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Brooklyn Jewish
Historical Initiative

Share Your Story with Us and the World!

Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative

Welcome to BJHI or The Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative. The Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative maintains this website in order to, organize public programs and events, maintain records and archives both online and in their original state, create oral and video histories which will be accessible online, and make a range of resources available to the public. It’s a community project and we need your help to do it right! Share your stories, pictures, and memories of Jewish Life in Brooklyn here.

We Stand With Israel

Member of the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative in Israel standing on a hill
The iconic Shlomo Carlebach and contemporary singer Eli Levin join together in an unforgettable music video
Israel Flag
Broadway Stars Raise Awareness of Hamas Hostages With New Rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ From ‘Les Miserables’
Broadway Stars Raise Awareness of Hamas Hostages With New Rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ From ‘Les Miserables’
Brooklyn Hall of Fame 2023

View our videos on the 2023 BJHI Hall of Fame.

BJHI HOF Video
Old Jewish Men

Whether it’s the price of lox or public toilets, one of the latest TikTok trends features old dudes kvetching for a cause. NY Post

Nissim Black

Enjoy an enlightening Brooklyn YouTube conversation that Rabbi YY Jacobson of Crown Heights with the amazing entertainer Nissim Black, who took lead in music video, Brooklyn , that BJHI supported and co-produced.

Rabbi YY & Nissim Black: From Islam, to Christianity, to Judaism
Tour Bklyn Heights

The Influence of Jewish Immigrants:

Discover the history of the farmlands that developed into the vibrant neighborhood of Bensonhurst, inhabited at the time, by Italians and Jews.

We're Brooklyn Book

In order to find out about her family’s Brooklyn roots, Rebecca and her little brother Seth explore the borough with their grandma Sophia. This new book by Cecilia Margules, is in collaboration with BJHI!

We're Brooklyn by Cecilia Margules
Nissim Black

BJHI asked for it, we got it! An upbeat rap ballad sung by internationally famous Chassidic African-American Nissim Black for and about Brooklyn's Jewish community. We call it "We're Brooklyn".

Nissim Black
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Brooklyn Jewish Life

Brown building on a Brooklyn street
Neighborhood Scenes
Black and white photo of a ceiling in a synagogue in Brooklyn
Jewish Religious Life
Brown bread stacked on top of each other for a Jewish holiday
Jewish Holidays & Food
A black and white photo of four women dancing.
Culture and Traditions

Media Center

BJHI Hall of Fame

“BJHI was created to tell the extraordinary story of the Jewish community of Brooklyn, and the BJHI Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame recognizes the leading Brooklynites who have truly made a difference in the world, and there are many.”

2024 BJHI Torchbearers Award

The Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative invites you to view the celebration of the 2024 Brooklyn Jewish Torchbearers Award Honoring Brooklyn Jewish organizations. Find out what organizations were awarded and why.

Discover Brooklyn with us

Brooklyn is the most dynamic center of Judaism outside of Israel.

walking
tours, bicycling tours and bus/ van tours

The Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative is now offering tours – walking tours, bicycling tours and bus/van tours – that cover various aspects of Jewish life in Brooklyn, past and present. Those who join our BJHI Tours will see up close the cultural, historical and artistic facets of Jewish Brooklyn, offering opportunities to learn in an informal manner, Our tour guides are experts, just see their bios below, so you can be sure of a wonderful experience. And to paraphrase an old TV ad, you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy our tours.