Welcome
jhsum.org where generations connect to get the whole story
JHSUM collects different types of materials- personal, family, and organization papers; photo, original oral interviews and books- that preserve and illuminate the work, worship, social life and service of regional Jewish communities in the Upper Midwest over the past 160 years.
Our staff and volunteers daily engage in archiving: processing materials that we receive from community members in order to make them available in our reading rooms and via the Web.
Our latest journal Who Knew? Stories from the Archives was a run away bestseller and we are sold out. New Members will receive a copy of Prairie Perspectives: Our Jewish Veterans Remember World War II.
Who Knew? Stories from the Archives will be available to read online soon. To be sure you don’t miss the next one join or renew today!
Click here to renew or join today.
The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest (JHSUM) is the leading organization in the Upper Midwest dedicated to telling the story of 150 years of Jewish history in the region. Founded in 1984, JHSUM provides programming, publications, exhibits, and curriculum to the local and regional community, as well as offering reference and reproduction services to all interested users. Our collection is particularly strong in the areas of Jewish homesteading in the Dakotas, Northern Minnesota Iron Range Jewish communities, Minneapolis and St. Paul synagogue records, Jewish women’s organization records, and materials reflecting life on Minneapolis’s North Side Jewish community.
Our archives are housed at two Twin Cities locations:
•The Eloise and Elliot Kaplan Family Jewish History Center is located on the Barry Family Campus in Minneapolis, and contains family and personal histories, oral histories, photographic and film collections, and genealogy materials.
•The Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives at located at Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota. The archives consist of synagogue and Jewish institutional records, as well as historical materials from rural Midwest communities. Both locations are open to the public by appointment only. Connecting creative people to our collections is at the heart of our mission.
What is an Archive?
JHSUM invites you to explore our programs, exhibits and collections, encompassing Jewish history of Minnesota, the Dakotas, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. JHSUM is the only organization in the Upper Midwest dedicated to preserving these unique stories and educating the community about Jewish history in the region.
-Please consider a gift to our Face the Future Endowment Campaign. All gifts are being matched! Click here to learn more.
-Take a look at our programming.
Annual Reports
2009-2011 in Review
2008-09 Year in Review
2007-08 Year in Review
2006-07 Year in Review
2005-06 Year in Review
20th Anniversary Report
Our Mission
The purpose of the Society is to promote the vitality and continuity of Jewish culture in the Upper Midwest through preservation, interpretation and education.
JHSUM Founders
JHSUM Life Members
JHSUM is an Institutional member of CAJM
