Sustaining History, Sustaining Staff: Mission-Critical Services and Crisis-Informed Projects at the Center for Jewish History

FAIN: PB-275165-20

Center for Jewish History (New York, NY 10011-6301)
Rachel Miller (Project Director: May 2020 to October 2021)

The re-hiring of two employees, and restoration of hours and salaries for 21 other core staff, who would ensure ongoing and expanded access to sources held by the nation’s largest repository of archival materials on Jewish American history and culture.

The Center for Jewish History will restore and maintain the full hours and salaries of 23 highly skilled staff dedicated to preserving and providing access to the world’s largest collection of Jewish history outside Israel. The Center offers centralized services essential to its five in-house partner organizations: running the reading room, assisting researchers, arranging and describing archives, preserving materials, photographing items for online access, and managing all technical systems for collections and the online catalog. During the project period, the Center will provide these core services and carry out special projects that address unique needs of the moment. These include outreach to isolated seniors, creating digital exhibits, preparing for reopening, and preserving and sharing recordings of past programs that assist in understanding and fighting xenophobia, hatred, and related topics – societal symptoms of the pandemic that the Center is especially suited to address.