About the Archives

The Archives of the JHSMW contain many of the treasures of the Jewish community of MetroWest, including photographs, documents, oral histories, audio-visual materials, private papers, newspapers, memorabilia, and artifacts.

Collections in the JHSMW Archives are drawn from a variety of sources and include the administrative records of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest (the Federation) and its beneficiary agencies, as well as historical materials from synagogues, sick benefits societies and other organizations. The JHSMW also collects the private papers of individuals and families.

Information about many of these collections is recorded in our catalog, which is full-text searchable.

USING THE CATALOG

To access the JHSMW catalog, click on the link above, which will open a new window.

Next, in the box provided, enter the word or phrase that best represents the subject you are looking for; the search engine will return all records that contain that word or phrase. If you are having difficulty completing your search, tips can be found here.

In addition, JHSMW Archivist Jill Hershorin is available to provide reference assistance at 973-929-2995, or click here to send an email.

Selected Genealogy Resources

The JHSMW does not hold any vital records, such as birth, death or marriage certificates. If you are looking for those types of records, you will need to contact the NJ State Vital Records office or the NJ State Archives.

In addition, the JHSMW does not hold any military records of any kind. For military records visit the New Jersey State Library, the National Archives or the NJ State Archives.

However, the following resouces are just some of the materials in the JHSMW collections that may be of use to genealogists:

The Jewish Community Blue Book of Newark, Newark, NJ: The Jewish Community Blue Book Publishing Company, 1925, features a brief history of the community as a whole, including institutions, locally prominent individuals, membership lists (with addresses) for synagogues, sick benefits societies, community organizations, and a list of donors to Newark Beth Israel Hospital.

The Jewish Chronicle (1921-1943), the Newark Jewish Times (1943-45), the New Jersey Jewish News, (1946-1997) , the Morris-Sussex Jewish News (1978-1983) are on microfilm. The JHSMW also has bound copies of the New Jersey Jewish News from 1946-1997 and individual copies (1997-present). Indices for these papers are:

Jewish Chronicle Index 15th (1936) and 20th (1941) Anniver sary Issues (complete)
Black-Jewish Relations Index, 1921-1930 and 1948-1967 for the Jewish Chronicle and the New Jersey Jewish News. This index is still in progress and is available at the JHSMW office.

Annual Reports of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society, Newark, NJ, 1887-1911. Located within the Jewish Family Service collection, these reports include a wealth of detail about life within the Orphan Asylum, including the names and ages of the orphans in residence. However, the JHSMW does not have any individual case files.

UJA Deceased and Inactive Biographical files - Newspaper clippings, photographs and other documents relating to lay leaders and donors to the UJA of the MetroWest region.

Using The Archives

Click here for information, fees and more about using the JHSMW Archives. Please read before making inquiries and visiting. We look forward to your visit.