Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
When Congress Debated Whether “Jew” Meant Faith or Race
Before Congress in 1909, Simon Wolf argued against labeling immigrants by religion or race, insisting that Jews be recognized simply by the nation from which they came.
Jewish Community of Ifrane, Morocco: A Vanished Legacy
Zédé Schulmann’s “Membres de la communauté juive d’Ifrane” captures one of the last Jewish communities in Morocco, tracing its ancient roots to Israelite exiles.
“To Bigotry No Sanction”: George Washington and Newport’s Jews
George Washington’s 1790 letter to Newport’s Jewish congregation affirmed liberty of conscience for all—a cornerstone of American religious freedom.
A Biblical Justification of American Slavery
A rabbi in 1861 argued that slavery was sanctioned by scripture, revealing how faith and politics collided before America’s Civil War.
Jewish Communities of the Islamic World: A Historical Map of MENA Jewry
Explore the map of Jewish life across Islamic-ruled empires, from North Africa and the Middle East to Persia and Iberia, revealing centuries of shared history.
Persian Jewish Marriage Contract (Ketubah) from Isfahan, Iran
Explore a decorated 17th-century ketubah from Isfahan, Iran, written in Aramaic and Judeo-Persian and adorned with Persian royal symbols.
The Wolf of Baghdad: An Iraqi Jewish Memoir
Carol Isaacs’s graphic memoir explores memory, loss, and Iraqi Jewish heritage through haunting, dreamlike graphic storytelling.
“Shir ha-Freha”: The Stereotype of the Mizrahi Woman
Ofra Haza’s 1979 hit song became iconic—and controversial—for its sexist stereotype of Mizrahi women in Israel.
If the Statue of Liberty Were a Real Person
Abandoning her pedestal, the Statue of Liberty drowns herself in sorrow about US anti-immigration policies.
DeFunis v. Odegaard and Jewish Ambivalence on Affirmative Action
A decade after the Civil Rights Act, DeFunis v. Odegaard tested affirmative action—and raised Jewish anxieties over race, equality, and belonging in America.
The Myth of the American Melting Pot
Jewish philosopher Horace Kallen argued that the “melting pot” erased diversity and that true democracy required cultural pluralism, not conformity.
Jewish Immigrant Life in America: A Bavarian Peddler’s Story
A 19th-century Bavarian Jewish immigrant recounts hardship, loneliness, and disillusionment in America—revealing the struggles behind the dream of freedom.