> History |
> Board |
> Team |
Frankfurt, Germany
The JCS-University Library Frankfurt am Main owns the largest collection of Hebraica and Judaica in Germany. Founded in the late 19th century through generous donations of Frankfurt Jewish philanthropists, it formed into the most significant Judaica collection in Europe before World War II.
Today the Judaica Division of the University Library comprises an extensive historical book collection on all subject areas of Jewish Studies, with specialist literature on »Wissenschaft des Judentums« (Science of Judaism).
Since 2016 the Division is building up the "Specialised Information Service (SIS) Jewish Studies" - a powerful information transfer system. The portal will serve as central platform for scientific information and offer different services, e.g. the provision of Hebrew works in the original script in the catalogue and access to electronic resources.
Brussels, Belgium
The Center for Jewish-Moroccan Culture (CJMC) is the result of twenty years of work by founder Paul Dahan, collecting exceptional historical heritage focused on the experience of the Jews of Morocco and the relations between Jews and Muslims. Since 2002, the Center organizes exhibitions, workshops, lectures and other events in Belgium and Europe. For documentation, illustration and interpretation, the Center has a Museum, a Library and a Photo library. A website allows you to view the collection of objects, bibliographic information and archives. An international committee of scientists and personalities helps the development of the Center.
Athens, Greece
The Museum was founded in 1977 to collect, preserve, research and exhibit the material evidence of 2,300 years of Jewish life in Greece. As a historical and ethnographical museum its main interest is to provide a vivid picture of Jewish life and culture as it was during those centuries. The collection contains more than ten thousand artefacts (some of which are unique) pertaining to the domestic and religious life, as well as the history of the Greek Jews. The new building of the Museum houses its rich collection and visitor services in an area of 800 m2, organized in permanent exhibition areas with thematic modular exhibits, an art gallery, a periodic exhibition space, a research library, a space for educational programmes, a photo archive and laboratory and a conservation laboratory.
Paris, France
Alliance israélite universelle (AIU) is an educational institution created in 1860 to protect the rights of Jews. It developed a large network of schools covering the Mediterranean Basin and the Balkans, with schools still existing today in France, Israel, Canada and Morocco.
AIU's library and archives are among the richest Jewish sources in Europe, including 150,000 books, from manuscripts and incunabulae until today, in the field of Jewish studies at large, in many languages; archives of the AIU covering Jewish politics, education, societies over the world since 1860, and private archives of scholars and Jewish institutions; 3,000 collections of periodicals; 15,000 photographs. All collections are accessible through the RACHEL Catalogue of Jewish Libraries. AIU has recently developed its own digital library.
Paris, France
Established in 2006 by the French Judaism Foundation, the Yuval association and the Henriette Halphen Foundation, it is the first center dedicated to documentation and resources pertaining to Jewish music in Europe. The institute’s goals are the preservation and dissemination of the Jewish musical heritage. Since September 2012, the institute has been active in digitizing the musical collections of the Henriette Halphen media library and collecting archives donated by families and institutions. The institute holds public conference, workshops and concerts.
Paris, France
Established in 1928, the Medem Library is the primary center for the preservation and dissemination of Yiddish culture in Europe. Our library holdings include more than 30,000 books, 1,000 distinct periodicals, 7,500 audio recordings (many digitized), 500 pieces of sheet music, 300 posters, 200 films, and archives of more than 20 writers and artists, including the archives of Alter Kacyzne and Moyshe Broderzon, two important Yiddish writers from Poland between the two world wars.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Jewish Historical Museum is the only museum in the Netherlands focusing on Jewish history, religion and culture. It is a beautiful, high-profile museum that occupies four historical Ashkenazi synagogue buildings in the heart of the former Jewish quarter in the centre of Amsterdam. It provides a unique picture of past and present Dutch Jewish life in all its facets. The museum has an extensive collection of items ranging from paintings to films, and from utensils to 3D presentations. The Jewish Historical Museum is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, together with the JHM Children’s Museum, the Portuguese Synagogue, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, and the National Holocaust Museum.
Jerusalem, Israel
Established in 1892 by Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the NLI serves three roles: As National Library of Israel, NLI receives and preserves, by law, all books, newspapers, CD's, records, and recordings published in Israel, regardless of language or religious affiliation. As National Library of the Jewish people, NLI collects any publication that pertains to Jews and Judaism, from anywhere in the world. A considerable amount of space is reserved for compositions written in the Hebrew letter: Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, and Jewish Arabic. As library of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, NLI holds the world's most important collection in the field of Jewish Studies, as well as collections in Far and Middle-Eastern Studies and Islamic Studies, and an important collection in the General Humanities.New York, USA
The JTS Library houses the greatest collection of Judaica in the Western Hemisphere, providing the Jewish community and the world with direct access to an astonishing array of materials that speak to Jewish history and our shared Jewish experience. Our collections draw researchers and scholars from across the globe, and we in turn loan materials to institutions around the world, sharing the cultural resources we have been acquiring for over 120 years.
New York, USA
The Leo Baeck Institute — New York | Berlin (LBI) is devoted to the history of German-speaking Jews. Its 80,000-volume library and extensive archival and art collections represent the most significant repository of primary source material and scholarship on the Jewish communities of Central Europe over the past five centuries.
LBI is committed to preserving this legacy and has digitized over 3.5 million pages of documents from its collections—from rare renaissance books to the personal correspondence of luminaries and ordinary people alike, to community histories and official documents. LBI also promotes the study and understanding of German-Jewish history through its public programs, exhibitions, and support for research and scholars.
Budapest, Hungary
The Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives belong to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Hungary. Established in the early 20th century with the aim of presenting the Jewish community to the public, the museum’s first independent building was developed in 1931 at the same time as the Great Dohány street Synagogue and the plot next to it were put in order. It became an integral part of the institutions of the Jewish community. The museum was reunited with the archives at the end of 2014, with the goal to integrate the collections into a coherent visitor and researcher-friendly whole.
New York, USA
YIVO is dedicated to fostering knowledge of the ongoing story of Jewish life, with a focus on the history and culture of East European Jewry. This story has played an important role in shaping the times we live in.
Home of the largest collection of Holocaust primary documentation in North America and a world-renowned library and archive of Jewish history and culture, YIVO is an educational organization offering online and on-site courses and the world’s oldest intensive Yiddish language program. Presenter of acclaimed exhibitions, concerts, and lectures, it is the only prewar Jewish cultural institution to have survived the Holocaust and a leader in training generations of Jewish Studies scholars.
Prague, Czech Republic
Established in 1906, the Jewish Museum in Prague is one of the oldest in Europe. At the core of its collection were items from synagogues that had been demolished as a result of the clearance of the Prague Jewish ghetto. During Nazi occupation, the Central Jewish Museum became a safe haven for liturgical objects, books and archival documents from the defunct Jewish communities. In 1950 the museum was nationalized. Research did not resume until 1994, when the museums regained its independence, its buildings were returned to the Prague Jewish community and the bulk of its collections were handed by the state to the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic.
London, UK
The Jewish Museum tells the story of the culture and heritage of Jews in Britain through universal themes of migration, family, faith and culture. Based in vibrant Camden Town, the museum attracts visitors of all ages, backgrounds and faiths through its critically-acclaimed exhibitions. The vision of the museum is to embrace and celebrate diversity in a world that can see ever more fractured and distrustful. The aim is to build bridges, break down barriers and delight in our shared common humanity. The Jewish Museum plays a vital role in telling the story of Jewish life, history and culture in Britain and in challenging prejudice, provoking questions and encouraging understanding.
Toledo, Spain
Suggested in 1911, officially created in 1964 and declared a "National Museum of Hispanic-Jewish Art" in 1968, the Sephardic Museum conserves and conveys the Hispanic-Jewish and Sephardic legacy. The initial collection was transferred from other Spanish museums as well as from private donours. It is mostly composed of archeological and ethnographic material, with objects relating to the religion and Jewish way of life, especially their circle of life and festivals. The collection today includes books, manuscripts and documents in Hebrew, Spanish, and Sephardic languages, spanning chronologically from the fourteenth century until 1950.New York, USA
The JDC Archives houses one of the most significant collections in the world for the study of modern Jewish history. Comprising the organizational records of JDC, the overseas rescue, relief, and rehabilitation arm of the American Jewish community, the archives includes over 3 miles of text documents, 100,000 photographs, a research library of more than 6,000 books, 1,100 audio recordings including oral histories, and a collection of 2,500 videos. Through its digitization program, the archives has made 3.2 million pages of documents, 75,000 photographs, hundreds of images of artifacts, and a names index of 500,000 names available to the public via its website. With records of activity in over 90 countries dating from 1914 to the present, the JDC Archives is an extraordinary and unique treasure in the archival world.
New York, US
The Center for Jewish History is a collaborative home for American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Their archives comprise the world’s largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span a thousand years, with 5 miles of archival documents, more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs.
The Center’s experts are leaders in unlocking archival material for a wide audience through the latest practices in digitization, library science, and public education. As one of the world’s foremost research institutions, the Center offers fellowships, an array of exhibitions, symposia, conferences and lectures. The Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate, and is a partner of the Google Cultural Institute.
Paris, France
The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme (MAHJ) opened in 1998 in the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan. Heir to the Musée d’Art Juif in Rue des Saules, created in 1948 by survivors, the mahJ is the custodian of permanent state loans from the Musée national du Moyen Age.
The mahJ aims to present two thousand years of Jewish presence in France, situating this in the context of the overall history of Judaism. It preserves, studies, disseminates and promotes public and private museums collections, archives and documentation devoted to the art and history of the Jewish people as well as conceives and organises educative programmes providing a fuller knowledge of Jewish culture.
Warsaw, Poland
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a modern cultural institution – a narrative museum which presents a 1000-year history of Polish Jews. It is also a place for meetings and conversations for anyone eager to learn more about the past and present Jewish culture, to confront stereotypes, and to face the perils of today’s world such as xenophobia and nationalistic prejudices. By promoting openness, tolerance, and truth, POLIN Museum contributes to the mutual understanding and respect amongst Poles and Jews.
Apart from being home to the core exhibition, the Museum also functions as an active cultural, academic and educational centre with a rich programme aimed at particular target groups: children, youth and adults, teachers, police officers and the academic community. The programme received prestigious awards such as European Museum Academy Award in 2016 and Europa Nostra in 2017.
Waltham, US
The Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department houses Brandeis University's unique and rare primary sources. The Department collects, preserves, manages, and makes accessible books, artifacts, documents, and records of enduring value to facilitate and foster research, teaching, and discovery, and to support the intellectual and institutional needs of the Brandeis and wider scholarly community. The Judaica Collection comprises more than 200,000 works housed throughout the library. The collection documents all aspects of Jewish history, religion, and culture, with a particular focus on the Bible, rabbinics, Jewish philosophy and mysticism, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, and the Holocaust.
Jerusalem, Israel
The Center for Jewish Art (CJA) is a research institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, devoted to the documentation and research of Jewish visual culture. Established in 1979, it documented and researched objects of Jewish art in ca. 700 museums, libraries, private collections and synagogues all over the world. Today, the Center's archives and collections constitute the largest and most comprehensive body of information on Jewish material heritage in existence. The CJA’s research and documentation is included in the Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art and available to all in the Internet.
Warsaw, Poland
The Jewish Historical Institute was created in 1947 as a continuation of the Central Jewish Historical Commission, founded in 1944. The Jewish Historical Institute Association is the corporate body responsible for the building and the Institute’s holdings. The Institute falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. In 2009 it was named after Emanuel Ringelblum. The institute is a repository of documentary materials relating to the Jewish historical presence in Poland. It is also a centre for academic research, study and the dissemination of knowledge about the history and culture of Polish Jewry.
Jerusalem, Israel
The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums. Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. The Museum has built a far-ranging collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing the full scope of world material culture.
Istanbul, Turkey
The Quincentennial Foundation Museum Of Turkish Jews has been established to demonstrate Jewish values to the general public, especially in a country where the number of Jews is around 15.000, and shrinking in number day by day, among a population exceeding 80 million.
The Museum promotes, both within the country and abroad, the history of Jewish presence of 2600 years in Anatolia and 700 years of amity between Turks and Jews, beginning with the Ottoman conquest of Bursa in 1326, continuing with Bayezid II's welcome of the Sephardic Jews in 1492 and carrying on until today. The museum’s aim is to show, through historical evidence, how people of different roots and faiths can live together for centuries.
Executive Director
Pavel is JHN’s Co-founder. He is responsible for our strategy, product roadmap and fundraising. Prior to JHN, Pavel worked for several years at Europeana as Chief Technology Officer. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and has more than twenty years of experience in running software teams and projects.
Technology Lead
Alex is overseeing our content aggregation platform, AI components and the chatbot. Alex holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Technion Institute of Technology in Israel. He has almost twenty years of experience in software development and research and is specialising in natural language processing and semantic technologies.
Business Development
Anat is developing our relationships with the network members to identify value-added services we can provide to Jewish heritage organisations. With a background in Religious Studies and Jewish history, she has worked for more than 10 years as a museum professional, specialising in project development, digital heritage and collection management.
