Welcome to The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the

American Jewish Archives

Preserving American Jewish History

publication:
AMERICAN JEWISH ARCHIVES
JOURNAL

Vol. 77, No. 1 (2025)
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NEW! DIGITAL WEBSITES ARE LIVE!

Western Reserve Historical Society & The American Jewish Archives present:

Rabbis Abba Hillel & Daniel Jeremy Silver:  Celebrating the Legacy

Collection and Preservation!

We need your help in collecting
materials on the 

AMERICAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE

Do you have family papers, rabbinic papers, or organizational papers that shed light on the history of the Jewish people in America? 

We can help preserve these materials! 

Contact the AJA's Associate Director at:  [email protected].

Preserving the continuity of Jewish life and learning for future generations

HUC Logo Primary PMS

The American Jewish Archives (AJA), a division of Hebrew Union College, is the largest free-standing repository dedicated solely to the study of the American Jewish experience. It contains more than 15 million pages of documents, audio-visual recordings, microfilm, and photographic images.

The American Jewish Archives was founded in 1947 by the renowned historian Dr. Jacob Rader Marcus (b. 1896) who served as its first director until his death in 1995 at the age of 99.  From 1998 through June of 2023, Dr. Gary P. Zola served as the AJA’s executive director.  

Since July of 2023, Dr. Dana Herman has served as the Associate Director.

Frequently Asked Questions

Exploring the AJA website:

About the AJA

Basic information about the AJA's mission, the executive director and staff, as well as visitor instructions, can be found in this section.

Read more about the AJA »

Research our Records

This section offers links to research resources, and types of material you'll find at the American Jewish Archives.

Research the AJA Records »

Search our Catalog

The AJA online catalog is the gateway to a vast collection of primary source material detailing the history of the Jewish experience in the Americas which include documents, photographs, audio and video media, digital collections and more.

This section also includes a link to "Ask and Archivist."

Search the AJA Catalog »

Publications

Here you will find a wealth of secondary source material relating to the American Jewish past including a link to the full run of the American Jewish Archives Journal which is fully searchable.

Explore AJA Publications »

Programs & Events

This section includes a listing of upcoming local and national events, Dr. Zola's speaking engagements, and the American Jewish Archives in the news.

View AJA Programs and Events »

Educational Resources

Digital documents, lesson plans/guides, resources for learning opportunities, can be found here.

Access the AJA Educational Resources