American Jewish Historical Society

COVID-19 Oral History Project

2020

$75,000

In the face of this historic pandemic, the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS)—the oldest ethnic, cultural archive in the United States—is setting out to do what it does best: documenting American Jewish life as it unfolds. With support from RPF, the organization will collect 36 oral histories from American Jews with diverse experiences of and perspectives on COVID-19 so that 100 years from now, when people tell the story of this time, they are able to tell a more full, nuanced story of the Jewish response. The project—which will be grounded in materials from AJHS’ 128-year-old archives and include interviews with nearly 150 communal leaders—seeks to capture the fear, anxiety and loss as well as hope, creativity and innovation of this moment for generations to come.