Tag Archives: Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS

Inscribed in the Book of Life

September 23, 2014NewsInternational genealogical research, Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Object Lessons, SpotlightKelsey Sawyer

As we approach the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I was reminded of a variety of early twentieth-century Rosh Hashanah postcards that I had seen in the collections of the American Jewish Historical Society–New England Archives. I remembered how detailed, ornate, and beautiful many of them were, works of art really, so I thought it would be fun to share some of them with all of you as the holiday approaches.

First, here is a brief note for those of you who may not be familiar with this particular Jewish holiday. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is this year celebrated from the evening of September 24 to the evening of September 26. Continue reading Inscribed in the Book of Life →

International posts at Vita Brevis

August 29, 2014News, Research MethodsInternational genealogical research, Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Spotlight, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryScott C. Steward

Following on from Jean Maguire’s post yesterday on NEHGS collection research options covered this year at Vita Brevis, I thought it might be useful to look at the coverage of international research at the blog. A lively group of articles follow, suggesting the range of our bloggers’ interests and research skills, beginning with Lael Dalal’s post on the Aghassi family’s hegira from Iraq to Mexico to Massachusetts:

Isak Aghassi was born in 1889 in Baghdad and worked with his father importing dyes and teas from India, eventually focusing on carpets and tobacco. In 1946, Isak put himself, his wife Marcelle, and his two sons Badri and Jacob on a waiting list as prospective immigrants to the United States. He wrote the American Embassy in Baghdad at least once a year (receiving a yearly reply) inquiring when he and his family would be able to leave their dangerous country. The reply was always the same: the quota was over-subscribed and they would need to wait patiently. Continue reading International posts at Vita Brevis →

Guides for using the NEHGS collection

August 28, 2014Research MethodsJewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Research tips, Spotlight, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryJean Maguire

Back in February, Vita Brevis began posting a series of guides to using the NEHGS collection here in Boston and remotely at home. For ease of reference, I have collected them here, with short excerpts from the articles themselves.

Anne Meringolo began the series: Have you wished that you could use NEHGS library resources from home? Have you wondered where to find copies of genealogies online? You can do this by starting with the NEHGS library catalog.Staff and dedicated volunteers have been working to add links to freely available e-books as well as to genealogies and items from our manuscript and book collections for members to use. Continue reading Guides for using the NEHGS collection →

The Eliot Snider Papers

May 19, 2014Family StoriesJewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Object Lessons, SpotlightJohnna Kaplan

The AJHS–NEA archives are filled with stories of individuals and families who have affected the Jewish communities of Greater Boston and New England. Eliot Snider is the focus of one such collection.

Four years before Eliot was born, his father – Harry, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania – founded the Massachusetts Lime and Cement Company, later re-named Massachusetts Lumber, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Continue reading The Eliot Snider Papers →

The Percy Brand Papers

May 14, 2014NewsJewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Object Lessons, SpotlightJohnna Kaplan

The life of Percy Brand, whose papers are held by the American Jewish Historical Society–New England Archives, sounds like a plot from a movie. Born Peretz Brand in Liepaja, Latvia, in 1908, Brand began studying violin when he was ten years old. By the time he was 33, he had become concertmaster of the Latvian Symphony Orchestra in Riga. In that year, 1941, the Germans took control of the Baltic countries. Brand’s wife Sara and their children Mendel and Judith Basya were killed. Brand himself was sent Buchenwald in Germany. Continue reading The Percy Brand Papers →

Useful databases at AJHS-NEA

April 25, 2014American History, News, Research MethodsJewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Research tips, SpotlightJudi Garner

As the American Jewish Historical Society, New England Archives (AJHS–NEA) has only recently formed a strategic partnership with the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), anyone interested in New England Jewish history or genealogy may want to know about several databases and collections that might be specifically useful for genealogical research. They include the following: Continue reading Useful databases at AJHS-NEA →

Mid-century migration from Iraq to Mexico to the United States

March 14, 2014Family Stories, Research MethodsInternational genealogical research, Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, SpotlightLael Dalal

Isak Aghassi — The Records of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Boston Office at the American Jewish Historical Society, New England Archives, http://digifindingaids.cjh.org/?pID=365459#a1

While interning at the American Jewish Historical Society—New England Archives and processing their collection of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), I came across the interesting case of the Isak Aghassi family, an Iraqi Jewish (or Mizrahi) family who for years struggled to immigrate to the United States, first from Iraq and then from Mexico. The Aghassis’ story is an extraordinary one of resolve and courage that epitomizes the struggle Iraqi Jews went through before, during, and after the period of the Second World War. Their story reveals another side of the Jewish struggle, one that is not as commonly known or understood. Continue reading Mid-century migration from Iraq to Mexico to the United States →