American Jewish history

Philadelphia, PA

Inside America’s first prison synagogue, a new exhibit tells the story of Jewish inmates who built it

Eastern State Penitentiary housed Al Capone — and Jewish convicts who prayed together starting in 1922.

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vintage cartoon

A scholar unpacks the slur that Jews were arsonists — and why it stuck

Jeffrey Marx’s new history, “Jewish Firebug,” arrives as immigrant groups are again being blamed for economic and social ills.

colorful synagogue interior

Ideas

Cleveland-area Jews are about to lose an iconic mid-century synagogue building

The Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, Ohio was designed by Percival Goodman to address social crises not much different than today’s.

man in yarmulke looks at museum exhibit

Culture

Did this tiny island’s Jewish community help win the Revolutionary War?

children standing in front of an old school

Culture

With DEI out of favor, advocates push to honor the Jewish philanthropist who built 5,000 schools for Black children

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United States

A defunct synagogue, reminder of a once-proud community, collapses in Pennsylvania’s coal region

Zionism Meaning Menorah (2)

Ideas

It’s not just the kids: Only a third of US Jews 75+ call themselves ‘Zionists’

Old-timey photo of the Lower East side

Analysis

A century before Trump targeted Somalis, Jews faced the politics of blame

Beth Elohim flag

Ideas

For 250 years, American Jews have answered prejudice with defiance

stars and flowers remember Pittsburgh shooting victims

Why a historian thinks Jews are living through a ‘high tide’ of American antisemitism

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