Research Guides: Jewish NYC: General Resources

Essex Street, New York City. NYPL Digital Collections 801460

American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection

The American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection contains interviews with 2,250 informants, with 350 of the interview transcripts now available online. It is an incomparable repository of unique and unpublished primary source material. Many of the interviews were conducted in New York City and focus on aspects of Jewish life here. Below are several interview series that may be particularly useful for researching Jewish individuals and communities in the city. Please contact us at dorotjewish@nypl.org to request oral histories for use, and for additional information on the collection.

Illustration: Portrait of Joseph Buloff. NYPL Digital Collections 115334

Databases

America: History and Life with Full Text
Indexes the scholarly literature of the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With full-text coverage of hundreds of journals and books, and selective indexing for journals dating back nearly 60 years.**Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Ancestry Library Edition
Access billions of names in thousands of genealogical databases including Census and Vital Records, birth, marriage and death notices, the Social Security Death Index, Passenger lists and naturalizations, Military and Holocaust Records, City Directories, New York Emigrant Savings Bank records, and African American and Native American Records. Library version of Ancestry.com.**Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
This database is only accessible at the following NYPL locations: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Thomas Yoseloff Business Center; All Branch Libraries
Encyclopedia Judaica
Full-text searchable database of the 22 volumes. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Ethnic NewsWatch (1959-present)
Collection of ethnic, minority, and native newspapers, magazines, and journals published in America. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees: The Wests Response to Jewish Emigration
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees: The Wests Response to Jewish Emigration contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, and government documents including meeting records and country, subject, and administration files concerning the efforts of 37 countries and the Committee to coordinate the emigration of Jewish and other refugees of war and Nazi persecution. Part of Archives Unbound. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
Jewish Life in America c.1654-1954
A history of Jewish communities in America through essays, interactive maps, the American Jewish Year Book, biographies, and other primary source materials. Sources from the American Jewish Historical Society. **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**
This database is only accessible at the following NYPL locations: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building; New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Thomas Yoseloff Business Center; All Branch Libraries
ProQuest Historical Jewish Newspapers
Simultaneous search of the The American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger (1857-1922), The American Israelite (1874-2000), Boston Advocate (1905-1909), The Israelite (1854-1874), The Jerusalem Post (1950-1988), the Jewish Advocate (1905-1990) and The Jewish Exponent (1887-1990), and Palestine Post (1933-1950). **Patrons should read the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy of this resource before searching.**

General Resources

This section includes general resources on researching Jewish New York City. The collection of The New York Public Library is rich in primary and secondary research sources, such as:

Publications by and about historical Jewish organizations and synagogues
Newspapers
Oral histories
Images
Books about Jewish communities in New York City

We encourage you to explore the sections in this guide to find a topic that interests you. If you are getting overwhelmed by the amount of resources available, consider narrowing your topic to a specific group, time period, or area. Please contact us for additional assistance.

More Research Guides:

More free research resources from NYPL: