Michael Feldberg
Michael Feldberg, Ph.D. is executive director of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom. From 1991 to 2004, he served as executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society, the nation's oldest ethnic historical organization, and from 2004 to 2008 was its director of research.
Articles by Michael Feldberg
Blood of Damascus
When several prominent Jews in Damascus were accused of using non-Jewish blood to make matzah, the Jews of the world banded together to fight back. American Jewry specifically experienced its first taste of successful, united action.
The Levy-Franks Family
The Levy-Franks family struggled with the ever-present challenge of maining a strong Jewish identity in a secular society.
The Humble Roots of American Retailing
The lives of Jewish peddlers wandering the country were difficult, rough, and filled with religious challenges.
Fending Off the Missionaries
A group of Protestant clergymen decided their new mission would be to convert European Jews and settling them in a rural agricultural community.
How Coca-Cola Became Kosher
While the iconic soft drink has been on the market since 1886, only since 1935 has it been certified kosher, including for Passover.
America’s First Consul to Jerusalem
Warder Cresson's journey to Jerusalem, and to Judaism, took a convoluted path.
Don Solomono, Jewish Indian Chief
Solomon Bibo won the trust of the Acoma Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, and in 1888 he became governor of the Acoma Pueblo.
John Adams and the Jews
John Adams expressed Zionist sympathies, and his respect for ancient Jewry.
Jefferson and the Jews
Thomas Jefferson was a strong advocate for civic equality and religious freedom for American Jews.
How Jewish Gangsters Fought the Nazis
During the rise of Nazism and the foundation of Israel, notorious Jewish gangsters proved to be true supporters of their people.