Aaron Lopez (1731-1782) was a member of the Converso (converted) community of Portugal. In order to freely practice Judaism, he and his family left Portugal and relocated to British North America, settling in Newport, Rhode Island and later, Massachusetts. He began a successful mercantile business and eventually became a key supplier of the American revolutionary forces.

The collection contains numerous shipping records along with correspondence and accounts with merchants, mercantile families, and firms including Henry Lloyd of Boston, Henry Cruger of Bristol, George Hayley of London, William Stead of Sheffield and New Bedford whaler Joseph Rotch. The collection contains manifests, mercantile accounts, notations, correspondence and inventories of estates for several of the children of Aaron Lopez.

This collection contains Hebrew, Yiddish and English sheet music compositions, programs, playbills, and reviews, with extensive files relating to the operas "The Golem" and "The Thief and the Hangman" and the musical "Great to Be Alive." There are also some photographs and correspondence.

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Abraham Klausner, including articles written by and about him, research materials for his articles and his memoir, correspondence, and Klausner’s personal and military records. These materials reflect his active involvement with Displaced Persons and the DP Camps in Postwar Germany as well as his sometimes complicated relationships with the Joint Distribution Committee and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). The collection also contains issues of Fun Letstn Hurbn (From the Last Extermination).

Under the employ of the New York Kehillah, detective Abraham Shoenfeld infiltrated and documented Jewish crime rings, prostitution houses and gambling establishments from 1912 to 1917. For the American Jewish Committee from 1938 to 1964, he investigated anti-Semitic organizations and individuals. He also authored a controversial book about the New York crime world, The Joy Peddler, and he was at work on other pieces of fiction and his memoirs. The bulk of his papers consist of investigative reports and research for the American Jewish Committee, his manuscripts, and his collection of anti-Semitic literature.

The collection contains papers Abraham Silverstein, an American Soviet Jewry movement activist who co-founded and co-chaired the Academy of the Air for Jewish Studies, an agency that prepared educational shortwave radio programs for Jews in the Soviet Union. The materials include correspondence, memos, project descriptions and reports, news clippings, transcripts of lectures, research materials and 18 audiocassettes with recordings of the programs.

The collection consists of playbills of "Rookwood" (1864?) and "La Juive" (undated); letters to "Dear Brother Ed" (1862), Henry Francis Keenan (1862) and J.C. Hotten (1868); two photograph Cartes De Visite and a photograph and negative of Menken with Algernon C. Swinburne.

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Celia Adler and Lazar Freed, including theatrical materials such as scripts, programs and sheet music, correspondence, newspaper clippings, assorted publications, and photographs of many of the members of the Adler family and their friends from the Yiddish theater. These materials reflect the wide scope of the Adler acting family and their immense influence on Yiddish theater, Broadway and motion pictures.

This collection consists of materials related to Adolf Lorch’s efforts to support the emigration of family members and others from Germany between 1934 and the early 1950s. The bulk is made up of correspondence and affidavits. Also included are other family papers, business correspondence, a biographical sketch, and a photograph of Lorch.

Included in this collection are papers which reflect Solomon's personal life and his involvement in communal and civic affairs. Approximately half of the collection consists of correspondence with Clara Barton and others relating to the organization and activities of the American Red Cross, and Solomons' role in its initial organization. Various cards, ribbons, and other American Red Cross memorabilia are included. Among his personal papers are school documents and family correspondence; of special interest is an engraving of a photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken at Philp & Solomons Metropolitan Gallery shortly before his death (1865), and a letter from Josephine Phillips to Solomons describing the reaction of New Yorkers to the death of Abraham Lincoln and this engraving (1865), and two tickets of admission to the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson printed by the firm of Philp & Solomons (1868). Also included are typed copies of sermonettes given by Solomons to his family (1876-96). Of interest in his general papers is a letter to Dr. Wheeler regarding memorial services in Congress for Samuel F.B. Morse (1872); correspondence with several dictionary editors regarding the definition of "Jew" (1872-1874); and a letter from John Davis of the U.S. State Department regarding American Jews in Jerusalem. Clippings of newspaper articles by Solomons, tributes, memorial notices, and memorial sermons in honor or memory of Solomons are also included (1870-1910).

The collection contains papers of Alan M. Kohn, a former emergency preparedness operations officer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a former president of Temple Beth Sholom, the Conservative Synagogue of Brevard County, Florida. It documents Mr. Kohn's participation in the Rally for Soviet Jewry outside of the John F. Kennedy Space Center of NASA on July 15, 1975. The occasion for the rally was the launch of the Apollo spacecraft manned with three astronauts for a rendezvous with the Soviet Soyuz manned spacecraft on the Apollo-Soyuz Space Mission. The purpose of the rally was to raise public awareness of the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union and to demand their freedom. The collection includes part of an unpublished, novelized memoir written by Alan M. Kohn in 1995, that focused on the rally. The collection also contains a letter of introduction to the memoir.

This collection consists of records Albert Hutler received and generated in mid-1945 during his service as chief of the Displaced Persons Office of Detachment F1E2, 2nd ECA Regiment, 7th U.S. Army Military Government, in Mannheim, Germany. Materials, mostly photocopies, include reports and memoranda on the status of Displaced Persons in Southwestern Germany and a few brief survivor accounts.

An important figure in the social welfare movement, Menken devoted much of her life to working with women in the penal system. The collection contains publications regarding her social reform work; scrapbooks and travel notebooks; journals; diaries; correspondence and reports relating to her activities with the Society of New York State Women, Jewish Welfare Board, Jewish Protectory and Aid Society (later called Jewish Board of Guardians), New York City Woman's Night Court, Hudson State Training School, New York State Reformatory for Women, Society for Political Study, Daughters of American Revolution, Progressive Party, Mayor's Committee of Women on National Defense, New York, Congregation Shearith Israel, Florence Crittendon League, Committee of Fourteen and the Inwood House.

The papers of Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt include copies of published and unpublished songs, poems and articles in both typed and handwritten manuscript form, newsletters, newspaper clippings, programs, scrapbook pages, and sheet music. There are also drafts and correspondence regarding her autobiography, including original letters sent to her from her husband Isidore when he visited Palestine in 1920, which form a portion of her autobiography. The collection also contains correspondence and legal documents from Greenblatt’s family, documents relating to her Zionist and charitable activities, and correspondence from other Yiddish writers and poets.

Consists of correspondence from the formative years of the American Academy for Jewish Research from 1930 to 1936, fellows files and correspondence, ledgers and notebooks of membership dues and fellowship grants, minutes of the various committee meetings, Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, and photographs. Correspondents include Salo Baron, Isaac E. Barzilay, Robert Chazan, Louis Finkelstein, Louis Ginsberg, David Weiss-Halivni, Arthur Hyman, Saul Lieberman, Alexander Marx, Harry Orlinsky, and Harry Austrin Wolfson.

The records of the World’s Fair American-Israel Pavilion consists of materials relating to the American-Israel Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair. The collection contains numerous pictures of the Pavilion, both while it was under construction and while it was in use during the Fair, as well as newspaper articles. The collection also contains a souvenir guide and press releases from the opening. The collection also details the disagreement between the American-Israeli World’s Fair Corporation and the Jordanian Pavilion regarding an inflammatory mural through correspondence, press releases, and articles from various sources.

The collection contains background materials pertaining to the formation of the Conference, the election of delegates, financial records, memoranda, reports, and incomplete minutes of the Conference and its committees. It also includes extensive correspondence of the Administrative Secretary Jesse B. Calmenson, for March-December, 1943. The major portion of the collection consists of transcripts of the first through fourth sessions (1943-1947) of the Plenum and committees of the Conference. The published material in the collection includes the Bulletin of the activities and Digest of the press.

Contains the minutes, reports, and financial records of the Executive Committee for the American Jewish Historical Exhibition pertaining to the planning and execution of the Exhibition, as well as printed material and member correspondence, arranged alphabetically; also includes also a collection of printed material relating to the International Exposition at St. Louis, in 1904.

The records of the American Jewish Historical Society, the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States, include correspondence of officers and staff as well as inter-office memos, multiple versions of the constitution and by-laws of the society, meeting minutes of administrative branches and committees, membership and financial records, reports, exhibit materials, records relating to the society’s library and archival holdings, press releases and newspaper clippings, and publications and newsletters created by the society. There are also materials from various programs, such as meetings and conferences, tours, lectures, awards and dinners, films, and educational programs.

The documents in the collection were originally bound in a leather book embossed with the title "Autograph Letters and Documents Relating to American Jewish History." As of April 2023, the AJHS has not discovered how or why donated Rosenbach materials were removed and placed in the bound volume. Notes found in the collection of documents include several items that were removed for exhibitions and never returned to the book. The earliest of these notes is from 1937, indicating that the volume was created prior to that year. In 2023, the documents were removed from the bound book by the Cahnman Preservation Laboratory at the Center for Jewish History and digitized by the staff of the American Jewish Historical Society. The documents were then ingested into the Center's digital management system and are now viewable to the public.

The collection holds various documents from prominent members of Jewish society in the 18th and 19th centures, plus some advertisements and book pages. Documents relate to the American Revolution and tariffs; American Revolution pensions; politics between Whig and Democratic issues during the 1840s; other correspondence and items published from pamphlets promoting books or schools.

This collection is comprised of annual reports, budget reports, cables, calendars of events, catalogs, correspondence, minutes, memorandum, lists of Board of Director members, photographs of speakers, and a chart of the organization’s Geneva Headquarters. The documents in this collection describe the many and varied activities of the committee such as fundraising, relief distribution, general information concerning Russian farm colonies and immigration. Also included are cables of congratulation on JDC’s 33^rd anniversary. The collection also includes a bound volume of the financial, statistical and general data relating to the committee's activities since its inception which is located at the end of the Miscellaneous Collections.

Contains records on the formation, purpose, and activities of the American Jewish League for Israel, as reflected in organizational documents (including minutes), event literature, publications (including the AJLI newsletter, AJLI Bulletin, later called the AJLI News Bulletin and other titles), scholarship material, financial information, membership appeals, correspondence, media coverage, and photographs.

The AMIT records contain correspondence, periodicals, program, project, and subject files, films, reports, convention and chapter material and photographs that document the organizational activities, educational and humanitarian achievements in Israel, and fundraising efforts of this American Jewish Zionist volunteer organization from 1933-2005. The AMIT Records were donated to the American Jewish Historical Society in 2010. The donation, while incomplete, represents the most complete set of documents, to date, related to the projects and achievements of AMIT and its history as the American Mizrachi Women's Organization.

The Annual and Mid-Winter National Conventions Records document the proceedings and outcomes of the conventions and conferences attended by Hadassah’s National Board as well as by convention delegates from the various regions of Hadassah. The conventions in particular are where local and regional leaders meet with each other and the National Board and learn about Hadassah’s various projects and committees. This record group also includes annual reports from 1926-2001.

The records consist of documentation of the Anti-Defamation League efforts to track and counter activities of the John Birch Society from its founding in 1958 through the mid-1970s. The material was organized by the ADL New England regional office and consists of correspondence, including copies of internal JBS material, memoranda, a large volume of newspaper clippings, as well as pamphlets, publications and reports.

This is the collection of Arthur A. Goren, a historian and professor of American Jewish history at the Hebrew University and Columbia University. This collection consists of his research material and professional files from his academic pursuits and career as a professor, primarily at Columbia University. Included in the collection are copies of articles and photocopies of archival material used for research, drafts of speeches and manuscripts, handwritten and typed research notes, correspondence, clippings, photographs, and teaching and course material such as syllabi, readings, notes, and bibliographies.

This collection contains the papers of Arthur J. Lelyveld, a Reform rabbi and activist. The collection mostly covers Lelyveld's life from 1933-1950, focusing on his work to provide aid to Jewish conscientious objectors during World War II. The papers also focus on his work as a rabbi in Ohio and Nebraska.

This collection documents the professional activities and personal life of Arthur Waskow, a Jewish Renewal rabbi and political activist. The collection includes such printed materials as brochures, booklets, clippings, correspondence, financial documents, photographs, and Waskow's writings. Materials in the collection reflect various aspects of Arthur Waskow’s personal and professional life, including teaching, involvement in the human and civil rights movements, and the peace process in the Middle East.

The AVI CHAI Collection contains a breadth of files relating to the administrative and outreach activities of the organization, from its founding in 1984 through 2019.

The AVI CHAI records stored at the AJHS relate to the foundation's activities in North America. The records relating to the AVI CHAI's activities in Israel are stored at the archives of the National Library of Israel.

The records consist of correspondence, reports, minutes, financial documents, digital files, and printed materials that chronicle AVI CHAI’s administrative communication and outreach programming. The collection consists of physical paper records (see detailed breakdown below), born-digital files (including computer files), as well as audiovisual materials such as audiocassettes, microcassettes and DVDs. There are some 35mm slides, but otherwise very few photographic prints or negatives. Of note in the collection are materials that outline the foundation’s research on, and enthusiastic support of, Jewish day schools, camps, teacher training and libraries.

Administration files include by-laws, incorporation documents, and insurance policies, among others.

Board records are comprised of meeting materials, such as minutes and agendas. They document the philosophy, direction and activities of the organization.

Communications files consist primarily the files of Deena K. Fuchs. They include media kits, graphics, working files for annual reports, and other materials.

Files related to AVI CHAI finances include investment portfolio documentation as well as quarterly and annual reports.

The core of the foundation’s history can be found in its Programs files which document the various programs initiated or supported by AVI CHAI. They include detailed files on the foundation’s loans to schools (including building programs) and to summer camps. Also included in this series are files relating to AVI CHAI communications activities, such as media kits, graphics, working files for annual reports, and other materials.

This collection contains the papers of Babette Wampold and the Alabama Council to Save Soviet Jews and documents their activities on behalf of the American Soviet Jewry Movement. The collection is comprised of correspondence, case files, clippings, newsletters, photographs, and trip reports.

Personal papers of the Soviet Jewry Movement activist Rabbi Barry Marks, a spiritual leader of Temple Israel of Springfield, IL and a founder of the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association. The collection reflects Rabbi Marks' and the Springfield, IL Jewish community's involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement. The materials include clippings, correspondence, memoranda, newsletters, and speeches.