Center for Jewish History

The Center for Jewish History will improve stewardship of the 35mm and 16mm motion picture film collections of its five in-house partners: the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute. The film collections contain footage of Jewish life in pre- and post-World War II Europe, scenes from Yiddish theater productions, a U.S. Army Seder in Saigon circa 1971, and many other subjects. The project will include surveying film holdings, noting preservation issues, and digitizing 10 reels as a pilot of a new digitization process. Partners will benefit from improved understanding of their film holdings, and researchers around the globe will gain access to unique productions. This project also will lay the groundwork for future digitization and preservation projects.