American Jews

Jewish Chaplains in the Civil War

Jews enlisted in both the Union and the Confederate armies during the Civil War, but they were not allowed to serve as chaplains to provide religious and emotional support, as well as to preside over Jewish funerals.

Shabbat as Social Reform

Rabbis and Jews argued for a five-day work week in order to be able to observe Shabbat.

History of American Jewish Free Loan Societies

A group of Jewish women from Seattle began this community micro-lending effort.

Benjamin Cardozo, Jewish Justice

Justice Cardozo's background as a Sephardic Jew shaped his entire career.

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 Humble Roots of American Retailing

The lives of Jewish peddlers wandering the country were difficult, rough, and filled with religious challenges.

America’s First Consul to Jerusalem

Warder Cresson's journey to Jerusalem, and to Judaism, took a convoluted path.

John Adams and the Jews

John Adams expressed Zionist sympathies, and his respect for ancient Jewry.

Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902

Jewish homemakers mobilized the women of the Lower East Side to protest the increasing meat prices.

Jewish Socialism in the United States, 1880-1920

The birth and growth of American Jewish socialism.

The Revolutionary War and the Jews

While some Jews fought, others suffered at the hands of the British.

Jewish Socialism in the United States, 1920-1948

The political influence of Eastern European Jews.