Research Your Past
Are you curious about your family’s background in New Haven CT? How about the history of New Haven’s Jewish neighborhood, synagogues and organizations?
Our archives and archivists help people learn more about Jewish New Haven history as well as general New Haven history. Common questions we regularly research include births, deaths and weddings. Our extensive collection of photographs provides views of New Haven over the past century.
Contribute to the Collection
Do you have documents, photos, videos, films or things that illustrate some aspect of Jewish life in New Haven?
Papers and objects that might not seem important to you, may help us fill in gaps in our collections and help us provide a fuller portrait of Jewish life in New Haven over the centuries. Talk with us about donating your material to our collection.
Updates
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Laurel Fox Vlock: Pioneering Holocaust Filmmaker
Second Annual Judith Ann Schiff Women’s History Program
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Laurel Vlock’s life and work as part of the Second Annual Judith Ann Schiff Women’s History Program! Nearly 100 people attended, a testament to her continuing impact on the New Haven community and beyond. If you weren’t able to attend, the live stream is available on the New Haven Museum’s Facebook page or you can watch the video below. There’s still time to see our exhibit on Vlock in the New Haven Museum’s Community Case. It will be on view until the end of March 2024. Read the Yale Daily News article on the presentation.
We are pleased to partner with Congregation Mishkan Israel, Temple Beth Sholom, and the Jewish Community Relations Council on an exciting educational series that dives deep into the heart of American Jewish history to unravel the complexities of our present times. As we navigate one of the most challenging periods in our community’s history, it is essential to understand the forces shaping our experiences. Our community is at a crossroads, grappling with identity, faith, and safety. Meeting the Moment, made possible through a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, offers enlightening discussions, expert insights, and a path forward to confront these challenges head-on. Join us for the final session: The Israelization of American Judaism at Congregation Mishkan Israel on Sunday, April 7 at 9:30 a.m.
Judaica Project
JHSGNH and the Peter C. Hereld House for Jewish Life at Quinnipiac University are thrilled to present the Judaica Project! Please join us for monthly dialogues on Zoom about Judaica, Jewish art, and what these mean to you. This series is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.
Follow the links to join us!
Thursday 4/18 @ 7 PM: L’dor V’dor Judaica with Emily Scheinfeld
Thursday 5/16 @ 7 PM: Black Cat Judaica with Nelly
Past:
Wednesday 6/28 @ 2 pm: Rabbi Reena Judd’s Jewish Boxes
Thursday 7/13 @ 7 pm: Hannah Paperno on Thrifting Judaica
Thursday 8/24 @ 7 PM: Marci Pratt on Crafting Judaica
Thursday 9/14 @ 7 PM: Judaica Show & Tell with Jake
Thursday 10/19 @ 7 PM: Shtetl Baby on Material History
Thursday 11/16 @ 7 PM: Ruth Simon McRae on Judaic Textile Arts
Wednesday 12/13 @ 2 PM: Rabbi Reena Judd’s Menorah Collection
Thursday 1/18 @ 7 PM: Cynthia Beth Rubin on Digital Art with Hebrew Manuscripts
Sunday 2/11 @ 9:30 AM: Finding Your Own Jewish Genealogy with Dan Oren
Photographic History Presentation
JHSGNH’s Photographic History of Jewish New Haven has been presented to many synagogues in Greater New Haven including: Temple Emmanuel, Temple Beth Sholom, Mishkan Israel and B’nai Jacob. Please contact us if you would like the presentation for your synagogue or organization: call (203) 392-6125 or email us.
An Ethnic History of New Haven
A publication of The Ethnic Heritage Center of New Haven
Click to read or download the PDF document.
We thank The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Andrew Eder for their financial contributions towards the construction of this website.