For some reason Tu B’Shvat , the Jewish new year for trees, doesn’t get as much attention as some of the more well known Jewish holidays. Perhaps it’s due to the lack of a central image and/or salient theme that might make it more memorable. Read More »

Happy Tu B’Shevat! It is the 15th of Shevat, the “New Year for Trees”—a holiday during which Jews reflect on the importance of respecting and preserving the environment.Pictured above: Tree Planting circa 1934 Subjects: Israel; agriculture; childrenCall/Accession Number: 2009. Read More »

Title page from an 1894 version of David Copperfield published in Vilna. Dickens was frequently published in serial form; this is part four of the novel. “Tsarles Dikens” in the Collections by Melanie J. Meyers, M.S. Read More »

From the desk of Jean Graubart, Director of the Center for Jewish Living and Learning I am not a date nut bread. But couldn’t you just eat me up? (Image: Nathan J. Greenbaum) Tomorrow we celebrate Tu B’Shevat (the 15th day of the month of Shevat), which is considered the NEW YEAR of TREES. Read More »

Out of the Archives: From Labor to Justice by Rachel C. Miller, Senior Project Archivist, Center for Jewish History The quotidian cross-out on this letterhead represents a pivotal moment in U.S. immigration history, when, following the outbreak of war in Europe, the Franklin D. Read More »

Partner organizations of the Center : The Center’s website offers more information about each of the wonderful partner organizations that make up the Center for Jewish History. Please visit this page to learn about the partners’ vital work, invaluable collections and impressive commitments to preserving the Jewish past. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: The Golden City/Upper Galilee Description: Landscape. Camels lower left, yellow buildings top center, surrounded by green; inscribed reverse: “Ruth Bamberger with Love for Kathrin” Artist: Bamberger, Ruth, 1906-1976 Read More »

What does it mean for the Jewish people to mourn? This week two-year-old Ayelet Galena passed away after a difficult battle with a rare bone-marrow disorder. Throughout her illness, her parents shared her journey on their tumblr blog and Facebook page . The power of the internet enabled an “Ayelet Nation” to grow. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: Blau-Weiss hikers with instruments Description: Blau-Weiss was a Zionist youth movement founded in Germany and Austria in 1912. It organized youth group outings and gatherings which stressed the appreciation of nature, scouting, and self-dependence. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: Sabbath Ceremonies, 1724, from Juedisches Ceremoniel Description: Illustration from Juedisches Ceremoniel, a German book published in 1724. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: “Let my people go!” Description: Full color painting of Soviet Jewish exodus Creator: Emor (?) Medium: Poster, colored Date: undated Call Number: I-181.018 Collection: National Conference on Soviet Jewry Records Persistent URL: digital.cjh. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: Eliahu Elias, Casablanca (Morocco) Creator/Photographer: Isaiah Wyner Medium: black-and-white Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches Date: 1989, 1994 Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object id=336458 Repository: American Sephardi Federation Call Number: 007/15 Rights statement: Click here. Read More »

From the partners’ collections: New Colony by Reuven Rubin, Israel 1929 Creator/Photographer: Rubin, Reuven, 1893-1974 Medium: Painting Date: 1929 Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object id=367340 Repository: Yeshiva University Museum Call Number: 1986.138 Rights statement: Click here. Read More »

Silvia Sparklestein comes to You Had Me at Shalom: LGBT Jewish Speed Dating this Saturday* night with GLOE , as the fabulous drag yenta emcee of the event. Not only will she be helping to make romantic connections among the daters and schmoozers, she’ll also be performing a few numbers… and making sure everyone is eating enough. Read More »

In her new Kindle Single , novelist Dara Horn (a Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival alum) explores the fascinating story of Varian Fry, who saved over 2,000 European Jewish intellectuals from the Nazis. Dara discusses Fry’s mission with Vox Tablet. Read More »

Earlier this week, NPR aired a story about the new Pakistani Muslim owners of Coney Island Bialys and Bagels . A family business started in 1920 by a Polish immigrant from Bialystock, the shop claims to be the oldest bialy bakery in New York City. Read More »

Today: International Holocaust Remembrance Day : From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website: “In 2005 the UN General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau —as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Read More »

There are few people that respond to the call of a panhandler or approach a homeless individual, much less engage in a personal survey in the dead of winter. But that is exactly what happened on January 25, 2012, across the United States, with the Point in Time (PIT) survey. Read More »

A digitized page from Jewish Cookery Book by Mrs. Esther Levy. Image from the Library of Congress . Cookbooks of the Collections: An Introduction by Melanie J. Meyers, M.S. Read More »

It was one of those nights where I found myself at home lying on the couch flipping channels. The Food Network is usually the last channel I go to to find something to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I love their shows, but for some reason whenever I watch I end up eating when I’m not hungry. Read More »