. Elliott E. and Laura Dudnik

Beth S. Wenger