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
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.
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!
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".
Brooklyn Jewish Life
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
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.