Ruby Johnstone

2 months ago | ajhs.org | Ruby Johnstone

In the months following the United States’ entry into World War I, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) convened to address “the matter of collecting complete and accurate statistics of Jews in the military and naval service of the United States…” The AJC’s Bureau of Statistics was assigned to the project, establishing the Office of Jewish War Records (OJWR) as a base for the nationwide data collection process.

Dec 19, 2024 | ajhs.org | Ruby Johnstone

The complete Records of the Baron de Hirsch Fund (I-80) have been digitized and are now publicly available through our online collections database. From August 2021 to November 2024, the American Jewish Historical Society worked with the Center for Jewish History (CJH) to digitize original collection materials (approximately 110 linear feet) to preserve and provide public access to their contents.

Dec 2, 2024 | ajhs.org | Ruby Johnstone

The Baron de Hirsch Fund – founded in 1891 by Clara and Maurice de Hirsch – supported Jewish immigrants upon arrival in the United States by preparing them for new careers in skilled trades. With a strong emphasis on agriculture, the Fund established the Woodbine Colony in southern New Jersey in 1891, followed by the Woodbine Agricultural School in 1893. The Colony soon outgrew its original footprint of just 800 acres, leading to Woodbine’s incorporation as an independent borough in 1903.

Feb 21, 2024 | ajhs.org | Ruby Johnstone

One of my favorite aspects of processing large archival collections is the discovery of unexpected materials hidden among the otherwise uniform boxes.  These novelties will often have no obvious connection to the rest of the box’s contents and can range from handwritten notes to photographs and various 3-dimensional objects.

Oct 30, 2023 | ajhs.org | Ruby Johnstone

Chatham Square Cemetery is the oldest of four burial grounds maintained by Congregation Shearith Israel, located on Saint James Place in Manhattan, New York. Purchased in 1682 by Joseph Bueno de Mesquita, the cemetery’s roster includes several recognizable names from the AJHS archives, including: Gershom and Benjamin Mendes Seixas, Simon Nathan, Hayman Levy, and Jonas Phillips.