Research Your Past
Are you curious about your family’s background in New Haven CT? How about the history of New Haven’s Jewish neighborhood, synagogues and organizations?
Our archives and archivists help people learn more about Jewish New Haven history as well as general New Haven history. Common questions we regularly research include births, deaths and weddings. Our extensive collection of photographs provides views of New Haven over the past century.
Contribute to the Collection
Do you have documents, photos, videos, films or things that illustrate some aspect of Jewish life in New Haven?
Papers and objects that might not seem important to you, may help us fill in gaps in our collections and help us provide a fuller portrait of Jewish life in New Haven over the centuries. Talk with us about donating your material to our collection.
Updates
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The 2025 Great Give begins May 7 at 8:00 am! Donations will go toward our next volume of Jews in New Haven, and, thanks to our generous board of directors, the first $7,000 will be matched 1:1, essentially doubling your impact. Bookmark our Great Give site now to easily donate on the day!
Congregation Mishkan Israel, 785 Ridge Rd, Hamden
Sunday, April 27 | 2:00 pm
Commemorate Yom HaShoah at this community-wide program. We will be joined by speaker Karen Baum Gordon, acclaimed author of The Last Letter: A Father’s Struggle, a Daughter’s Quest, and the Long Shadow of the Holocaust. Through archival documents and personal letters, Karen brings to life her father’s experience as a Holocaust survivor and the legacy of loss that shaped her family across generations. Her work has received national recognition, including a nomination for the American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Medal and a feature on Good Morning America. Don’t miss this powerful opportunity to reflect, remember, and stand together in remembrance and resolve. Learn more here.
Marvin S. Bargar Audiovisual Collections: Oral History
We’re excited to share that the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven is preparing to start recording oral history interviews again! With over 300 interviews in our collection—capturing the stories, traditions, and experiences of our community—we are eager to add new voices and ensure these invaluable histories are accessible for generations to come.
Ways to get involved:
- Be an Interviewer – Help record the memories of community members. (A training session will be required—stay tuned for details.)
- Be a Narrator – Have a history to tell? We’d love to hear it!
- Transcribe Interviews – Turn spoken stories into written records.
If you’re interested in volunteering in any capacity, please fill out this form, or contact us at info@jewishhistorynh.org
What the Jewish Past Teaches About the Future
We invite you to Meeting the Moment: What the Jewish Past Teaches About the Future, a powerful three-part series exploring American Jewish history and the influences shaping our community today. In a time that challenges our identity and beliefs, this is an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and contribute to a hopeful future. REGISTER HERE!
Sponsored by: Congregation Mishkan Israel, Temple Beth Sholom, B’nai Jacob, and the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven
Made possible in part through a generous impact grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Jewish Voices of Grove Street Cemetery: Guided Walking Tour
Jews In New Haven
Walk New Haven
JHS Newsletter
We are a member agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
and a historical society of the Ethnic Heritage Center
We thank The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Andrew Eder for their financial contributions towards the construction of this website.
