Annual Report - Center for Jewish History

AnnualReport

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YTableof ContentsA Message from Bruce Slovin, Chairman of the Board 2Our Mission 3The Center FacilityEducation, Exhibition and Enlightenment 5American Jewish Historical Society 10American Sephardi Federation 12Leo Baeck Institute 14Yeshiva University Museum 16YIVO Institute for Jewish Research 18Center Affiliates 20Exhibitions 21Program Highlights 22Philanthropic Giving at the Center for Jewish History 24Benefactors 25Center Volunteers and Docents 28Financial ReportGovernanceInsertInsertMichael Luppino1

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YOurMissionPreserve, Research, EducateThe Center for Jewish History is home to the AmericanJewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation,the Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva UniversityMuseum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. TheCenter is a venue for research, academic conferences, exhibitionsand other cultural and educational events as well as anexus for scholarly activity and public dialogue.The collections at the Center constitute one of themost important resources for the documentation and explorationof the Jewish experience and include old and rare books,periodical collections, photos, memoirs, official decrees, personalletters, and contemporary publications about all aspectsof Jewish identity. The art collections include posters, paintings,sculptures, archeological artifacts, historical textiles andceremonial objects. These rich and varied collections defineone people and many cultures.● The Center’s reading room is staffed by librarians fromeach Partner organization, thus enabling researchers toaccess all the collections.● The Center’s Genealogical Institute serves as a clearinghousefor researchers seeking information on people andproperty throughout the Diaspora. Computer terminals andin-house expertise facilitate the searches for all levels of users.● The Center’s on-site digital and preservation labs greatlyfacilitate the work of staff conservators in making it possibleto avoid the transfer of often-fragile documents.● The web sites of the partners and of the Center, linked toone another, offer digitized images of a growing numberof collections to a worldwide audience.● The Center’s auditorium, with state-of-the-art audiovisualequipment and exceptional acoustics, makes it possible toshow films, offer concerts and lectures, and transmitthese programs live to remote audiences.● The Center’s extensive art galleries offer frequentlychanging exhibits mounted by the partner organizations.● Most of all, the proximity of the partner organizations toeach other is unique in American Jewish history and themost exciting aspect of the Center. Eastern EuropeanJewry, Sephardic, German-speaking Jewry, and the AmericanJewish experience coexist to provide a synergy that wasalmost unimaginable until now.American JewishHistorical SocietyFounded in 1892,the American JewishHistorical Societymaintains collectionscomprising 40 milliondocuments, 50,000books, and thousands ofpaintings and ephemerathat bear witnessto the outstandingcontributions of theAmerican Jewishcommunity to life inthe Americas.American SephardiFederationFounded in 1973, theAmerican SephardiFederation withSephardic Housepromotes and preservesthe spiritual, historical,cultural and socialtraditions of allSephardic communitiesto assure their place asan integral part ofJewish heritage with itsSephardic Library &Archives, an exhibitiongallery, educational andcultural public programs,The Sephardi Report,the InternationalSephardic Film Festival,and a scholarship fundfor Sephardic scholars.Leo BaeckInstituteSince its founding in1955, the Leo BaeckInstitute has becomethe premier researchlibrary and archivedevoted exclusivelyto documenting thehistory and culture ofGerman-speaking Jewry.The Institute is amembershiporganization andwelcomes inquiriesand applications.Yeshiva UniversityMuseumFounded in 1973, theYeshiva UniversityMuseum, a teachingmuseum, is the culturalarm of the Universityand a public window intoJewish culture aroundthe world. Its multidisciplinaryexhibitionsand programs on Jewishhistory and contemporaryart attract audiencesof all ages to a widerange of cultural andeducational offerings.YIVO Institutefor JewishResearchFounded in 1925in Vilna, Poland,YIVO is the preeminentresearch institute andacademic center forEastern EuropeanJewishStudies and theAmerican Jewishimmigrant experience.3

Fred CharlesThe Center FacilityEducation, Exhibition and EnlightenmentSince its founding five years ago, the Center for Jewish History has become a majorpresence in New York’s educational and cultural landscape, and a prime destination forscholars from around the globe. A product of the institutions and resources housedwithin its walls, the facility itself is an architectural triumph. Exhibition galleries andclassrooms, the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium and the Paul S. and Sylvia SteinbergGreat Hall, the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Book Store, the Jonas M. Rennert Chapel, and theConstantiner Date Palm Café – all combine to make the Center a magnet for the public.Michael LuppinoTHE CENTER ITSELFThe Center occupies a unique building that extends from16th to 17th Streets between the historically importantFifth and Sixth Avenues in the Chelsea/Union Squarearea. The area is a microcosm of New York City, withbeautiful residences, elegant shops, famous restaurantsand venerable religious institutions intermingled withsmall historic buildings, unique boutiques and a crosssectionof the diverse population of New York.The public areas of the building are designed tocombine aesthetics and function. They include the beautiful248-seat Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditoriumwith superb lighting and acoustics, and with state-of-thearttechnology for film projecting, sound recording andvideoconferencing. The adjacent Paul S. and SylviaSteinberg Great Hall is an elegant, versatile space frequentlyused for receptions and dinners.The facility exists as a space that should attract5

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YMichael Luppinothose seeking to access its vast holdings and gain a better understandingof 1,000 years of Jewish history. The design and operations of the Centerhave only one objective: to enable all users, on-site or online, toaccess the history and culture of the Jewish people.THE LILLIAN GOLDMAN READING ROOMIn the heart of the building is the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, thegateway to the research collections of the five partners. Designed tocombine the ambience of traditional libraries with state-of-the-artconvenience, each workstation has Internet connectivity with wirelessaccess also available.It is virtually impossible for any student, scholar or interestedindividual to pursue the in-depth study of modern Jewish history in theDiaspora without delving into the resources available through theReading Room. Scholars journey from as far away as Japan and Australiato examine documents and conduct research. FellowshipPrograms and Graduate Seminars developed by the Center with theguidance of its distinguished 15-member Academic Advisory Councilattract promising Doctoral Students in Jewish Studies. For youngerstudents parents bring their children to study together the fragmentsand memories of prior generations. High school students come ingroups to learn the rudiments of serious research.The Reading Room’s open-stack collection has basic texts andgeneral information as well as major publications of the Center partners.In addition, the Reading Room has developed and maintains an electronicresource library ranging from general reference resources suchas the Encyclopedia Britannica Online and the Historical Back Files ofthe New York Times to specific resources in the field of Jewish Studiessuch as the Encyclopedia Judaica Online, the Bibliography of theBaum Family Tree; Baum Family Collection; Bavaria. Donated by Mr. StanleyBatkin, courtesy of the Leo Baeck Institute.Hebrew Book Online as well as full-text scholarly journals. Each of thenumerous resources is available through the public computer terminals.Electronic bibliographies compiled by the Center for its patronsare also available on the terminals. Professional staff is on hand toaccess the library collections (rare books and volumes covering diverseperiods and languages) and the archives (millions of documents,papers, posters, photographs, media and ritual objects), now under thesame roof. Diaries, letters, memoirs, personal papers, oral historiesthrough taped interviews–formerly dispersed at different sites or inprivate hands–provide a treasure of information.The Reading Room staff, representing each of the partners,comprises multilingual, experienced professional librarians, archivistsand historians, available to provide guidance and direct researchers tothe relevant resources.THE CENTER GENEALOGY INSTITUTEThe Center Genealogy Institute (CGI) helps both new and experiencedfamily history researchers learn about the world of their ancestors byproviding reference and educational services and creating programmingon family history. The Institute leads researchers to the manyprimary sources at CJH such as Yizkor books and landsmanshaft recordsat YIVO; family and community histories at the Leo Baeck Institute;synagogue records at the American Sephardi Federation; and immigrationand orphanage records at the American Jewish Historical Society.The CGI’s open-stack genealogy reference collection includes6

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YTreasures housed at the Centerfor Jewish History include:●●●●●●●●●●●●●●The original, handwritten version of EmmaLazarus’ The New Colossus, the iconic poeminscribed on the Statue of LibertyThomas Jefferson’s handwritten letterdenouncing anti-SemitismThe Torah scroll of the Baal Shem Tov,founder of HasidismLetters from Sigmund Freud, Albert Einsteinand hundreds of other luminariesRecords of American Jewish soldiers whofought in WWIInquisition trial records from Mexico City inthe 1590sSheet music and recordings of favoriteYiddish songsThe archives of Hadassah, the Women’sZionist OrganizationMore than 1,000 family trees—some datingback centuries—including those of theHouse of Rothschild, the Vilna Gaon and theCorcos Family of Tortosa, SpainRare books, such as Grammar of theHebrew Tongue, published in NorthAmerica in 1735The largest existing collection of GermanlanguageJewish periodicals, dating from1817 until Kristallnacht in 1938One of the world’s leading collections ofYiddish theater postersMemorabilia of Jewish athletesYizkor books of hundreds of destroyedJewish communitiesMichele Oka Doner installing Biblical Species at the Center for Jewish History;Diane Samuels in the process of creating Luminous Manuscript.nite possibilities of language available through the combination andrecombination of signs and symbols. The artist’s work of enormouscomplexity and astonishing beauty puts Jewish history into a true artisticform, a sort of metaphor for the myriad possibilities of interpretingthe signs and symbols of human communication to honor history andmemory, and create many new meanings.Biblical Species, a lyrical terrazzo floor embedded with aluminum,bronze, and mother-of-pearl that depicts botanical species wasinspired by a story from the Old Testament and designed by MicheleOka Doner, a Michigan-based artist. The 4,000-square-foot floorstretches across the Center for Jewish History’s 16th to the 17th Streetsentrances. As in ancient synagogues–the community centers of theirtime–patterned mosaic floors were common, bearing images of theTemple as well as ritual plants and vessels. Doner’s work illustrates theshevat haminin, or seven species, that Moses’ scouts broughtback–such as grapes, pomegranates, figs, wheat, barley, olives, anddates–to illustrate that the land of Israel “flows with milk and honey”(Numbers 12:27). The project required conducting extensive researchon the artist’s part as she studied ancient species and cultivation techniques.The mixture of bronze and aluminum melds the ancient andthe contemporary–a perfectly suitable combination to reflect theCenter’s philosophy.9

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YAmericanJewishHistoricalSocietyIn moving to the Center for Jewish History, theAmerican Jewish Historical Society moved toa central place for shaping American Jewishidentity. Nothing illustrates this point more dramaticallythan the Society’s exhibition, Greetings fromHome: 350 Years of American Jewish Life, which occupiedthe Center’s entire ground floor from May 17through September 14, 2005.Stimulated by the three hundred and fiftieth anniversaryof Jewish settlement in North America, Greetingsfrom Home is one of the most ambitious exhibitionson the American Jewish experience ever undertaken.It traces two threads in American Jewish history: theways in which Jewish immigrants came to be “athome” in America and, simultaneously, the ties thathave bound American Jewry to Jewish communitiesin the “old homes” they left behind and, since 1948,to Israel. Edward Rothstein of the New York Timescommented about Greetings from Home, “A tale of successfulimmigration...unusual and subtle.”The exhibition includes more than 300 itemsdrawn from the Society’s collections, plus those ofthe Society’s CJH partners: the American SephardiFederation, YIVO, and the Yeshiva University Museum.Other important lenders to the exhibitioninclude the Library of Congress, the NationalArchives and Records Administration, and the JacobRader Marcus Center. Without the magnificentvenue provided by the Center for Jewish History andthe willingness of so many institutionsto participate, Greetingsfrom Home would not have beenpossible and the 350th anniversarywould not have beencelebrated nearly so fittingly inNew York City, the very birthplaceof American Jewish life.Now one hundred andthirteen years old, the AmericanJewish Historical Society continuesto collect, preserve, publish,exhibit and make available toresearchers the materials thattell the remarkable story of Jewishlife in the United States. TheSociety’s web sites and periodicalshelp young researchers andstudents develop an appreciationof Jewish contributions to Americancivilization, and Americancontributions to Jewish identity.The Society’s activitiesrange from the highly serious tothe lighter in spirit. In 2003, theSociety created A ParticularResponsibility: The United StatesArmy and the Making of theSurvivors Talmud, a powerfulexhibition commemorating thelittle-known story of how, in1948, the United States governmentpublished an edition of the Talmud for Holocaust survivors stillliving in displaced persons camps in postwar Germany. A year later, theSociety published the first-ever set of trading cards of the 142 Jews whoplayed major league baseball between 1871 and 2003. Each project drewa similar response from so many who saw them: “I didn’t know that!”While too few individuals recognize the fact, American Jewryhas created an original, vibrant, pluralist civilization with a variety ofreligious, literary, artistic and other manifestations that rival any inJewish history. The Society proudly collects and preserves a vast troveof materials, some of it dating back to the 1500s, documenting theastounding experience of the Jewish people in this hemisphere.Today, with the help of the Center for Jewish History and itspartners, the Society is embarking on a new phase of its existence: digitalelectronic access to its holdings. Would you like to read theinaugural 1893 issue of the Society’s scholarly journal? Go towww.ajhs.org and click on the portal to ADAJE, the American DigitalArchive of the Jewish Experience. On the screen will be an exact imageof the original. You can search a full century’s worth of issues by key-10

Feustmann & Kaufmann advertising poster, Philadelphia, c. 1860 . American Jewish Historical Society.words such as “Louis D. Brandeis” or “Lower East Side.” Perhaps youare interested in viewing more than 100 portraits of American Jewswho lived before 1860. You can find them on our web site, under theLoeb Portrait Database. And for Sandy Koufax fans, we offerwww.jewsinsports.org, the world’s largest reference source onthousands of American Jews who participated in sports from boxing tobullfighting.The American Jewish Historical Society is not just about thepast. It documents our shared experiences and the Jewish communitywe are creating. The Society currently collects massive amounts ofmaterial that researchers will use a century from now to tell the story ofwhat American Jewry accomplished in the period from 1950 to 2050. Ifyou supported the Soviet Jewry or Ethiopian Jewry movements, we arecollecting materials that reflect your participation. If you marched inthe civil rights or anti-war movements, joined a havurah or JewishRenewal congregation, or linked arms in the Jewish feminist cause, weare now recording your personal story. We will guard it with care andprovide access to it for generations to come.The Center for Jewish History has infused the AmericanJewish Historical Society with new ideas, new opportunities and newenergy. We look forward with anticipation to tomorrow.Sidney LapidusPRESIDENTDavid SolomonEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR11

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YAmerican Sephardi FederationSince its arrival at the Center for JewishHistory five years ago, the AmericanSephardi Federation with SephardicHouse has grown, enjoyed many new achievementsand benefited significantly from theservices that the Center offers as well as fromits partnership with the four other majorJewish organizations.The American Sephardi Federation(ASF) was founded in 1973 tosupport, revitalize and strengthenAmerican Sephardic communities.It joined forces in 2002 withSephardic House (SH) to createone united Sephardic organizationwith increased capabilities tobetter promote and preserve thehistorical heritage, as well as thespiritual, cultural and social traditionsof all Sephardic communitiesand assure their place as an integralpart of Jewish heritage andAmerican history.LIBRARY/ARCHIVESIn the past five years, ASF hasestablished both the only publicNorth American Library/Archivesdedicated solely to the Sephardicexperience and the only permanentSephardic exhibition gallery.The Library and Archives havereceived significant gifts, andbooks, documents, and photographsare being added on aweekly basis. The ASF collectionboasts more than 4,000 cataloguedbooks and 10,000 archivalDavid Altchek and Rachel Salem ofSalonika, Greece. Circa mid-1890’s.From the archives of the AmericanSephardi Federation withSephardic House.documents. A number of generouscontributions in the past yearenabled the ASF to keep pace withits goal of building a strongSephardic library containingmaterials from all over the world.The collection has grown toinclude materials from Spain,Portugal and the lands to whichthe Sephardic Jews migrated followingthe expulsion in 1492.It also contains books andarchival material from countriesin the Middle East and NorthAfrica including items from Iran,Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Syriaand Yemen. Other significantacquisitions include the HahamSolomon Gaon Memorial Library;the Miguel Castel Rosner MemorialLibrary; the Library ofCongregation Shearith Israel; anendowment of more than 200books from Mr. William Fern;and the papers of Professor WalterP. Zenner detailing his researchon the Syrian Jewish communities.These books and documentsare now available to the publicthrough the Center ReadingRoom along with the holdings ofthe Center’s partner organizations.We are also working tocollect the writings of some of theforemost Sephardic rabbis of thelast hundred years.WEB SITEAmerican Sephardi Federation’s web site,www.americansephardifederation.org,or www.asfonline.org has beencompletely redesigned to includenew information, promote programsand exhibitions andprovide online global access tothe ASF Library, which includes adatabase of 2,450 books, and33 periodicals. An additional 80periodicals and newsletters in thecollections are not yet availableonline. We have digitized theRangoon (Burma) database ofbirth records from 1896 to 1972;the Archives of the CentralSephardic Jewish Community ofAmerica have become availableonline; and we acquired and havebegun to catalog both the LouisN. Levy Ladino and Rare BookCollection and the Besso Collection.The web site also featurestopical and historical books,videos and DVDs that celebrateSephardic history and culture,which can be purchased online.The web site permits12

members and interested nonmembersaround the world tofollow ASF programs and projectsand have access to a wealth ofSephardic sources.PROGRAMSIn an effort to ensure the continuationof the Sephardic legacy andtraditions, ASF with SephardicHouse seeks to reach out to awide audience in presentingeducational and cultural publicprograms of both contemporaryand historical significance thatcelebrate the diversity and richnessof the Sephardic heritage.These events include lectures,book signings and panel discussionswith experts and scholars,concerts and plays, and the InternationalSephardic Jewish FilmFestival, now in its 10th year.Recent speakers include notedhistorian Anita Novinsky fromSao Paolo, Brazil and filmmakerMiguel Angel Nieto from Spain.The Jack Calderon MemorialFund for the Sephardic Arts lendspartial support to these programs.EXHIBITIONSASF collaborates with some of itspartners, such as Yeshiva UniversityMuseum and the AmericanJewish Historical Society, onexhibitions and programs. TheLeon Levy exhibition gallery atthe Center is the only permanentexhibit space in North Americadedicated to Sephardim. Recentexhibitions include a retellingof the story of the Jews of Greece;the Ottoman Empire; Pernambuco,Brazil; and Mogador,Morocco. The Pernambuco exhibit,completed in partnershipwith Yeshiva University, was ofparticular importance because itcelebrated the arrival in New York350 years ago of the Jews fromRecife, Brazil. ASF has beenfortunate to receive partial fundingfrom the New York Councilfor the Humanities for some ofthese exhibitions and to befeatured in their cultural calendar.The exhibition gallery alsoprovides ASF with a uniqueopportunity to exhibit choiceselections from its archives.PUBLICATIONSWorking toward its missionof strengthening and revitalizingSephardic communities, theASF with Sephardic Housesupports the publication ofinformative books on Sephardichistory and culture. These includethe Sephardic/Greek HolocaustLibrary, a series of books that fillsa serious lacuna in the tragic taleof the Holocaust, and TheHebrew Portuguese Nations at theTime of Charles V & Henry VIIIby Aron Di Leone Leoni, a scholarlywork documenting the storyof the merchant Jews of Europein the 16th century. The ASF hasswitched from the publication ofa quarterly newsletter to The SephardiReport, a journal that featurescontent from scholarly events,lectures and exhibitions, as well ascontributions from authors dealingwith contemporary and historicSephardic Jewish subjects.ADVOCATING FORSEPHARDIC JEWSSephardic Jews lived for centuriesin a number of Mediterraneancountries, in the Balkans, MiddleEast and North Africa. TheASF collaborates with and promotesties to leading Jewish andnon-Jewish organizations andrepresentatives of governments,such as Spain, Portugal, Turkey,Brazil, Morocco and others, topromote closer ties as well as celebrationsof the Sephardic Jewishexperience and contributions.To further the rights andclaims of Jewish refugees fromMuslim countries, many ofwhom were forced to leave theirnative country and abandon propertyafter the birth of the State ofIsrael, the ASF has taken the leadin the Jewish Refugees from ArabLands Project. The project isintended to create awareness ofthe sacrifices of the approximately900,000 Jews who were forced toleave their homelands in Muslimcountries (where many hadresided well before most of thecurrent local populations), and todocument their personal andcommunal losses by collectingclaims and recording them in adatabase.An extraordinary developmentof our time is the desireto bring back forcibly convertedJewish families or anusim fromSpain, Portugal, Brazil, and partsof the Americas to the religion oftheir ancestors. The AmericanSephardi Federation is involvedin efforts to assist these growinggroups and present programs thattell their story, an important partof the Sephardic story.SCHOLARSHIPSThe ASF supports Sephardic educationwith scholarships for SephardicStudies through its Broome andAllen Scholarship Fund.SUMMARYThe increase in numbers anddiversification of Sephardic Jewsin North America, and the intensifiedfocus of the world on manyof the countries that SephardicJews called home for manycenturies, makes the missionof the American Sephardi Federation,to enlighten the publicand preserve Sephardic historyand culture, all the moreimportant and rewarding. TheAmerican Sephardi Federationwith Sephardic House looksforward to continued growthand expansion of its library andarchives and educational programsat the Center for Jewish History.David E.R. DangoorPRESIDENTArtifacts from the exhibition“Integrated and Distinct–Images of the Jews of Greece1180-1930.” Fall 2003.Photo courtesy of Lyn Slome.Esme E. BergDIRECTOR13

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YLeo Baeck InstituteLeo Baeck Institute is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2005, a milestone thatwas never intended by the founders. Their idea was to collect as much authentic,original documentation as possible on the remarkable, diverse, and longhistory of German-speaking Jewry before its destruction by the Nazis. The materialscould be used to write a definitive volume on the legacy that remained. When concluded,the Institute would have served its purpose.Named after the last leader of the Jewish community in Germanyunder the Nazis, Rabbi Leo Baeck represented the cultured, assimilatedcitizen, whose serious religious scholarship did not preclude secularinterests and communal involvement. Thus, the heritage of GermanspeakingJewry, reflected in the library and archives of the Leo BaeckInstitute, is as comprehensive as it is compelling. The entire spectrumof modernity in the 20th Century–from psychoanalysis to film making,photojournalism to Bauhaus architecture, Kafka to Einstein andmuch more–are all aspects of the culture that is catalogued here.In 2001, just after relocating from uptown Manhattan to theCenter for Jewish History downtown, the Leo Baeck Institute made aneven bigger move by opening a branch of its archives in the new JewishMuseum Berlin. This archive has become even more important thanwe imagined. The interest of young Germans (and Austrians and CentralEuropeans across the continent) in the Jewish part of their past isenormous. It is our shared history; until 1935 when the Nurembergracial laws turned Jews into a separate class, they were active members,participants and contributors to their societies.A few years ago the Leo Baeck Institute mounted an exhibit“Fighting for the Fatherland”, which depicted the proud and braveservice of Jewish soldiers in World War I. The German government(even at that time) sought to show that Jews were shirkingtheir duty by not enlisting and not serving at thefront, so a census was ordered to prove this allegation.When the census showed that Jews were, on the contrary,disproportionately serving their country and dying for it, the censusresults were suppressed. The record, therefore, shows there was anti-Semitism well before the Third Reich, but also great periods ofproductive activity.The history catalogued at Leo Baeck Institute in New York aswell as in Berlin is not focused on the Holocaust. The recent LBI exhibitin our gallery at the Center for Jewish History ties in with the specialCenter-wide focus on “350 years of Jews in America.” German Jewsserved in the American Civil War; they received land grants in the Midwestfor commercial development; they went to Broadway andHollywood and Washington. Most of them came to America to startover, to be free of the restrictions that prohibited Jews in Germanyfrom accessing many opportunities open to others. But for many whostayed in the old country, the restrictions were the motivation for findinginterstices and niches where they could earn a living in new ways,developing imaginative careers out of necessity.Fifty years after the Leo Baeck Institute was established, there14

A letter written byFlora Goldschmidt to herchildren from Sudan. Born inBreslau in 1853 and married toindustrialist SiegfriedGoldschmidt, Flora, unlikemost German-Jewish womenof her era, traveled extensivelyto India, the United States,China, Japan, and Egypt.Leo Baeck Institute.is more new material coming into our library and archives than everbefore. The last members of the survivor generation are just now passingon, and the treasured possessions of a lifetime are coming to theInstitute, to become part of the permanent record. In Germany, thehistorical connection between Germany and its Jews, which was upheldfor half a century almost exclusively by the LBI, is increasingly becominga point of interest and pride to Germans themselves. Next toarchitect Peter Eisenman’s breathtaking new “Memorial to the MurderedJews of Europe” in the heart of Berlin, it becomes even moreimportant to also recall the better aspects of our past, so many of whichare documented in the LBI collections.In the United States, the contributions of Germans and Austrianswho fled from Nazi persecution are evident in every field: science,medicine, art, culture, commerce, and industry. In academia, the fieldof Jewish studies has developed a separate subsection of German-Jewishstudies, thanks in no small part to the scholarly and intellectual initiativesof the LBI.LBI resources are available to students, genealogists, filmmakers,historians and all others whose research interests span thelast 200 years. For more serious scholars of “Wissenschaft desJudentums” or “Rabbinic Aggadah” or talmudic tracts, our rarebooks and unique documents go back much farther than that. Atthe Center for Jewish History, the collections are maintained inoptimal conditions both physically in terms of climate control andshelving, and professionally in terms of superb service and staffing.To complement the materials in the LBI collections, ourwide-ranging public lecture program is attracting impressive numbersof informed visitors. Authors, professors, and practitionersare invited to discourse on any subject related to our specializeduniverse, which is specialized but remarkably broad. (A look atLBI’s 2004 Overview will suggest the scope of these activities.)The state-of-the-art auditorium at the Center is no doubt part ofthe appeal for speakers and audience alike, and the Institute is alwaysproud to do an event in such fine quarters.The 50th anniversary of the Leo Baeck Institute is not a milestonethe founders anticipated, nor is the founding of LBI anythingthat any German-speaking Jew would have wished for. With normalcyprevailing, our history would have continued to experience ups anddowns; persecution and tolerance edicts; prohibitions and special dispensations,in Germany. But normalcy did not prevail.Today, the Leo Baeck Institute is the primary resource for theGerman-Jewish history that was, and that continues to develop. Therecould not be a better place from which to carry out our mission than theCenter for Jewish History, and for that we are enormously grateful.Ismar SchorschPRESIDENTCarol Kahn StraussEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR15

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YYeshiva University Museum“The Magician,”a bronze sculptureby Benjamin Levy,purchased for themuseum collectionby Board memberMary SmartIn the five years since Yeshiva UniversityMuseum moved to the Center for JewishHistory some striking changes havebecome apparent. The Museum is now positionedas a significant Jewish cultural resourcein one of the city’s trendiest sections, continuingits mission to present, collect, research andinterpret Jewish art, history and culture fromthe four corners of the world. Our visitorshiphas dramatically increased, we have an excitingnew web site, and we have expanded our staffand budget accordingly. Increased visibilityhas brought us new press coverage, augmentedour membership and docent/volunteers, andwe have become a leading tourist destination.16

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YThe Museum joined the national effort to celebrate 350 yearsof American Jewry with a variety of projects. 2004-5 exhibitions on thistheme included: Pernambuco, Brazil: Gateway to New York (organizedby the Arquivo Historico Judaica de Pernambuco of Recife, Brazil andco-sponsored by ASF); Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American JewishLife (organized by AJHS and co-sponsored by ASF) and BecomingAn American Writer: The Life and Work of Isaac Bashevis Singer (celebratingSinger’s Centennial, organized by the Library of America andthe Ransom Archives, University of Texas).The Museum continues to promote cross-cultural and multiethnicunderstanding. The Fall 2004 exhibition: David Moss–APueblo Portfolio wove together Native American aesthetic with Jewishthemes. The Spring 2005 schedule included exhibitions of Jaime Permuth(Guatemala) and Moico Yaker (Peru) and the panel discussionArtistos Latino Americanos exploring Latin American Jewish identitythrough art, culture and community. YUM continues to co-sponsorthe Sephardic Film Festival with ASF.The Museum’s audience for musical programming has grownsubstantially. The exhibition Vienna: Jews and the City of Music, 1870-1938(organized by the Jewish Museum Vienna) utilized audioguidesand provided an opportunity to present unparalleled classical musicperformances. Our exhibition opening featured the Vienna Philharmonic’sconcertmaster performing on a Stradivarius. Our family day ofprogramming, Strum the String, Hear and Sing included gallery toursand instrument-making workshops. Over the past two seasons, theMuseum presented a range of performances from a Yiddish Extravaganzato a rock concert with Blue Fringe. Other recent performancesincluded the staged reading of the new play “Noble Laureate: Mr.Singer and His Demons.”YUM remains committed to engaging youth audiences and topromoting creative potential and professional development with programslike Design In Reach, offering free design-field training and careerdevelopment to high school students. In response to Day With (Out)Art–World AIDS Day 2004, students in this program designedpostage stamps to raise awareness of the AIDS crisis. Our WashingtonHeights arts and literacy program, Seeing in Living Color, continues tomake an important contribution to the elementary school curriculumat PS 173. High school, college and graduate student interns contributeenergetically to the curatorial and education departments. Graduateinternships demonstrate the Museum’s expertise as a center of higherlevellearning, with recent interns from the Cooper Hewitt / ParsonsDecorative Arts program, Bernard Revel Graduate School of YeshivaUniversity and Bank Street Museum Education program. Tours, workshopsand specialized holiday programming attract school groups fromthe greater Metropolitan area. The interactive Traders on the Sea Routesexhibition has been especially popular with young audiences.The Museum is emerging as a major participant in YeshivaUniversity’s new initiative “Bring Wisdom to Life.” We are partneringwith Yeshiva University’s outstanding academic and rabbinic faculties.A University Academic Advisory Committee, with representativesfrom all University undergraduate and graduate schools, is workingwith the Museum to expand cooperative programming, course offerings,fellowships and research projects. Recent academiccollaborations included the conference, Between Rashi and Maimonides:Themes in Medieval Jewish Law, Thought and Culture, presented withCardozo Law School and the Bernard Revel Graduate School. TheMuseum is currently working with the Academic Advisory Committeeto create an exhibition project on archaeology and ancient Israel.The Museum’s collection of art and artifacts representing3,000 years of Jewish life continues to provide a focus for many activities.With support from the Lower Hudson Conference, the Museumrestored and exhibited a damaged Hungarian Torah crown, recoveredafter the Holocaust, working with master silversmith Ubaldo Vitale.Other collection exhibitions included Mining the Collection: RecentAcquisitions and Four Centuries of Jewish Weddings. Working with theCenter partners and with a federal grant from the National HistoricalPublications and Record Commission, the Museum installed a newcollection database to organize and track the collection, with a Hebrewmodule and full capacity to manage digital photographic records, to beavailable soon as an on-line resource.In Spring 2005, the Museum organized Printing the Talmud:From Bomberg to Schottenstein, providing visitors with a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity to view outstanding early Talmud manuscripts andprinted volumes (including one of the few extant complete sets of the16th-century Bomberg Talmud, the publication that established thestandard Talmud page layout). This unparalleled exhibition featuredthe full range of Talmudic history: a sixth-century synagogue mosaicfloor (the earliest Talmud text extant); the just-completed SchottensteinEdition; the ShasPod first issued in March 2005; and the InfiniteSea, a video installation showing international Talmud study today. A338-page catalogue accompanies the exhibition with 16 essays by leadinginternational scholars.YUM looks forward to opening the exhibition A Perfect Fit:The Garment Industry and American Jewry in December 2005. Thisgroundbreaking exhibition, accompanied by a host of programs and acatalogue, will explore 100 years of American history, tracing the formativerole Jews played in this industry. This exhibition received majorsupport from the National Endowment for the Humanities, whichidentified this project as a “We The People” initiative for its contributionsto the study and presentation of American History.Erica JesselsonCHAIRSylvia A. HerskowitzDIRECTOR17

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YYIVO Institutefor JewishResearchThe year 2005 marks the 80th year sincethe founding of the YIVO Institutefor Jewish Research–a critical timein our history, a time to renew our many ideals;a time to review YIVO’s many accomplishments,and a time to plan for an ever morevibrant future. As YIVO works tirelessly toadapt to a rapidly changing American Jewishlandscape, the Institute remains true to themission and tradition of the Vilna YIVO byadopting the most challenging and sophisticatedintellectual projects in Jewish Studies.The YIVO Library andArchives together are a pricelessrepository of Jewish history pastand contemporary. The Librarynow holds some 360,000 books intwelve major languages; theArchives holds more than 22 millionitems, including 250,000photographs, handwritten Holocaust testimonies, and many otherirreplaceable pieces of our history and culture. YIVO staff dailyresponds to research queries that come by fax, e-mail, telephone, letterand via personal visits, numbering over 8,000 each year.The many parts of the “YIVO at 80” celebration demonstrateonce again the strength of this organization and its ability to adapt. Thecelebration of this milestone was marked with a major grant in 2004 tocreate The Gruss- Lipper Digital Archive on Jewish Life in Poland, whichwill make YIVO’s many archival resources accessible to the world, inYIVO Publications(2003–2005)YIVO has been moving forward with several major and long-awaited Yiddish- and English-language publications,beginning with YIVO-Bleter Volume 4 - New Series (YIVO, August 2003), containing articles on the broad theme ofJewish folklore (riddles, folksongs, purim spiln, Holocaust-era folklore, etc.) by Chana Mlotek, Bina SilvermanWeinreich, Itzik Gottesman, and Mark Slobin. Among the notable publications released by YIVO this year are thebeautiful 80th anniversary catalog edited by Krysia Fisher, A Brief Encounter with Archives (YIVO, March 2005),which offers a glimpse at the extraordinary wealth of rare possessions at YIVO. Old Demons New Debates: Anti-Semitism in the West (YIVO/Holmes and Meier Publishers, May 2005), edited by David Kertzer, contains 14 essaysfrom YIVO’s May 11–14, 2003 International Conference on Anti-Semitism. The much-anticipated Plant Names inYiddish: A Handbook of Botanical Terminology by Mordkhe Schaechter (YIVO, May 2005) features a Latin-English-Yiddish taxonomic dictionary.Coming soon are other important publications including the Alexander Harkavy Yiddish-English-HebrewDictionary (YIVO/Yale University Press, August 2005), a reprint of the 1928 expanded second edition, with a newintroduction by Dovid Katz; A New Anthology of Yiddish Folk Song, by the late ethnomusicologist Ruth Rubin, editedby Mark Slobin and Chana Mlotek (Wayne State University Press/YIVO, December 2005); and My Future is inAmerica: Autobiographies of Eastern European Jewish Immigrants (New York University Press/YIVO, December2005), edited by Jocelyn Cohen and Daniel Soyer; a new English-language edition of Max Weinreich’s HIstory of theYiddish Language in two volumes (Yale University Press/YIVO, postponed to 2006); and the inaugural DVD versionof the 1980 documentary, Image Before My Eyes (New Video Group/YIVO, March 2006).And finally, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Jewish settlement in the United States, YIVO isreprinting K. Hurwitz’s Tsofnes Paneyekh (Berdichev, Ukraine, 1817), with a new introduction by Brad Sabin Hill. It isthe first Yiddish book devoted to the subject of America, and also the first book published using the EasternEuropean Yiddish literary standard. (YIVO, December 2005).18

The Yiddish literary crowd (L - R): Esther Shamiatcher, MendlElkin, Peretz Hirschbein, Uri Zvi Greenberg,Chana Kacyzne, Alter Kacyzne, and Esther Elkin (Warsaw,1922). YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.convenient digital format. While this bold project–funded by thelargest private grant YIVO has ever received–may revolutionizescholarship on Polish Jewish history, it also illustrates the enormousresponsibility that our vast holdings convey upon us. We are striving tomake them ever more accessible to the world at large through anaggressive computerization program, including the development ofspecialized digital finding aids and the posting of catalogs on the Internet,and through the adoption of other new technologies as they emerge.Another “legacy” project that reaches across time and place isthe multi-volume, multi-million-word YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews inEastern Europe (Yale University Press), now more than halfway to completion,which will have a companion Internet edition. At this time,430 scholars and 30 editors in 16 countries are participating in what willbecome the greatest work of Jewish scholarship since the EncyclopediaJudaica was completed in 1972. With an expected publication date in2008, this effort to recapture and represent the rich civilization of EastEuropean Jewry is particularly significant because more than 95 percentof American Jews and half of all Israelis trace their roots toEastern Europe. Many of the YIVO Encyclopedia articles have alreadybeen submitted and some samples have been posted on the new YIVOweb site at www.yivo.org.YIVO is also helping to develop a new generation of specialists inEastern European Jewish Studies. Each year, we award 14 endowed fellowshipsto doctoral and postdoctoral scholars from around the world, whocome to our Institute for an average of three months of intensive, originalresearch. Dozens of other young scholars are trained annually at YIVO’sUriel Weinreich Program in Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture(begun in 1968), now based at New York University. Those scholars areassuming roles in the revitalization of Yiddish language andculture across the United States and around the world. We areproud that the Hebrew-language version of our EducationalProgram on Yiddish Culture (EPYC), a comprehensive newcurriculum, just translated into Hebrew is now available toclassroom students.Looking to the future, YIVO recently established a25-member Board of Overseers, made up of some of themost distinguished and talented young Jewish leaders inthe United States. It includes scholars, physicians, filmmakers,journalists, public intellectuals and others. TheYIVO Overseers will be hosting, at the CJH, a groundbreakingnational conference, “Jews in Medicine–In theFootsteps of Maimonides: the Jewish Doctor as Healer, Scientistand Intellectual” (November 6, 2005), which willexamine the role of Jews in medicine from a multidisciplinaryperspective.Among the many other activities and programsYIVO sponsored in the past two years was the “Triumph of the HumanSpirit” Spring 2005 film series, featuring “Passport to Life”; “Partisansof Vilna”, with Jewish partisans Chaya Palevsky and Eta Wrobel, speakingon their wartime experiences; “Watermarks”; and “Hill 24 Doesn’tAnswer.” There was also a series of four Yiddish Lunchtime Seminarson topics such as “Kafka and Yiddish, Kafka in Yiddish” with YIVO fellowAmy Blau of the University of Illinois, and “Yiddish in LateMedieval German Responsa Literature”, by Shlomo Eidelberg ofYeshiva University. Exhibitions have included “YIVO at 80: A BriefEncounter with Archives”, “The Family Singer”, and “Covers andSheets”, among others.Our major Carnegie Hall concert (2005), “The Thomashefskys:Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theatre,” with MichaelTilson Thomas, provided a perfect venue for the anniversary celebrationbecause it symbolizes the vast scope of YIVO’s collections andoperations and the challenges the Institute faces in the new century.At 80 years old, YIVO remains the prime custodian of 1,000years of Ashkenazi Jewish history and culture, a strong foundation onwhich to build. Yet YIVO is rising to meet multiple challenges byredefining itself as technology advances and competition intensifiesfor scarce talent and financial resources. With new energy and ideas welook forward to the future with all its challenges.Bruce SlovinCHAIRMANCarl J. Rheins, Ph.D.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR19

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YCenter AffiliatesIn addition to its five partner institutions, the Center has opened its doors to a group of affiliates, with plans to welcome more in the future.The affiliates share a commitment to promoting educational programming related to Jewish communities and areas of study little known in thiscountry, and to creating access to scholarly archives and resources of historical material for both academics and other interested individuals.AMERICAN SOCIETYFOR JEWISH MUSICMaintaining links to similar institutions in Jewishcommunities throughout the world, the American Society for JewishMusic can trace its roots as far back as 1908, to several earlier Jewishmusical societies and associations, first in Europe and then in America.The Society serves as a broad canopy for all who are interested in Jewishmusic, and its concerts cover a wide range of sacred, secular, folk,concert and theater music, much of it unfamiliar to the general public.Its members include cantors, composers, educators, musicologists,ethnologists, historians, performers and interested individuals, as wellas libraries, universities, synagogues and other institutions. Each season,the Society presents a series of varied musical programs for thegeneral public, often working with its host at the Center, the AmericanJewish Historical Society. Through the Jewish Music Forum the Societyalso arranges and presents lectures on Jewish music by notableexperts, and encourages seminars, workshops and master classes atwhich students may benefit from the musical expertise of the Society’smembers. To encourage a high standard of new composition and performance,the American Society for Jewish Music has established theCantor Aaron J. Caplow Composition Competition, which awardsprizes for new Jewish works and ensures their performance at the Society’sAnnual Contemporary Composers’ Concert.Michael Leavitt, P RESIDENTHenry Michelman, C HAIRMANCENTRO CULTURALE PRIMO LEVIIN NORTH AMERICAThe Centro Primo Levi joined the Center for Jewish History in June2003. An offspring of the Genoa-based organization of the samename, the Centro is dedicated to creating a growing, dynamic andcontemporary forum for Italian-Jewish studies in North America.The organization operates in close collaboration with the CentralLibrary of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities and theItalian Association for Jewish Studies, offering seminars andlectures, and providing a U.S.-based interface and access point for theJewish archives and libraries in Italy. The Centro offers the seminarsunder the auspices of New York University and seeks to expand its reachto a growing number of colleges.Dr. Ariel Dello Strologo, P RESIDENTAlessandro Di Rocco, M.D., P RESIDENT OF THE U.S. BRANCHNatalia Indrimi, E XECUTIVE D IRECTORGOMEZ FOUNDATION FOR MILL HOUSEThe Gomez Mill House, built in Marlboro, NewYork, in 1714, is the oldest surviving Jewish dwellingin North America and a cornerstone of the Jewishpioneer experience in the United States. Also hometo American Revolutionary War patriot Wolfert Acker, 19th-centurygentleman farmer William Henry Armstrong, Roycrofter artisan DardHunter, and social activist Martha Gruening, the museum and itshistorical structures are listed in the National Register of Historic Placesand are open to the public, April through October. Located at the Centersince December 2000, the Gomez Foundation for Mill Houseoversees conservation and preservation of the site and numerous programs,including an educational outreach program that brings morethan 1,000 children from local elementary schools for tours anddemonstrations, as well as lectures, presentations and performancesfor individuals, families and tourist groups, all illuminating a littleknownaspect of the Jewish experience in America.Robert Jacob, P RESIDENTRuth Abrahams, E XECUTIVE D IRECTOREllen Healy, S ITE M ANAGERYEMENITE JEWISH FEDERATIONOF AMERICAThe Yemenite Jewish Federation of America wasfounded in 1995 by the sons and daughters ofYemenite Jews who resettled in the United States.Many of the leading members today are Yemenite Jews who arrived inthe United States from Israel. The Federation, through educationaland cultural activities, research and social services, promotes theappreciation of the immense contributions of Yemenite Jews to thepreservation of lost Jewish literature and practices. The Federationalso strives to address the needs of Yemenite Jews living in the UnitedStates, especially the youth of this community, who are in need not onlyof basic modern education but who also are in danger of losing contactwith their rich culture and linguistic traditions. To this end, the Federationhas initiated activities to offer support to families in need inNorth America, especially in the New York area, scholarships for youngpeople and other family support programs. It also has sponsored twoscholarly conferences held, respectively, at Princeton University andQueens College.Ephraim Isaac, P RESIDENT/EXECUTIVE D IRECTOR20

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YExhibitions 2003- 2005YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM● Rebecca Singer and Fred Spinowitz: “Blessings and Bridges.”May–Aug. 2004● Memorial to Lost Souls: Threads of Light: Luise Kloos. Jan.–Jul. 2003● Children of the Lost Tribe of Dan: Portraits of Ethiopian Jewry byWin Robins. Jan.–Aug. 2003● A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern JewishLife. Feb.–Jul. 2003● Stage & Page: Jewish Theater and Book Designs of EmanueleLuzzati. Feb.–Jul. 2003● Gan Eden Hadash: A New Paradise—An Installation by IlanaLilienthal. Mar.–Aug. 2003● Jerusalem Above All My Joys: A Reproduction of a 15th-CenturyTorah from Arles. Aug. 2003–Jan. 2004● Homelands: Baghdad-Jerusalem-New York, Sculpture of OdedHalahmy, A Retrospective. Aug. 2003–Jan. 2004● Silver Linings: Cloisonne Enamel Judaica. By Marian Slepian.Sep. 2003–Jan. 2004● Remembrance: Russian Post-Modern Nostalgia.Sep. 2003–Feb. 2004● Traders on the Sea Routes—12th-Century Trade Between East &West. Sep. 2003–Oct. 2005● Tsirl Waletzsky: Yerushe (Inheritance). Jan.–May 2004● Margalit Mannor: The Philistines are Coming (Photopleshet).Feb.–May 2004● Vienna: Jews and the City of Music, 1870-1938. Feb.–Jun. 2004● Janet Indick: A Joyful Noise. Feb.–Aug. 2004● Archie Rand: Iconoclast. Feb.–Aug. 2004● Longing for the Sacred: Visual Memories of DestroyedSynagogues, Felix Reisner and Greta Schreyer. May–Oct. 2004● David Moss: The Pueblo Portfolio. Sep.–Dec. 2004● The Magician: Sculpture by Benjamin Levy. Sep.–Dec. 2004● Stern College: Five Decades, One Dream. Oct. 2004–Jan. 2005● Assimilating America: The Life and Stories of Isaac BashevisSinger. Nov. 2004–Jan. 2005● The Manchester Megillah: Moshe and Mechel Haffner. Jan.– Mar. 2005● Manhattan Mincha Map: Photographs by Jaime Permuth.Jan.–Jun. 2005● Having Trouble to Pray: Drawings & Paintings by Moico Yaker.Jan.–Jun. 2005● Serif/Serafim, Out of Emptiness: Sculpture by Jeffrey Schrier.Feb.–May 2005● The Jefferson Letter and the Truman Pen. Apr.–May 2005● Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein.Apr.–Aug. 2005● A Taste of the Past: The Daily Life and Cooking of a 19th-CenturyHungarian Jewish Homemaker, Drawings by Andras Koerner.Apr.–Sep. 2005● Four Centuries of Jewish Weddings. May–Oct. 2005● Memory Imprints: A Sculptural Installation by Tova Beck-Friedman. Jun.–Oct. 2005● Mining the Collection: New Acquisitions. Jul.–Oct. 2005OTHER PARTNER EXHIBITIONS● Irving Berlin and the Making of the American Songbook.Jan.–Apr. 2003● Scattered Among the Nations: Jews from Arab Countries: TheLoss of Ancestral Inheritance. Feb.–Sep. 2003● Not For Myself Alone (American Jewish authors). Mar.–Sep. 2003● Light One Candle: A Child’s Diary of the Holocaust.May–Sep. 2003● Legacies of the Kishinev Pogrom. May–Dec. 2003● Integrated and Distinct—Images of the Jews from Greece1880-1930. Sep.–Dec. 2003● Abraham Sutzkever. September–Dec. 2003● On Thin Ice: Jews in Salzburg. Sep.–Dec. 2003● As Seen By…Great American Jewish Photographers.Sep. 2003–Apr. 2004● Here & Now: The Vision of the Jewish Labor Bund in InterwarPoland. Oct. 2002–Mar. 2003● 1933: The End of Enlightenment. Jan.–May 2003● ALIYA: Photographs of New Immigrants in Israel.Dec. 2003–Feb. 2004● Jewish Costumes in the Ottoman Empire. Mar.–May 2004● Alfred Kantor: An Artist’s Diary of the Holocaust. Mar.–Jun. 2004●● Pernambuco/Brazil: Gateway to New York. Sep. 2004–Jan. 2005● Displaced Persons Camps: Rebuilding Culture and Community.Oct.–Nov. 2004● The Family Singer. Nov. 2004–Oct. 2005● Intriguing Women. Jul.–Nov. 2004● Forgotten Jewish Artists: Treasures from the YIVO Library.Apr.–Nov. 2004● Pioneers, Superstars and Journeymen: American Jewish BaseballPlayers, 1882–2004. Sep. 2004–Jan. 2005● Salon Paintings of the Leo Baeck Institute. Dec. 2003–May 2004● Lawyers Without Rights, Jewish Lawyers in Germany after 19332004–2005. Dec. 2004–Apr.2005● A Lifeline for Israel: The Hadassah Medical Organization, 1913-1967. Jan.–Apr. 2005● Louis N. Levy Ladino and Rare Book Library CollectionRestoration Project. Feb.–Jun. 2005● YIVO at 80: A Brief Encounter with Archives. Apr.–Sep. 2005●●● Greetings from Home: 350 Years of American Jewish Life.May–Sep. 2005● Starting Over: The Immigrant Experience of German Jews inAmerica, 1830–1945. May–Nov. 2005● A Jewish Wedding in Mogador: Illuminated Ketubot fromMorocco. Jul.–Oct. 2005● American Jewish Historical Society● American Sephardi Federation● Leo Baeck Institute● Yeshiva University Museum● YIVO Institute for Jewish Research21

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YProgram Highlights January 2003-July 2005CONFERENCES, PANELS, LECTURES● Old Demons, New Debates. A Conference on the Revival of Anti-Semitism. Three-day conference featured such speakers as SimonSchama, Columbia University; Robert Wistrich, Hebrew University;Alain Finkielkraut, Ecole Polytechnique; Anthony Julius, author andattorney, U.K.; Hillel Halkin, author; Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor ofThe New Republic; and Martin Peretz, Editor-in-Chief of The NewRepublic.● International Justice After Nuremburg: Should the U.S. Participatein the International CriminalCourt? A lecture by Nicholas Rostow,General Counsel, U.S. Missionto the United Nations.● The Zionist Revolution: Will It Continue?YIVO Distinguished Lecturewith Israeli writer A. B. Yehoshua.● Israel Through its Literature. YIVODistinguished Lecture with Israeliwriter Amos Oz.● The Life and Culture of theSalzburg Jews From the MiddleAges to the Present. With Prof.Albert Lichtblau, University ofSalzburg, and Helga Embacher,exhibition curator.● Jerusalem of the North: YiddishMontreal. Panelists explored thehistory and Yiddish culture of theMontreal Jewish community. Allan Nadler, Drew University; BradSabin Hill, YIVO; Rebecca Margolis, Concordia University, Montreal;Dr. Jack Jedwab, Institute for Canadian Studies, Montreal; Dr.Esther Delisle, Independent Scholar, Montreal.● First Nusaf Vilna Memorial Lecture and Yizhor Service and Lecture.Prof. Samuel Kassow, Northam Professor of History, Trinity College.● The Poetry of Abraham Sutzkever, a 90th birthday celebration ofpre-war Vilna Yiddish poet and literary figure. Ruth Wisse, HarvardUniversity and David Rogov. Music by: Lorin Sklamberg, YIVO● More Than a Life. Lecture with Author Richard Sonnenfeldt, ChiefInterpreter for the American Prosecution at the Nazi Trial inNuremburg.●● The Influence of Maimonides’s Life and Teachings for the 21stCentury with speakers Rabbi Marc Angel, Senior Rabbi at CongregationShearith Israel, and Dr. David Berger, Professor of History,Brooklyn College.● Just and Unjust Wars: Catholic and Jewish Perspectives. FatherDrew Christiansen, America Magazine, Suzanne Stone, BenjaminCardozo School of Law, Joseph Becker, Vice-Chair, CJH.● Reception for the opening of the exhibit, “Intriguing Women.”● The Italian Jews and the State. In connection with the exhibition"Giuseppe Emanuele Modigliani: A Life for Peace and Democracy."Co-sponsor Centro Primo Levi● Vienna: Jews In and Out of the City of Music. With author and BardCollege president, Leon Botstein; Lawrence Weschler, New YorkUniversity. Co-sponsor NYU● The International Dimensions of Jüdische Wissenschaft at theSeminaries in Breslau, Padua, and Alsace. 48th Annual Leo BaeckMemorial Lecture; 150th Anniversary of the Rabbinical Seminary ofBreslau. Dr. David Ellenson, President, Hebrew Union College-Instituteof Religion.● Jews, Calvinists, and Christians in 17th Century Dutch Brazil.A lecture by Anita Novinsky, Historian, University of São Paulo.● The Fullness of Time—Poems by Gershom Scholem. A reading byRichard Sieburth, translator of Scholem’s poems and professor ofBlue Fringe, a popular Jewishrock band, performing originalJewish songs, both in English andHebrew, weaving Jewish themesinto popular music. (below)Young audience enjoying “AnEvening of Live Music with BlueFringe.” Presented by YeshivaUniversity Museum. July 20, 2005.Comparative Literature at New YorkUniversity, followed by a conversationwith editor and publisher PeterCole. Ibis Editions.● In The Beginning: Where the Seedsof Israel Take Root. Reading and discussionwith Francesca Cernia Slovin,author of In The Beginning, and AllanNadler, Drew University.● Coming of Age in the Shadow of aRevolution. Book signing and discussion:Journey from the Land of NOwith Roya Hakakian.● The Schocken Book of ModernSephardic Literature. ContemporaryMulticultural Issues Focus of NewAnthology. Panel Discussion with editorsIlan Stavans and Andre Acimon.● Yemenights: Judaism & Islam in Yemen. An evening of discussionand arts hosted by Prof. Ephraim Isaac, Director, Institute of SemiticStudies, Princeton. Co-sponsor YJFA● The Divorce Between Judaism and Christianity. Panel discussionwith Professor Bruce D. Chilton, Professor of Religion, Bard College;Rabbi Jacob Neusner, Research Professor of Theology, BardCollege; Rev. Donald Senior, President, Catholic Theological Union.Moderator: Prof. Susannah Heschel, Chair, Jewish Studies Program,Dartmouth College. Fordham University.● Latin American Art and Identity. Panel discussion with Ilan Stavans,Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and LatinoCulture, Amherst College; Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, CongregationB’nai Jeshurun. Moderator: Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, El Museodel Barrio.● Tenth Annual Dinner. The Leo Baeck Medal was awarded to ProfessorFritz Stern by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.● Sports as a Metaphor for American Jewish History. Discussionwith Professor Jeffrey Gurock, Libby M. Klaperman Professor ofJewish History, Yeshiva University.● Buried by the Times: The Holocaust and America’s Most ImportantNewspaper. A lecture by author Laurel Leff, veteran journalistand professor of journalism. AJHS.● The Jewishness of New York Intellectuals. Panel discussion withNathan Glazer, Harvard University; Norman Podhoretz, former editorof Commentary magazine; Ruth Wisse, Harvard University;Edith Kurzweil, former editor of Partisan Review.22

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R Y(left) Wallace Shawn discusses the film Manufacturing Consent. (below left) Discussion following the American Premiereof Yitzchak Rubin’s film Murder for Life, moderated by Susan Necheles, Esq., Chair, New York Women’s Criminal DefenseGroup. Panelists: Barry Scheck, Esq., Co-director, The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; andHon. David Trager, United States District Judge forthe Eastern District of New York. (right) ProfessorsHenry Louis Gates, Jr. and Alain Finkielkrautwere among the “Old Demons/New Debates” YIVOconference participants.SYMPOSIAJews & Justice. Sponsored by the David Berg Foundation and CJH.● How Judaism Shaped Western Democracy. With panelistsFania-Oz Sulzberger, Haifa University; Edward Rothstein,New York Times; Rabbi David Elleson, Hebrew UnionCollege; Michael Walzer, Princeton University.● Religious Controversy in the Presidential Campaign:Jewish Perspectives. With Al Vorspan, Senior VP for SocialJustice at Union of Reform Judaism; J.J. Goldberg, Editorin-Chief,Forward; William Rapfogel, Executive Director andCEO, Metropolitan Council on Poverty; Hannah Rosenthal,Executive Director Jewish Council on Public Affairs.●● Religion, Responsibilities and Relations: Responses toMel Gibson’s The Passion. With Paula Fredriksen, BostonUniversity; Rabbi Eugene Korn, Sister Mary Boys, UnionTheological Seminary.● The International Court of Justice and Israel’s Fence:Just Politics or Justice. With Ruth Teitel, NYC Law School;Richard Gladstone, International Court of Justice.● Jews in Poland-Lithuania in the Eighteenth Century: A Genealogy ofModernity. Symposium with Gershon David Hundert, McGill University;Elisheva Carlebach, Queens College/CUNY; Allan Nadler, DrewUniversity; David G. Roskies, Jewish Theological Seminary of America.● Russian Arts Festival. Gallery talk by guest curator and festivalproducer Alexandre Gertsman. Participants include Russian artists,filmmakers, writers, musicians and art historians.FILMMONDAY NIGHT FILM SERIES. A discussion followed each film.The series Included such films as: ● Lens on French and BelgianJewry ●●●●● Anti-semitism: A History of Hatred ● Lens onLatin-American Jewry ●● Watermarks● Berga: Soldiers of Another War. American GIs trapped in thetragedy of the Holocaust. Screening and discussion with Bergasurvivors. Grace Guggenheim, producer; and Roger Cohen, foreigneditor of The New York Times.● The Jews of Amsterdam: A Great Community in a Small Country,with Philo Bregstein, director, screenwriter, editor; Dr. SalvadorBloemgarten, author; and Dr. Dienke Hondius, author, historian,sociologist. In collaboration with the Anne Frank Center, New Yorkand the National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University.●● 8th International Sephardic Film Festival: Sephardic Crossings.●● 9th International Sephardic Jewish Film Festival:Roots and Origins.●Partisans of Vilna World premiere of DVD edition.Discussion with Aviva Kempner, filmmaker; JoshWaletzky, director; and former partisans ChayaPalevsky and Eta Wrobel.● Isaac in America and The Cafeteria. Followed by discussion withAllan Nadler, Drew University.● My Song Goes ’Round the World. Film about Joseph Schmidt.MUSIC AND THEATERMusic Series sponsored by Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg and CJH— Maya Beiser’s Kinship— Hip Hop Khasene— Klezmer En Buenos Aires—Lerner Moguilevsky Dúo● Hoppla, Such is Life! Theater and music in roaring Twenties Berlin.Elysium-Between Two Continents.● Vienna: Jews and the City of Music concerts.— Hugo Kauder Memorial Concert. With Norman Dee (flute)and Josephine Chan Yung (piano).— The Cantor as Composer: Treasures of Viennese Liturgical Music.● The Cantor as Composer: Treasures of Viennese Liturgical Music.● Celebrating 350 Years of Jewish Life in America: A Tribute toGeorge and Ira Gershwin. Co-sponsored by the Sholom AleichemFoundation.● Bloomsday—Joyce-lite: The Jewish Side. Melding theater andliterature. With Kathleen Chalfant, Rufus Collins, Jerry Matz, andothers. Directed by Alan Adelson; written by James Joyce.Co-sponsors: Jewish Heritage Project and CJH.● Marc Blitzstein: Rallying With a Note. Leonard Lehrman, composer/performerand Helene Williams, singer. Hosted by musicalcommentator Robert Sherman. Sholom Aleichem Foundation.● Kinderszenen: Scenes from Childhood. Robin Hirsch’s performancecycle, Mosaics: Fragments of a Jewish Life.●● Z’vi: A New Electro-Acoustic Opera. By Richard Teitbaum.Richard Teitelbaum, keyboards; Adrienne Cooper and CantorJacob Ben Zion Mendelson, vocals; Omar Faruk Tekbilek, ney, percussion,zurna, vocals; David Krakauer, clarinet and bass clarinet;Zafer Tawil, oud, violin, and percussion.● Hazzanut: The Music of the Southern German Tradition. CantorErik L.F.Contzius, Temple Israel, New Rochelle and Cantor BruceHalev, Congregation Habonim. Co-sponsor LBI.● Lieder, Tchotchkes, and a Melodrama. Co-sponsored by MannesCollege of Music.● American Jewish Historical Society● American Sephardi Federation● Leo Baeck Institute● Yeshiva University Museum● YIVO Institute for Jewish Research23

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YHebrew Orphan Asylum Outing to Coney Island, New York. Summer, 1925. Hyman Bogen Collection. American Jewish Historical Society.Philanthropic Givingat the Center for Jewish HistoryWe are pleased to have this opportunity to publicly express our gratitudeto our many contributors. The Center for Jewish History is the creationof a historic cooperative endeavor undertaken by the leadership of ourpartners with the generous support of philanthropists throughout theUnited States and the world. From its inception, the Center has attractedfarsighted philanthropists. It is thanks to these foundations andindividuals that the Center is positioned to offer exceptional educationalopportunities to engage the next generation of Jewish historians anddiverse cultural offerings to enlighten discriminating audiences:– Doctoral candidates in Jewish studies are conducting research inthe Center’s Lillian Goldman Reading Room as part of our FellowshipProgram, a beneficiary of grants from the Estate ofSophie Bookhalter, M.D., and The Frederick P. and Sandra P.Rose Foundation;– High school students, beginning in July 2003, have had the opportunityto do family history research at the Center as part of aone-of-a-kind Jewish identity-building educational program,thanks to the Samberg Family Foundation;– We have been welcoming the New York legal and lay communitiesto academic presentations that explore the confluence ofJewish identity, Judaism and the law in a series entitled Jewsand Justice, made possible by a grant from the David BergFoundation;– The entire community benefits from generous support for vitalCenter programming, provided by the Antiqua Foundation; and– The Monday Night Film Series, which presents films on variedthemes, followed by discussions with relevant speakers, hasbeen made possible by The Sam Spiegal Foundation.The value of these grants to the enrichment of Jewish life, andthe benefits for all those who attend or participate in these programs, isimmeasurable. We deeply appreciate our generous supporters whohelped in the creation of this groundbreaking institution and who arenow helping to sustain it.The challenge before us now is to fund current servicesand future programming. We welcome and encourage your mostgenerous support.24

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YSally and Abe MagidJoseph MalehLaurel and Joel MarcusMr. and Mrs. Peter W. MayThe Mayrock FoundationDrs. Ernest and Erika MichaelAbby and Howard MilsteinMorgan Stanley & Co.Agahajan Nassimi and FamilyNational Endowment for theHumanitiesThe Family of Eugene and Muriel andMayer D. NelsonThe New York Times CompanyBernard and Toby NussbaumFritzi and Herbert H. OwensPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &GarrisonDoris L. and Martin D. PaysonArthur and Marilyn Penn Charitable TrustMr. and Mrs. Norman H. PessinPhilip Morris Companies Inc.David and Cindy PinterDavid PolenNancy and Martin PolevoyYvonne and Leslie Pollack FamilyFoundationGeri and Lester PollackFanny PortnoyPumpkin Trust—Carol F. ReichBessy L. PupkoR & J Construction CorporationAnna and Martin J. RabinowitzJames and Susan Ratner PhilanthropicFundAnita and Yale RoeThe Family of Edward and DorisRosenthalJack and Elizabeth RosenthalSharen Nancy RozenThe Harvey and Phyllis SandlerFoundationCarol and Lawrence SaperJoan G. and Richard J. ScheuerAllyne and Fred SchwartzIrene and Bernard SchwartzJoseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc.Alfred and Hanina ShashaEllen and Robert ShashaSimpson Thacher & BartlettSkadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLCAlan B. Slifka FoundationSony Corporation of AmericaJerry I. Speyer/Katherine G. FarleyThe Sam Spiegel FoundationMei and Ronald StantonAnita and Stuart SubotnickLynn and Sy SymsLynne and Mickey TarnopolThomas Weisel PartnersAlice M. and Thomas J. TischTriarc Companies—Nelson Peltz andPeter MaySima and Rubin WagnerClaudia and William WaltersWeil, Gotshal & MangesPeter A. WeinbergErnst and Putti Wimpfheimer—Erna Stiebel Memorial FundDale and Rafael ZakladFred S. ZeidmanHope and Simon ZiffThe Zises FamilyCONTRIBUTORS $1,000–$9,999Arthur N. AbbeyAbbott Glass Co., Inc.Jack AbrahamKenneth S. AbramowitzEve AbramsLawrence D. AckmanAdco Electrical CorporationEthel & Philip Adelman CharitableFoundation, Inc.Aetna Casualty and Surety CompanyCraig C. AlbertMr. and Mrs. Alan AldaHoward AltmanAmerican Bank Note CompanyAmerican International Group Inc.David (1720-1794) and Phila Franks (1722-1811), attributed to GerardusDuyckinck (1695-1746). Oil on canvas. New York, c. 1735. American JewishHistorical Society.Mr. and Mrs. Arthur AndermanAnonymousDaniel N. AnziskaSelma AppelMr. and Mrs. Stanley ArkinJonathan ArtArthur Andersen LLPASM Mechanical SystemsAtlantic ScaffoldAtlantic-Heydt CorporationDr. and Mrs. Sheldon M. AtlasAudax Construction Corp.Margaret and Jay G. AxelrodSigmund and Elinor BalkaMr. and Mrs. Michael A. BambergerBankBostonBarclay Bank of LondonBaruch CollegeAlan R. BatkinMartin H. BaumanMr. and Mrs. Robert A. BelferJack BenaroyaMr. and Mrs. Jean BensadounMr. and Mrs. Leonard BergMr. and Mrs. David P. BerkowitzMr. and Mrs. Martin L. BermanBig Apple Wrecking & Construction Corp.Nelson Blitz, Jr.Bloomberg NewsEdith C. Blum Foundation, Inc.Louis H. BlumengartenAdam Blumenthal and Lynn FeasleyDavid and Karen BlumenthalAndrew M. BoasBologna TurismoMr. and Mrs. Milton C. BorensteinDavid BraunschvigAaron BraunsteinBreeze National Inc.Dr. and Mrs. Egon BrennerBrochsteins Inc.Brodsky OrganizationThe Andrea & Charles BronfmanPhilanthropiesBroome & Allen BoysDaniel H. BurchBurgess Steel Products Corp.Mr. and Mrs. Merle J. BushkinMr. and Mrs. Marshall ButlerC&D Fireproofing & Plastering Corp.Janet M. CalvoMax CandiottyCantel Medical Corp.Cantor Seinuk Group, P. C.Cardella Trucking Co., Inc.Francis CarnesJeffrey CasdinJohn A. CatsimatidisCBNY Investment Services Corp.Central Agency for Jewish EducationChampaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. David ChaseMr. and Mrs. Gerald ChasinMr. and Mrs. Alan H. CherensonLouis CilibertiMr. and Mrs. Joel CitronCivetta/Cousins Joint VentureMark L. ClasterCNA/Continental Casualty CompanyBarbara L. CohenPeter A. CohenRon Cohen, M. D.Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon S. CohenEmanuel and Anna Cohen FoundationJudge Avern CohnYehuda B. CohnConlon, Frantz, Phelan & Pires, LLPConners Capital Management, Inc.Thomas E. ConstanceDr. and Mrs. Jaime P. ConstantinerGerald S. CookMr. and Mrs. Leon G. CoopermanCord Contracting Co., Inc.Wilbur A. CowettCozen and O’ConnorD & F Masons, Inc.D’Aprile, Inc.The Gloria & Sidney Danziger FoundationDavis and Partners LPMr. and Mrs. Richard DavisonDe-Con MechanicalJeffrey M. DeaneDears Foundation, Inc.DeSimone, Chaplin & DobrynDeutsche BankDiamond & Ostrow LLPThe Honorable and Mrs. David N. DinkinsMr. and Mrs. Daniel DoctoroffLance DonenbergMr. and Mrs. Kirk DouglasFrederick DrasnerEFCO CorporationMr. and Mrs. Seymour EhrenpreisMr. and Mrs. David EinhornArthur D. EmilHerbert EngelhardtRosalyn and Irwin EngelmanLois and Richard EnglandKaren EraniEdith EverettDr. and Mrs. Saul J. FarberMr. and Mrs. Martin FawerBoris FeinmanRoger H. FelberbaumMr. and Mrs. Kenneth J. FeldDr. and Mrs. Michael FeldbergHerbert G. Feldman CharitableFoundationBrian J. FeltzinSamuel Field Family FoundationDr. and Mrs. Martin J. FineColeman L. FinkelTony FiorinoJeffrey D. FisherMark B. FisherFlack & Kurtz Consulting Engineers, LLPFleet Bank, N.A.FNZ Foundation Inc.Fondazione Giuseppe Emanuele eVera ModiglianiForemost CaterersJerry ForstThe Forward Association, Inc.The Fan Fox and Leslie R. SamuelsFoundationDavid T. FrankSam and Jean FrankelBeatrice FriedlandLawrence FriedlandEmanuel J. FriedmanGeorge Friedman and Pam BernsteinMr. and Mrs. Ira FriedmanG. C. IronworksG. M. Crocetti, Inc.David R. GallagherMr. and Mrs. George G. GallantzPhilip Garoon & FamilyGE CapitalCarol GendlerBetsy Thal GephartGiamboi Bros, Inc.Ellen Berland Gibbs and Bud H. GibbsGilsanz Murray Steficek, LLPMr. and Mrs. William M. GinsburgMr. and Mrs. Norman J. GinstlingMr. and Mrs. Max GitterHoward GittisHon. I. Leo and Grace GlasserRosalie Y. GoldbergBrian D. GoldmanMatthew GoldsteinThe Goldstein Family FoundationA. Richard GolubSenator Roy M. GoodmanAlice Gottesman and LaurenceZuckermanFred GouldGreat Northern Brokerage Corp.Kathy and Alan C. GreenbergJoyce Z. GreenbergMr. and Mrs. Howard L. GreenbergerMr. and Mrs. Joseph GreenbergerAdam M. GrossDr. and Mrs. Hans GrunwaldJoseph GurwinEstelle M. Guzik26

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YEdward R. HaikenMr. and Mrs. Kamran HakimMr. and Mrs. George A. HambrechtMichael HammesLeonard and Fleur C. HarlanJay R. HarrisThe Hassenfeld FoundationSol HassonHeidrick & Struggles, Inc.Evelyn HenkindHenry Paul Electric, Inc.John E. HerzogGeorge H. Heyman, Jr.High View CapitalHigh-Tech Electrical Services Corp.Highland AssociatesTom and Julie HirschfeldLance HirtRita and Irwin HochbergMarc L. HoltzmanMr. and Mrs. Seymour HoltzmanHumans All FoundationDr. and Mrs. Allen I. HymanInfra-Structures, Inc.InternationalAssociation ofJewish GenealogicalSocietiesDavid IsaacMr. and Mrs. Ken IscolIstituto Italiano di CulturaE. Billi IvryJ. H. Electric of New York,Inc.JPMorgan ChaseFoundationMr. and Mrs. Robert A.Jacobs, Jr.Zalman J. JacobsJewish Genealogical SocietyThe Robert Wood JohnsonFoundationLouisa JohnstonJoseph Hilton Associates Inc.William JosephsonDaniel and Zuzana JustmanJak KamhiThe Kandell FundDeanne and Arnold KaplanFoundationDaniel and Renee KaplanEdward KaplanS. Joseph KaplanRita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan FamilyFoundation, Inc.Morris J. & Betty Kaplun Foundation,Inc.Emile KarafiolMr. and Mrs. Stephen KarafiolJack KarpCurtis KatzMr. and Mrs. Jerome L. KatzMrs. Raymond A. KatzellJeffrey A. KauffmanMr. and Mrs. Ilan KaufthalSteven KazanMr. and Mrs. Earle W. KazisAnn P. KernMr. and Mrs. Jonathan KernRobert M. KernAnn KirschnerJoyce C. KiteyGeorge KleinGeorge KleinerJ. C. KlineB & R Knapp FoundationRobert I. KnibbRob KnieKoenig Iron Works, Inc.Murray KoppelmanDouglas R. KornSteven KotlerElliot KrackoDolores KreismanBarbara Zinn KriegerRobert KrulakThe Krumholz FoundationMr. and Mrs. Zave KuberskyMr. and Mrs. Benjamin V.LambertMr. and Mrs. Edward J.LandauLucy LangGeorge LangerMr. and Mrs. Meyer LaskinMr. and Mrs. Giorgio L.LaurentiGil Lederman, M. D.Mr. and Mrs. Francis A. LeeMr. and Mrs. Laurence C. Leeds,Jr.Leeds Painting & DecoratingLehrer McGovern BovisJoseph LelyveldLemberg Foundation, Inc.Ralph M. LernerMr. and Mrs. John LevinJames and Shira N. LevinJacques LevineJaffa and Eyal LevyHarold LevyLeon L. LevyRhoda LewinDr. Yale S. and Ella LewineMr. and Mrs. Barnet L. LibermanIrene Q. LichtensteinJack LichtensteinLiddell, Sapp, Zivley, Hill & LaBoonPeter LindenDaniel S. LoebThe Honorable Tarky Lombardi, Jr.Michael P. LustigMr. and Mrs. Peter LynfeldMr. and Mrs. Gregory S. LyssMr. and Mrs. William MackMr. and Mrs. James R. MaherMaier Foundation, Inc.Leo MallahMr. and Mrs. Stephen MannMassey Knakal Realty Services, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Clay MathileMayrich Construction Corp.McNally & McNally, Inc.Joseph Mellicker and Judith ScheuerMelto Metal Products Co., Inc.Ilyne MendelsonMr. and Mrs. Andre MerageMrs. Pearl MeyerMGC Stone Co., Inc.Ernest W. MichelJohn Mielach, Sr.Millenium PartnersCharles J. Miller, Ph.D.Harvey R. MillerJohn A. MoranMr. and Mrs. Jacob MorowitzRobert E. MorrowJason A. MussHelen and Jack NashMike M. NassimiMr. and Mrs. Edgar J. Nathan, 3rdJose NessimNewmark & Co. Real EstateNewport Painting and DecoratingNorthberry Concrete CorporationO’Connor Construction Inc.Paul O’KeefeMr. and Mrs. Arthur S. ObermayerSteven OdzerNancy and Morris W. OffitOlympic Plumbing & Heating Corp.Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. OppenheimMr. and Mrs. Michael PalinTonia L. PankopfDr. and Mrs. Mark S. PascalDavid H. PassermanPearlgreen CorporationHoward PellArnold PennerThe Ronald O. Perelman Dept. ofDermatologySamuel S. PerelsonPfizer, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Harold PlattMr. and Mrs. John J. PomerantzMr. and Mrs. Lee Harris PomeroyRuth W. PopkinPort Morris Tile and Marble Corp.Sheet music cover, HebrewPublishing Co., New York City, 1911.YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.May Day banner, Local 1 of theInternational Ladies GarmentWorkers Union, 1936. YIVO Institutefor Jewish Research.Michael PricePrince Carpentry, Inc.R. F. Lafferty & Co., Inc.Naomi K. RaberMr. and Mrs. Arnold J. RabinorLewis RabinowitzBruce C. RatnerSteven Rattner & P. Maureen WhiteFoundation, Inc.Melvin RauchRCC Concrete Corp.Recanati FoundationSeymour ReichReid & PriestMichael and Joyce ReinitzElaine ReissRemark Electric Corp.Pearl ResnickDr. and Mrs. Arnold RichardsMr. and Mrs. Pat RileyMayor and Mrs. Richard J. RiordanEsther Leah RitzRMT Electric Corp.Mr. and Mrs. James D. Robinson IIIPamela and George RohrDaniel RoitmanFranklin and Eleanor Roosevelt InstituteCharles J. RoseJohanna and Daniel RoseConstance RosenJack RosenMr. and Mrs. Philip RosenMr. and Mrs. Harold RosenbluthDr. and Mrs. Zev RosenwaksJayme V. RosoMr. and Mrs. James RossPaul K. RoweMr. and Mrs. Howard J. RubensteinJames RudermanSusan and Jack RudinClifton RussoS&C Products CorporationLily SafraMr. and Mrs. Peter G. SamuelsSanders Morris Mundy, Inc.Sheri C. SandlerJoanne and Stuart SchapiroBernard ScharfsteinSchindler Elevator Corp.Pierre SchoenheimerMr. and Mrs. Bernard S. SchwartzMr. and Mrs. Herbert F. SchwartzJodi Schwartz and Steven RichmanLorraine E. Schwartz and Nissan PerlaRobert J. SchwartzRonald SedleySamuel N. SeidmanMr. and Mrs. Jerry M. SesloweLiliane ShalomHoward ShamsRalph J. ShapiroMr. and Mrs. David ShulmanJoel SiegelMarilyn J. SiegelSeth M. SiegelScott N. SilbertR. G. S. SiltenJack S. Silver27

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YRhonda SilverIrving I. SilvermanKlara and Larry A. SilversteinSirina Fire ProtectionSisterhood of JaninaTodd J. SlotkinDavid P. SolomonRichard H. SolomonManfred SondheimerThe Sonkin Family FoundationMichael Sonnenfeldt and KatjaGoldmanNat and Rosalie SorkinSpectrum Cabinet Sales Corp.Herbert M. SteinJudy and Edward L. SteinbergMr. and Mrs. Morton M. SteinbergReuven SteinbergJosh Steiner and AntoinetteDelruelleVera SternAudrey F. SteuerStillman & Friedman, P.C.The Maxwell StrawbridgeCharitable TrustStephen StulmanSunbeam Products, Inc.Alan N. SussmanT. R. Ricotta Electric, Inc.Nicki N. TannerDr. and Mrs. Robert TartellMr. and Mrs. Ronald S. TauberTeman Electrical Contracting, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Barry TenzerTestwell Craig Laboratories, Inc.Dr. and Mrs. Charles ThorntonMr. and Mrs. David TropperPaul TryonMr. and Mrs. Mark I. TsesarskySeymour Ulan and Evalyn RintelUnion for Traditional JudaismUnity ElectricUniversal Builders Supply, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. John Van DorenVernico Plumbing CorporationHenry J. VorembergDevora WagenbergMr. and Mrs. Allen C. WallerProfessor and Mrs. Michael WalzerWarshaw Burstein CohenSchlesinger & KuhMatthew and Pamela WeinbergRobert M. WeintraubJoseph B. WeintropNorbert WeissbergMr. and Mrs. George WeissmanHoward S. WelinskyJann WennerMr. and Mrs. Jack WertenteilMr. and Mrs. Josh WestonLilyan WilderJudith WilfBeth and Leonard A. WilfThe Robert I. Wishnick FoundationMichael and Devera WitkinMr. and Mrs. Howard WohlCharles B. WolfWolf, Block, Schorr &Solis-CohenWolkow Braker Roofing Corp.Woodwork Construction Co.Harold Woolley and SusanAbanorMr. and Mrs. Ronald C. WornickPeter A. WrightMildred ZagelbaumBruce ZenkelLois ZenkelDavid ZilkhaRichard ZimmermanHoward ZipserDonald ZuckerAnna, Clara, Liese, Margarete,Therese and Leonore Moss,six sisters from a prominent German-Jewish family. One of their brothers,the publisher and entrepreneurRudolf Mosse, founded the leadingliberal newspaper, Berliner Tageblatt,1891, Berlin. Leo Baeck Institute.Center Volunteersand Docentsas of September, 2005Wendy AlmelehElaine AverickAnne-Marie BelinfanteMargot BermanBernice BirnbaumFrancine BrownEsther BrownsteinMax BrownsteinIgor BychkovShirley CohenJulie DelutyStan DistenfeldStewart DrillerPat EagenElliot EisenbachJudith EisnerOksana FedorkoArnold FeldmanSelma FlashEsther FleishmanJane FossGoldie A. GoldSamuel GorellThelma GussowJackie HandelAnne HechtSifrah HollanderJune HonyRobert IsabellaErnest G. KahnHelaine KamenoffWalter KargerJudith KerkerEsther KramanDorothy KreiselmanSusan KroneClara LatoMarilyn LeimanElisabeth Levi-SenigagliaStanley LieberDanielle MorBette NeumanEsther NewmanBetty NicholsonFelice OlenickEsther OriolBarry PearceLouis PerlmutterSelma PerlsteinSheila PianinJudy RappaportJerry RodmanShulamith RonesJoan RosenblattBonnie RosenstockElsa RubinsteinHarvey SafranToby SanchezClaudia SchellenbergIrving SchniderLeona SchwabHoward SedlitzBeatrice SegevEthan ShapiroStella ShapiroChana SharfsteinClaire SilversteinMaxine SpiegelIrving N. SteinDoris StrimberLillian TesslerMarilyn TuckNancy UsdanPatricia WaldJune WalzerBenita WatterworthRoberta WeinerGerald WeissMatthew WolskRoz Zeitchik* Paula Zieselman28

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YFinancial Statements Year ended December 31, 2004The Center’s books and records are audited annually by Gettry Marcus Stern & Lehrer, CPAs. To request a copy of the most recent audited financialstatements and auditor’s report, call 212-294-8301 or write The Center for Jewish History, Finance Department, 15 West 16 Street,New York, NY 10011.SOURCES/2004STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWSFOR YEAR ENDED 2004● 47% Government Grants● 38% Private SectorContributions● 7% Partner OperatingContributions● 6% Investment Income● 2% Miscellaneous Income (a)USES/2004● 51% Building Operation (b)● 16% Fundraising● 11% Administration● 22% Programming (c)Statement of Financial PositionDecember 31, 2004 and 2003ASSETS 2004 2003Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 1,281,941 $ 4,409,703Pledges Receivable: Net 5,994,564 7,314,463Accounts Receivable 85,795 54,587Grants Receivable 98,936 291,034Construction Contract Reimbursement Receivable 2,842,000 -0-Beneficial Interest in Lead Trust 339,646 466,647Beneficial Interest In Remainder Trust 314,960 302,200Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 527,235 251,479Inventory: Gift Shop 14,479 22,846Interest Receivable 214,150 221,863Due from Member Organizations 427,000 483,000Investments 16,096,128 18,835,388Property and Equipment: Net 47,048,230 44,959,136Unamortized Bond Financing Costs 1,158,137 1,201,817Total Assets $ 76,443,201 $ 78,814,163STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWSFOR YEAR ENDED 2003SOURCES/2003USES/2003LIABILITIESAccounts Payable 1,371,211 1,494,555Capitalized Leases Payable 49,168 138,307Deferred Grant Income 187,000 -0-Bonds Payable: New York City IndustrialDevelopment Agency 33,100,000 33,400,000Total Liabilities $ 34,707,379 $ 35,032,862● 22% Government Grants● 59% Private SectorContributions● 7% Partner OperatingContributions● 11% Investment Income● 1% Miscellaneous Income (a)● 55% Building Operation (b)● 17% Fundraising● 13% Administration● 15% Programming (c)NET ASSETSUnrestricted 36,925,667 38,814,931Temporarily Restricted 790,218 1,232,223Permanently Restricted 4,019,937 3,734,147Total Net Assets $ 41,735,822 $ 43,781,301Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 76,443,201 $ 78,814,163(a) Miscellaneous Income relates to Café sales, outside rentals and book store sales.(b) Building Operation includes the costs to operate the facility (i.e., utilities,maintenance and engineering). It also includes services to the constituent groups(i.e., technology, preservation and conservation of collections, and security).Interest expense and plant depreciation are also included.(c) Programming is done primarily by the constituent groups.

C E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YStatement of ActivitiesYear Ended December 31, 2004TEMPORARILY PERMANENTLYUNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTALSUPPORTPublic Support:Foundations and Corporations $ 365,278 $ 118,858 $ 200,000 $ 684,136Individuals 888,825 306,360 85, 790 1,280,975Grants 587,804 100,000 687,804Construction Contract Reimbursement Income 2,842,000 2,842,000Annual Fundraising Dinner 816,012 816,012Facility Services Income 500,000 500,000Total 5,999,919 525,218 285,790 6,810,927Reduction in Provision for Uncollectible Pledges 62,820 -0- -0- 62,820Net Support 6,062,739 525,218 285,790 6,873,747OTHER REVENUESDividends and Interest 981,078 981,078Net Realized and Unrealized Losses on Securities ( 513,033 )( 513,033 )Gift Shop and Café Sales 170,652 170,652Gift Shop and Café Cost of Sales ( 180,941 )( 180,941 )Other Revenues 155,792 155,792Total Other Revenues 613,548 -0- -0- 613,548Net Assets Released from Restrictions 967,223 (967,223) -0- -0-Total Support, Other Revenues, and Reclassifications 7,643,510 (442,005) 285,790 7,487,295EXPENSESFunctional Expenses:Administration 1,090,871 1,090,871Fundraising 1,538,383 1,538,383Building Operation 4,823,821 4,823,821Program Expenses 2,079,699 2,079,699Total Functional Expenses 9,532,774 -0- -0- 9,532,774Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets ( 1,889,264 ) ( 442,005 )285,790 ( 2,045,479 )Net Assets at Beginning of Year 38,814,931 1,232,223 3,734,147 43,781,301Net Assets at End of Year $ 36,925,667 $ 790,218 $ 4,019,937 $ 41,735,822

GovernanceC E N T E R F O R J E W I S H H I S T O R YBOARD OF DIRECTORSBruce SlovinChairmanJoseph D. BeckerVice ChairmanKenneth J. BialkinVice ChairmanErica JesselsonVice ChairmanJoseph GreenbergerSecretaryMichael A. BambergerNorman BelmonteGeorge BlumenthalEva B. CohnDavid E. R. DangoorHenry L. FeingoldMax GitterMichael JesselsonSidney LapidusLeon LevyTheodore N. MirvisNancy T. PolevoyRobert S. RifkindDavid SolomonBOARD OF OVERSEERSWilliam A. AckmanJonathan BaronStanley I. BatkinJoseph D. BeckerTracey BerkowitzKenneth J. BialkinLeonard BlavatnikGeorge BlumenthalAbe FoxmanMark GoldmanJoan L. JacobsonIra H. JollesHarvey M. KruegerSidney LapidusLeon LevyIra A. LipmanTheodore N. MirvisJoseph H. ReichRobert S. RifkindStephen RosenbergBernard SelzBruce SlovinEdward L. SteinbergJoseph S. SteinbergMichele Cohn TocciFred S. ZeidmanRoy ZuckerbergPROFESSIONAL STAFFMichael BauerDirector of SecurityStanley BergmanDirector, Werner J. andGisella Levi CahnmanPreservation LaboratoryIra BerkowitzChief Financial OfficerJames BurkeDirector of OperationsPeter DonnoloChief EngineerRobert FriedmanDirector, Genealogy InstituteTony GillDirector, Gruss-LipperDigital LaboratoryMichael GlickmanDirector of Public AffairsNatalia IndrimiProgram CuratorJulie KaplanVolunteer CoordinatorGiovanni MassaTechnical DirectorLouis PinzonDirector of InformationTechnologySandra RubinDirector of DevelopmentRobert SinkChief Archivist and ProjectDirectorDiane SpielmannDirector, Lillian GoldmanReading RoomLynne WintersDirector of ProductionACADEMIC ADVISORYCOUNCILElisheva Carlebach,Co-ChairmanQueens CollegeMichael A. Meyer,Co-ChairmanHebrew Union CollegeTodd EndelmanUniversity of MichiganHenry L. FeingoldBaruch CollegeDavid FishmanJewish TheologicalSeminaryErnest FrerichsBrown UniversityJane GerberGraduate Center of the CityUniversity of New YorkJeffrey GurockYeshiva UniversityDeborah Dash MooreVassar CollegeRiv-Ellen PrellUniversity of MinnesotaJeffrey ShandlerRutgers UniversityPaul ShapiroUnited States HolocaustMemorial MuseumChava WeisslerLehigh UniversityBeth S. WengerUniversity of PennsylvaniaSteven J. ZippersteinStanford UniversityAMERICAN JEWISHHISTORICAL SOCIETYSidney LapidusPresidentKenneth J. BialkinChairmanDavid SolomonExecutive DirectorIra A. LipmanLeslie PollackJustin WynerVice PresidentsBernard M. AidinoffGeorge BlumenthalNick BunzlSheldon S. CohenRonald C. CurhanAlan M. EdelsteinRuth B FeinDavid M. GordisRobert D. GriesDavid HershbergMichael JesselsonArnold H. KaplanDaniel KaplanSamuel R. KaretskyHarvey M. KruegerPhilip LaxNorman LissKenneth D. MalamedDeborah Dash MooreEdgar J. Nathan IIIArthur S. ObermayerJeffrey S. OppenheimSteven OppenheimNancy T. PolevoyArnold J. RabinorHarold S. RosenbluthLouise P. RosenfeldZita RosenthalBruce SlovinJoseph S. SteinbergMorton SteinbergRonald TauberSaul VienerSue WarburgEfrem WeinrebNorbert WeissbergRoberta YagermanLaurence ZuckermanAMERICAN SEPHARDIFEDERATIONDavid E. R. DangoorPresidentMike M. NassimiChairmanMarc D. AngelVice PresidentLeon LevyHonorary LifetimePresidentEsme BergDirectorElie AbadieIsaac AinetchiVivette AnconaMarc D. AngelIsaac AssaelJack AzoseHerbert BarbanelCarole BasriNorman BelmonteCarlos BenaimNorman BenzaquenSerge CattanAbraham CohenDavid J. CohenGrace CohenIsaac DabahDavid E.R. DangoorMartin EliasKaren EraniMurray FarashJane GerberJoe HalioMoses Hy HararyStella LeviLeon LevySandra MalamedJoel MarcusAlan MatarassoDavid MocheMike M. NassimiEdgar NathanMax NegrinBernard OuzielDavid RibacoffSarina RofféClifton RussoJoseph R. SafraVictor H. SaltielRobert ShashaAnwar SuleimanFlorence TatistcheffNina WeinerMorrie R. YohaiLEO BAECK INSTITUTEIsmar SchorschPresidentMichael A. BambergerVice PresidentEva Brunner CohnTreasurerErnst CramerHonorary TrusteeCarol Kahn StraussExecutive DirectorHenry L. FeingoldGerald M. FriedmanPeter GayAlfred GottschalkArthur HertzbergHans George HirschPaula E. HymanMichael G. JesselsonJosef JoffeIra H. JollesJoan C. LessingDavid H. LincolnRalph E. LoewenbergMichael A. MeyerErnest W. MichelScott OffenJehuda ReinharzRobert S. RifkindRaymond V.J. SchragRonald B. SobelHelmut SonnenfeldtGuy SternYESHIVA UNIVERSITYMUSEUMErica JesselsonChairTed MirvisVice ChairSylvia HerskowitzDirectorLudwig BravmannDebby GibberLyn HandlerFanya Gottesfeld HellerMichael JesselsonLucy LangMort LowengrubGladys MarylesJonathan PruzanGlennis SchonholzBruce SlovinMary SmartYIVO INSTITUTE FORJEWISH RESEARCHBruce SlovinChairmanJoseph D. BeckerVice ChairmanMax GitterVice ChairmanCarl J. RheinsExecutive DirectorRosina K. AbramsonSamson BitenskyStanley ChaisJoseph GreenbergerWarren GroverFanya Gottesfeld HellerMichael KarfunkelDr. Milton KramerSolomon KrystalChava LapinRuth LevineBenjamin MeedLeo MelamedJonathan MishkinJacob MorowitzBernard NussbaumHarold OstroffDottie PaysonMartin PeretzDavid PolenDr. Arnold RichardsCharles J. RoseLawrence SaperJoseph S. SteinbergWalter H. WeinerMotl ZelmanowiczSeymour ZisesNATIONAL HISTORICALPUBLICATIONS ANDRECORDS COMMISSION(NHPRC) ADVISORYCOMMITTEEWilliam JoyceChair, Pennsylvania StateUniversityRonald BeckerRutgers UniversityRichard CameronNational Archives(Ex Officio)Susan DavisUniversity of MarylandDouglas GreenbergSurvivors of the ShoahVisual History FoundationWerner GundersheimerFolger Library (retired)Lawrence HackmanHarry S. Truman PresidentialLibrary & Museum (retired)Kathryn JacobHarvard UniversityStanley KatzPrinceton UniversityLouis LevineMuseum of Jewish HeritageKevin ProffittAmerican Jewish ArchivesChristine WardNew York State ArchivesPeter WoshNew York UniversityANNUAL REPORTEditorial management:Sandra RubinDirector of DevelopmentJulia LevinGrants ManagerMelanie EinzigStaff PhotographerDavid KarpStaff PhotographerDesign: Flyleaf

Center for Jewish History15 West 16 StreetNew York, NY 10011212-294-8301www.cjh.orgAmerican Jewish Historical Society212-294-6160www.ajhs.orgAmerican Sephardi Federation212-294-8350www.asfonline.orgLeo Baeck Institute212-294-8340www.lbi.orgYeshiva University Museum212-294-8330www.yumuseum.orgYIVO Institute for Jewish Research212-246-6080www.yivo.org