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.
The Voice of the Youth
To Our Brethren and Sisters in the Exile, Peace Be with You!
“If I help not myself, who will help me?”
(Hillel)
Nearly two thousand years have elapsed since, in an evil hour, after an heroic…
Grant’s Order No. 11 and Jewish Distrust after the Civil War
In 1862, Grant expelled Jews from his military district. Two decades later, political cartoons mocked his attempt to win back Jewish support.
On Jewish Law and Loyalty under Napoleon
In 1807, the French Grand Sanhedrin affirmed that Jewish law and French citizenship could coexist, redefining Jewish loyalty in modern France.
The 1964 Civil Rights Act and Title VI’s Jewish Dilemma
Passed amid civil rights reforms, Title VI banned racial bias in federally funded institutions but excluded religion—leaving Jews in legal limbo.
Address to the Jury on the Meaning of American Democracy
At her trial, Jewish anarchist Emma Goldman defended dissent for reflecting true democracy, declaring that America must secure freedom before exporting it.
The Fight for Chinese American Citizenship
As a Jewish civil rights lawyer, Max Kohler exposed how the Chinese Exclusion Acts violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equality under the law.
How the Fourteenth Amendment Redefined American Equality
One among the Reconstruction Amendments, the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection for all citizens.
Jewish Voices Divided: Slavery and Morality in 1861 America
As the Civil War loomed, Jewish leaders clashed over the morality of slavery—one invoking scripture to defend it, another proclaiming divine justice to oppose it.
A Jewish Woman Challenges Marriage Law in 19th-Century America
A 19th-century Jewish woman exposed how marriage laws denied women property and liberty—and called for full legal and political equality.
Maryland’s “Jew Bill” and Jewish Petitions for Equality
Maryland once required belief in Christianity if one were to hold office. Jewish leaders petitioned for decades until the 1826 “Jew Bill” secured equal citizenship rights.
Who Could Be a Citizen? Jews and Rights in 1784 Georgia
A 1784 Georgia pamphlet by “A Citizen” explores who qualified for legal rights, comparing Jews and other marginalized groups in the new American republic.
Amsterdam Jews Petition for Rights in New Amsterdam (New York)
In 1655, Amsterdam’s Jews petitioned the Dutch West India Company to let them remain after they were barred from New Amsterdam, the colony that became New York.