Launched in the Spring of 2023, the Center for Jewish History’s new Jewish Public History Forum seeks to bring new and diverse audiences to the Center by sponsoring major public symposia on historical topics of contemporary relevance.

The Forum seeks to be a “big tent” that brings scholars from different social, political, and cultural backgrounds into conversation about the past’s relationship to the present. The Forum is committed to sustaining the Center for Jewish History’s reputation for academic excellence and integrity while bringing scholarly insights to the broader public.

The Forum brings the Center’s five partners – the American Jewish Historical Society, the American Sephardi Federation, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Yeshiva University Museum, and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – together in conceptualizing, developing, and coordinating projects of collective interest.  By fostering intra-organizational work, the Forum helps the Center for Jewish History realize its original vision to be a collaborative institution for Jewish historical research and education.

The first symposium sponsored by the Forum was “Zionism and American Jews: Bringing Us Together and Pulling Us Apart,” held on April 30, 2023 to mark Israel’s 75th anniversary in partnership with the National Library of Israel. Click on the image below for the full program and session recordings.

Upcoming symposia

“Fighting Fascism: Jewish Responses from the Interwar Period to the Present” (October 15, 2023 in partnership with the American Jewish Historical Society) marks the 90th anniversary of the Nazi seizure of power in Germany by exploring how Jews in Europe and the United States responded to fascism from the 1920s to the present.

Click here to register.

This symposium is generously supported by Leonard Milberg and the Achelis & Bodman Foundation.

“A Medium for the Masses: The Yiddish Press and the Shaping of American Jewish Culture” (January 14, 2024) will look back on more than 150 years of the Yiddish press in the United States, examining its role as a vehicle of acculturation, a forum for political and ideological debates, and a seedbed for the growth of a mass culture among Jews worldwide. The day’s events will culminate in an evening program celebrating the launch of Ayelet Brinn’s new book, A Revolution in Type: Gender and the Making of the American Yiddish Press (NYU Press, 2023), which offers a fascinating glimpse into the complex and often unexpected ways that women and ideas about women shaped widely read Yiddish newspapers.

This symposium is co-sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

“Addressing Antisemitism: Contemporary Challenges” (January 28, 2024) marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day in partnership with Indiana University’s renowned Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism.

This symposium is presented in partnership with Indiana University's Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and has received generous support from the Achelis & Bodman Foundation, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), the American Jewish Committee's Edward M. Chase Educational Fund, and Robert S. Rifkind.

“‘Reconsidering Jewish Migration to the United States: A Century of Controversy” (April 7, 2024), will mark the 100th anniversary of the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 by chronicling a century of Jewish engagement with immigration at the national and international level.

This symposium is generously supported by the Selz Foundation.

“Jews and Democracy” (October 27, 2024) will examine Jewish views on democracy, from the biblical period to the present, concentrating on how Jews in Europe, the U. S., and Israel have engaged with democratic principles in the modern world.

“Jewish Architecture and Historic Preservation: Past, Present, and Future” (April 2025) helps celebrate the 60th anniversary of the New York City Landmarks Law by examining efforts to preserve the Jewish built environment in New York City and beyond.

This symposium is generously supported by the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation.