Stories from the Stacks1

Enjoy these stories from the vast collections of the American Jewish Archives With over 15 million documents in its repositories, Cincinnati’s own American Jewish Archives is the world's largest free-standing repository of materials documenting the history of North American Jewry. www.americanjewisharchives.org


A Man of Valor-Who Can Find? We Can.

by Beth Kotzin

It takes a lot of courage and strength to go into a situation knowing you may not come out alive, but that is just what Corporal Harold Katz did in 1945.  After two fellow soldiers were wounded in action, K...Read More


Jailhouse Rock: The Woman’s Version

by Beth Kotzin

Men aren’t the only ones who can run a prison…and Anna Kross was the one who broke that institutional ceiling to prove it.  Kross firmly believed women belonged in top correctional executive positions;...Read More


The Original “Back to the Future” Guy-No DeLorean Needed

by Beth Kotzin

When you think of science fiction, you tend to think of Isaac Asimov, H.G. Wells, or even Ray Bradbury.  But you might not know who the real father of sci-fi was! He was a German-Jewish immigrant from Luxemburg, wh...Read More


Henry Ford's Ghost-Written "Apology"

by Beth Kotzin

Henry Ford may have known how to make cars, but he didn’t know how to make an apology.  Back in the early 1920’s, Ford had a newspaper called The Dearborn Independent.  After publishing dozens of a...Read More


Warner Brothers' Courageous Stand Against Naziism

by Beth Kotzin

Sure, when you think of Harry Warner, you think Warner Bros. Studios.  But have you ever thought of him as an active participant in the fight against Nazism and as a man committed to Jewish life?  The truth...Read More


We Are Women, Hear Us Roar

by Beth Kotzin

The 70’s were all about feminism, social change, cultural change, and bell-bottoms.  This was an “era of bold contrasts” for American Jews, according to Hasia Diner.  Some people thought of b...Read More


What Do Want? Organization! When Do We Want It? Now!

by Beth Kotzin

American Jews, in the mid to late 19th century, were not a unified community.  With different cultures, backgrounds, practices, and beliefs, Jews lacked the organization or identity that would clearly define them.&...Read More


Cincinnati’s Kosher Conundrum

by Beth Kotzin

In 1841, Congregation Bene Israel of Cincinnati was a observant congregation that followed the dietary laws.  But then came the Great Sheep Dispute.  The President of the shul said that a local butcher called...Read More


Back In The USSR? No Chance!

by Beth Kotzin

When Eda Kitaevich immigrated to Cincinnati from the USSR in 1974, she felt it was her duty to expose the status of Soviet Jews.  She was interviewed in 1976 about her life experiences. “In Russia, you are be...Read More


If America Is A Melting Pot, Who’s Bringing the Fondue?

by Beth Kotzin

Did you know that the person who coined the phrase, “melting pot” was an English Jew?  Israel Zangwill was one of the most famous contemporary Jewish writers in the Anglo-American world in the early 20t...Read More


A Wise Man Indeed!

by Beth Kotzin

A rabbi, a writer, a founding father: Isaac Mayer Wise was arguably the most significant person in American Reform Judaism.  Considered the founding father of 19th century American Reform Judaism, Wise is among the...Read More


archive

advertisement


@