In 2015 the JHSFC Archive was named the Vivian and Irwin Miller Archive - honoring their tireless efforts to leave a legacy which enables future generations to study the story of our Jewish communities, their evolution, their people, their successes and their important contributions.
Under the leadership of Irwin Miller, the founder and first president of the Jewish Historical Society and his wife Vivian, the JHSFC continues to maintain the only Jewish archive in Fairfield County. It is an unparalleled resource for students, researchers, organizations and residents. The archive has preserved the records of a Jewish presence in this region since 1698. Located at 990 Hope Street [Rear] in Stamford, CT the Archives house thousands of documents, articles, photos, oral histories, and artifacts collected from individuals, organizations and through our own research.
Our holdings include family histories, family papers and family trees. In addition there is access to many Jewish organizational records, materials and publications for the geographical area from (east to west) Greenwich to Westport and (north) to Newtown. Volunteers currently maintain the archive repository and are pleased to assist with research.
Archival Collections
Through our archive - the only dedicated Jewish archive in Fairfield County - we research, record, and maintain our communities' collective memories from our area's first recorded Jewish presence in the late 1600s to the present.
The JHSFC Archive opened in 1985 in a closet on the second floor of the Stamford JCC. When the collection "morphed" from 6 square feet of material to 75 feet, it was moved to "Kitchen Space" on the second floor of the JCC. When that was outgrown in 1995, it was necessary to move the Archive out of the JCC entirely and into a 200 square-foot space at 1072 Hope Street. Since then every five years or so, a move was made necessary by outgrowing our space!
Ultimately, thanks to the generosity of the Freedman Family, the Archive has resided on Hope Street since 2010. Our collection consists of documents, photographs, histories, artifacts donated by institutions, organizations, families and individuals, and local Jewish publications.
ADL & Anti Semitism
Agudath Shalom
American Jewish Committee
Amit Women
Bi-Cultural Day School
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith Times
B'nai B'rith Women
Board of Rabbis, Stamford/Greenwich
Boston University
Brandeis Women
Camp Jaycee
Carmel Academy
Center Women JCC
Chabad Lubavitch
Chabad Lubavitch Greenwich
Chavurat Aytz Chaim
City of Stamford
Farband
Fellowship of Jewish Learning
Greenwich Hadassah
Greenwich Reform Congregation
Hebrew Ladies Educational League
Holocaust Child Survivors of Connecticut
Independent Lodge
Interfaith council of SW CT
JCC Nursery School
Jewish Community Center
Jewish Community Endowment Foudation
Jewish Community Endowment Fund
Jewish Community Services
Jewish Family Service
Jewish Home
Jewish Home for Elderly
Jewish Ledger
Jewish Voice
Jewish War Veterans
Jewish Welfare Board
JWV Women's Auxiliary
Kiwanis Club
Knights of Pythias
Masons, Roosevelt Lodge
Mental Health Center
Mizrachi
National Council of Jewish Women
New Canaan Jewish Group
ORT (Women's American)
Pioneer Women
Red Cross
Stamford Bar Association
Stamford High School
Stamford Jewish
Stamford Jewish Center
Stamford Theater Works
Temple Beth El
Temple Bnai Chaim
Temple Sholom
Temple Sinai
UJA Greenwich
United Jewish Appeal
United Jewish Federation
Vaad Hakashrus of Fairfield County
Women's American ORT
Yeshiva Bais Binyomin Talmud Research Center
Young Israel Synagogue
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For additional information and the
FAQ Source: https://www2.archivists.org
and
https://www.ica.org/en
Archives are the documentary by-product of human activity retained for their long-term value.
They are contemporary records created by individuals and organizations as they go about their business and therefore provide a direct window on past events. They come in a wide range of formats including written, photographic, moving image, sound, digital and analogue. Archives are held by public and private institutions and individuals around the world.
Find out more: https://www.ica.org/en/what-archive
About Archives: https://www2.archivists.org/about-archives
Archives are witnesses to the past. They provide evidence, explanation and justification both for past actions and current decisions.
Archives enable society to undertake a wide range of roles that enable civilized communities to take root and flourish, from enabling education and research, providing entertainment and leisure, to protecting human rights and confirming identity. Archives are unique, contemporaneous records and so once lost cannot be replaced. It is only through proper identification, care and wide access that the vital role that archives has can be fully realized to the benefit of humanity.
Find out more: https://www.ica.org/en/why-archiving
