The Jewish Historical Society of Delaware was founded in 1974 and incorporated in 1975 for the purpose of acquiring, preserving and publishing material pertinent to the history of Jewish settlement and Jewish life in the State of Delaware. Our collections contain organizational records, family papers, memoirs and photographs.
The Society publishes a newsletter, creates exhibits and displays, produces educational materials and serves as a resource center for genealogists, researchers, organizations and other interested persons.
As we approach our 50th year, we are delighted to be establishing a new home in the Thomas A. Coxe House on the Delaware Historical Society campus in Willingtown Square on North Market St. The building will be known as the Delaware Center for Jewish History at the Coxe House. In addition to our collections, the Center will house the records of the Halina Wind Preston Holocaust Education Committee and the Jewish War Veterans of Delaware.
Through preserving and understanding our community’s past, the JHSD helps ensure a strong and healthy future. Our collections contain resources relating to Delaware synagogues, Jewish organizations, Jewish-owned businesses, and Jewish families and individuals in all three Delaware counties. The collections include a wide range of materials: correspondence, imprints, minute books, personal papers, memoirs, photographs and slides, motion picture film, video and audio recordings, and artifacts and artwork. The bulk of the collection spans the period from 1879 to the present but also includes material from earlier decades in the nineteenth century, when Jewish settlement was more limited.
The collections are most frequently accessed for historical and genealogical research, and we field inquiries from across the United States. Accessioned items are processed and cataloged by a professional archivist and stored in a climate-controlled environment. Materials in the archive can be accessed at our premises by appointment, and many of our digitized holdings are freely accessible on our website. We create exhibits, make presentations, produce videos, and publish a newsletter, pamphlets and books.
Notable exhibitions:
From Al’s to Zutz: Celebrating a century of Delaware’s Jewish Business Tradition (1999) explored the role of the Jewish community in the commercial and business life of Delaware. Presented at the Delaware History Museum, included walking tours and other programming.
Half a Chance: Stories of Jewish Delawareans (2004) commemorated the 350th anniversary of Jewish settlement in North America. At the Delaware History Museum, with lectures and other programming.
Recent presentation topics at our annual meetings have included:
The Sports Scene, Trotters, and the Delaware Jewish Community, A Tribute to Toni Young (2016); Hagley and the Jewish Connection (2017); Remembering Jewish Delaware’s Greatest Generation (2018); and Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue: Delaware’s Jewish Judges (2019).
JHSD-published books include:
Rabbi David Geffen, Delaware Jewry: The Formative Years 1872–1889 (1975).
Rabbi David Geffen, editor, et al., Jewish Delaware: 1655–1976, History, Sites and Communal Services (1976).
Marvin S. Balick, A Social History of the West Second Street Jewish Community — Wilmington, Delaware, 1930–1940 (1997).
Marvin S. Balick, The Letters of “Dear Mollye” a.k.a. Mollye Sklut a.k.a. A Person Who Made a Difference (2003).
Rabbi Edward Zerin, A Tribute to my Teacher Rabbi Simon Krinsky: His Poetry until 1936 (2014).
Richard D. Levin, Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue: Delaware’s Jewish Judges (2019).
The JHSD is proud to partner with numerous cultural, educational, and philanthropic organizations and agencies, including the Delaware Historical Society, and the Jewish Federation of Delaware.