Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
“To Bigotry No Sanction”: George Washington and Newport’s Jews
George Washington’s 1790 letter to Newport’s Jewish congregation affirmed liberty of conscience for all—a cornerstone of American religious freedom.
Jews and the Naturalization Act of 1790: Who Belonged?
The Naturalization Act of 1790 defined U.S. citizenship as “free white,” exposing tensions over identity and national belonging for early American Jews.
Touro Synagogue: America’s Oldest Jewish House of Worship
Built in 1763, Newport’s Touro Synagogue reflects colonial Palladian design and stands as a symbol of early Jewish life and liberty in America.
How a Jewish Appeal Shaped America’s Religious Freedom
In 1787, a Jewish Revolutionary War veteran urged the Constitutional Convention to ban religious tests—helping define America’s ideal of liberty.
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
In this children's book, the legendary Jewish hero Hershel of Ostropol outwits goblins.
Hannukah Gelt
Can you guess, children, which is the best of all holidays? Hannukah, of course.
You don’t go to cheder for eight days in a row, you eat pancakes every day, spin your dreidel to your heart’s content…
Dreyfus in Kasrilevke
I doubt if the Dreyfus case made such a stir anywhere as it did in Kasrilevka.
Paris, they say, seethed like a boiling vat. The papers carried streamers, generals shot themselves, and small boys ran…
Rededication of the Temple
The first-century historian Josephus gives an account of the origin of Hanukkah and suggests an etiology for one of its names, the Festival of Lights.
Antiochus IV on Seleucid Coin
This silver coin features a bust of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r. 175–164 BCE), who outlawed Jewish practices and introduced the cult of Zeus Olympios at the site of the Temple.
Stone Flower Fountain, Moscow
Mark Markov-Grinberg took this atmospheric nighttime photograph after he lost his job at the Russian news agency TASS, during the Soviet campaign against Jews. He and other former Jewish…
Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
This magnificent cast-silver Hanukkah lamp, modeled on the ancient menorah, was created in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The legendary Judith stands at the top, surrounded by animals and angels.
Hodayot
Hodayot 6:34–41 (Hymn Seven)[I give tha]nks to you, O Lord,According to the greatness of your strengthand the multitude of your wondrous deeds,forever and ev[er.Many are the mercies] and great are…