National Library of Israel Opens Five Decades of New York Jewish Newspaper Archives
The digitized collection, covering half a century of local reporting, is now free to access online.
By Chinedu Schneider ·
The National Library of Israel has released the complete digital archive of The New York Jewish Week.
This collection covers nearly 50 years of reporting on the city’s Jewish community. It is the first time the newspaper’s full history has been freely available to the public. The library integrated the material into its Historical Jewish Press collection.
The archive documents major shifts in local identity alongside daily life. It includes coverage of specific events such as a bagel shortage, a large Orthodox gathering at Madison Square Garden, and the discovery of artifacts in a synagogue basement. Brandeis University historian Jonathan Sarna called the publication the most important American Jewish newspaper of its time.
The library’s preservation project began more than 20 years ago. It now holds newspapers in 30 languages, with some dating to the late 17th century. The New York Jewish Week was previously known as The Jewish Week.
The library and the newspaper will hold a free panel on November 17 to discuss the collection. The event is titled The Pages of Our Past: Digitizing New York’s Jewish Stories. It runs from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan.
Gary Rosenblatt will speak as a panelist. He served as the editor and publisher for more than half of the newspaper’s history. Current journalists from the paper and Eyal Miller, who manages the library’s press project, will also participate. The venue is at 1 West 4th St., and a stream will be available.
The organizations are launching an email series called 9 Moments That Made Jewish New York What It Is Today. The first installment covers the arrival of 23 Jewish refugees from Brazil in New Amsterdam in 1654. The final installment addresses a modern dispute over the status of the city’s tap water.
