History, documented
When the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest was founded in 1984, one of its missions was to collect materials from local communities. As the collection grew and priorities shifted, JHSUM began looking for a new home for the archival materials.
In 2012, the substantial archival collection was gifted to the University of Minnesota. The archival materials JHSUM collected now reside as part of the Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives located in Elmer L. Andersen Library.
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The Upper Midwest Jewish Archives consist of:
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Synagogue records
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Jewish Social service agency records
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Family and personal histories
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Oral histories
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Photographs and films
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Scrapbooks
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Collections of note include materials related to 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.
The archive
To learn more about the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, please visit their website, or contact them at umja@umn.edu or 612-625-0192.
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The archives, located in Elmer L. Andersen Library on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, are available for anyone to access, currently by appointment only.
From the archives
Recommended resources
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Minnesota Genealogical Society
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Minnesota Jewish Genealogical Society
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IAJGS International Jewish Cemetery Project
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Garon/Kaner/Karon Family Website
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JHSUM’s collection does not contain birth, death, marriage, naturalization, or census records. Many of these items can be found at the Minnesota Historical Society or County Departments of Public Health.