I The Center for Jewish History is one of the great public Jewish historical and cultural institutions in the world. As the campus to its five partner organizations — American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research — the Center has achieved recognition as a venue of unrivaled historical documentation and scholarship, imaginative exhibitions of Judaic art and artifacts, and vital public dialogue. The collections of its partners total over 500,000 volumes and 100 million archival documents. Spanning more than 600 years of Jewish history, the collections include thousands of pieces of artwork, textiles and ritual objects, as well as music, films and photographs. They comprise, taken as a whole, the largest repository of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. Since opening its doors to the public in October 2000, the Center for Jewish History has become the foremost Jewish research and cultural institution in New York City, enabling the history of the Jewish people to come alive through an array of scholarship and cultural programming. A prime destination for scholars from around the world, the Center is housed in a building that is as multifaceted as the institutions and collections found within its walls. The Center brings together rich and diverse records of all aspects of contemporary Jewish communities, including resources on all major cultural, geographic and religious The Valentin M. Blavatnik Orientation Theater offers denominations of Jewish life. visitors an informative and engaging introductory film on the wealth of resources and programs offered at the Center for Jewish History. The Orientation Theater is also suited for both intimate lectures and multimedia- based presentations, and it is technologically equipped for simulcasting programs and viewing archival images. Visit us online at www.cjh.org. II 1 lillian goldman reading room ackman & ziff family Culture, Scholarship and Ideas: genealogy institute The Cornerstone of the Center’s Mission The Lillian Goldman Reading Room, often described as the heart of the Center, is the gateway The Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute for exploring the diverse history of the Jewish is the single largest Jewish genealogical center people through the collections housed at the Center in the United States. It provides an enormous for Jewish History. Its design combines modern wealth of genealogical resources through the convenience with a dignified, traditional ambience. partners’ collections, as well as a variety of fact The staff is comprised of multilingual and exper- sheets ranging from “how to” guides for the ienced librarians, archivists and historians who are beginner to advanced research guides for the on hand six days a week to provide access to the seasoned researcher. collections and assist researchers with their work. Many resources, including some of the most The open-stack collection includes reference texts comprehensive subscription databases, are access- and the Center partners’ publications. An extensive ible both on-site and online. Extensive microfilm electronic resource library is also available through collections are available to researchers, including public computer terminals. Archive and library those on indefinite loan from the Family History collections consist of 500,000 volumes in multiple Library, which contain birth, marriage and death languages (e.g., Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian, German, records. Genealogy specialists are available Polish, French) and over 100 million documents, six days a week to assist patrons with their family including organizational records and personal history research projects. papers, photographs, multimedia recordings, posters, art and artifacts. www.genealogy.cjh.org www.readingroom.cjh.org 2 3 online public access catalog The Center for Jewish History continues to develop The Center continues to foster the expansion innovative search tools, finding aids and collection- of the OPAC through an investment of more than based websites that enhance the ways in which a $5 million in support from the Andrew W. Mellon person can interact with over 600 years of Jewish Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation and many history. One of the Center’s greatest accomplish- other generous individuals, foundations and ments is the creation of its Online Public Access government agencies. It was initially made possible Catalog (OPAC), which allows users to search by a grant from the National Historical Publications with a single click through all of the partners’ & Records Commission (NHPRC), a division of collections, whether for archival materials, library the United States National Archives. books, museum objects or their digital surrogates. A rarity in the library world, the OPAC went live www.collections.cjh.org in 2007 and has grown to house more than 600,000 bibliographic records and digital images. The OPAC will eventually provide detailed information on every collection in the building. Growing by leaps and bounds each year, it has received over 1 million visitors from more than 100 countries. scholarship at the center The Center for Jewish History works to support The Center’s Graduate Fellowship Program has and advance scholarship, to expand the reach of its directly supported more than 50 Ph.D. candidates partners’ rich collections and to impact the wide as they used material in the partners’ collections to world of Jewish studies scholarship. Working with complete their dissertations. In 2010, the National an elite group of academic advisors, the Center Endowment for the Humanities recognized the continues to increase its offerings and further Center for Jewish History as one of 25 elite research engage the public in its scholarly work. institutions around the world and funded its Fellowship Program for Senior Scholars, making the As the Center enters its second decade, it Center the first and only Jewish studies institution continues to attract diverse thinkers from a multi- to receive such validation since the establishment tude of disciplinary backgrounds and support of the NEH program 40 years ago. The Center also a community of scholars so that the partners’ offers Prins Fellowships to international junior collections are used for a variety of academic scholars and Undergraduate Research Fellowships endeavors. The goal is to provide avenues through to outstanding college students, and it hosts a which scholars can receive guidance from Visiting Scholars Program that provides accom- experienced professionals, coordinate with other plished scholars the benefits of working within a researchers for future projects, present research vibrant research community. The Center’s Joseph S. findings and find resources that allow them Steinberg Emerging Jewish Filmmaker Fellowship to move forward with their scholarly agendas. supports the production of documentary films that make use of the collections housed here. www.research.cjh.org 4 5 Preserving Jewish History The Collection Management and Conservation the werner j. and gisella levi cahnman Wing opened to the public in spring 2011. It preservation laboratory serves the critical comprises the Shelby White & Leon Levy Archival tasks of stabilizing, maintaining and prolonging Processing Laboratory, the Gruss Lipper Digital the life of the partners’ extensive paper-based Laboratory, the Werner J. and Gisella Levi Cahnman collections, which are subject to deterioration due Preservation Laboratory, and additional space for to environmental conditions, age and handling. working with sound and photo archives. Visitors The Preservation Lab reformats brittle materials, can observe and learn about the behind-the- treats items damaged by use, and preserves and scenes operations of archivists, technicians and re-houses collections in customized protective preservation experts as they make irreplaceable containers and sleeves. Without these preservation original documents, objects and recordings efforts, many materials — some of which date available for study and enjoyment. back hundreds of centuries — would not be available to the public. the shelby white & leon levy archival processing laboratory serves as a state-of- the center for jewish history the-art permanent home for ongoing archival institutional archive contains the records projects. As archivists work to continue providing of the Center, from the earliest conversations about researchers with the highest level of access to the the possibilities of bringing this institution to collections housed at the Center, visitors can view life, to the most recent celebrations of our tenth the process of archival collections management anniversary as the home of one of the world’s and recognize its importance in the larger world of great collections of modern Jewish history. These Jewish history. The Archival Lab is also a launching records are stored in archival boxes sponsored ground for future collection-based projects. by Center patrons. the gruss lipper digital laboratory www.search.cjh.org The Gruss Lipper Digital Laboratory works in concert with the other labs, providing the public with high-quality digital multimedia facsimiles of items from the partners’ collections. Its experienced staff works with high-tech collection management systems to produce images, audio files and other digital resources that make delicate and vulnerable treasures from the partners’ archives accessible to a wide audience. All of the digital material