Donating Archival Records to AJHS
The mission of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is to document the Jewish experience in the Americas, from the earliest European contact to present times. This mandate covers the broadest spectrum of Jewish communal, institutional, and family life in North, South, and Central America and in the Caribbean. In support of this strategy, the AJHS seeks archival records in all formats which illuminate trends of wide-ranging impact, representative lived experiences, and and breakthrough moments or turning points of American Jewish life.
Please submit inquiries via the form below. Before submitting a query, please read the donation policy and exclusions thoroughly. Fields with a * next to them are required. AJHS receives a high volume of queries, which are answered in the order that they are received- please do not submit this form multiple times.
Please do not mail or deliver records to AJHS unless they have been approved in advance by AJHS library and archives staff. Unsolicited donations will not be returned. AJHS receives a high volume of queries, which are answered in the order that they are received. Please do not submit this form multiple times for the same records.
Please note the following important exclusions to our collecting policy:
AJHS only collects materials about the American Jewish experience. We exclusively collect materials from North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean. We do not accept materials from outside this geographic area, such as from Israel, Europe, or Asia.
AJHS does not accept:
- Items which duplicate existing materials in either its library or archives holdings
- Textiles or clothing, including military uniforms
- Vinyl LPs
- Religious items, responsa, prayer books, or Bar/Bat Mitzvah certificates and/or books
- Passports or immigration papers, unless they are part of a larger collection of personal documents.
The American Jewish Historical Society does not appraise donated materials in accordance with our professional codes of ethics. It can provide a list of certified appraisers. When an item or material would be inappropriate for the AJHS collections, the Society may make a recommendation for a more suitable placement.
For questions about the donation or collecting policies, please contact Melanie Meyers, Chair of Collections and Engagement via mmeyers@ajhs.org. Click here for more information about making a monetary donation to the American Jewish Historical Society.
