National Library of Israel's new digital archive opens window into New York’s vibrant Jewish past

The National Library of Israel has digitized nearly five decades of The New York Jewish Week, making its archive free and accessible through the Historical Jewish Press collection. A free event and email series will explore the digitized content and New York's Jewish history.

The National Library of Israel has digitized nearly five decades of The New York Jewish Week, New York's leading Jewish newspaper, making its archive free and accessible to the public for the first time through the library's Historical Jewish Press collection. The archive covers major events and everyday life of New York's Jewish community from 1654 to the present. To celebrate, the National Library of Israel and The New York Jewish Week will host a free event, 'The Pages of Our Past: Digitizing New York's Jewish Stories,' on Tuesday, November 17, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan. The panel will feature Gary Rosenblatt, former editor and publisher of The New York Jewish Week, current journalists, and Eyal Miller, manager of the Historical Jewish Press project. A streaming option is available. The two organizations are also partnering on an email series, '9 Moments That Made Jewish New York What It Is Today,' covering centuries of Jewish life from 1654 to 2026. The article frames the initiative as a response to rising antisemitism and internal divisions, offering an opportunity to learn from the past and bring the community together.