The Miriam Catalog and Repository

Welcome to NAJC

The purpose of the Miriam Catalog and Repository is to document the culture of North American Jews.

Who We Are

President NAJC
Alan Bailin, PhD, MLS

Professor of Library Services, Hofstra University

Treasurer
Ari Fridkis, MA, MSW

Rabbi, Temple of Universal Judaism

Secretary
Martha Kreisel, MA, MAH

Retired Associate Professor of Library Services, Hofstra University

Collection Director
Ann Grafstein, PhD, MLIS

Professor of Library Services, Hofstra University

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Miriam Catalog and Repository

The purpose of the Miriam Catalog and Repository is to document the culture of North American Jews. North American Jewish Culture (NAJC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

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Recent Submissions

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The Jews of Florida: A History
(Aish, 2024-11-19) Levine, Rabbi Menachem
Florida was "discovered" for Spain in 1513 by Juan Ponce de León. As part of Spain, Florida was subject to the Spanish Inquisition, so that only Catholics could legally live there. Nevertheless, it is believed that Jewish Conversos (Jews who converted to Catholicism to escape the consequences of the Inquisition) were among the early settlers. Florida is currently home to the third largest Jewish community in the United States, and as a percentage of the population, has the highest percentage of Jews outside of Israel. This article recounts the history of Jews in Florida. Up until 1949, when they were disbanded, Florida had discriminatory antisemitic laws. Despite antisemitism, Jews began settling in Miami Beach in the early 1900s, seeking to benefit from the city's prosperity. Jews have had significant influence on Miami Beach, politically, culturally and architecturally. Its popularity as a Jewish vacation spot grew, earning it the nickname, “Shtetl by the Sea.” As the demographics changed, Jews moved to other locations, including Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Click on the link to read the article.
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Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library
(Yiddish Book Center, 2025) Yiddish Book Center
The Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library makes available more than 12,000 Yiddish titles that can be freely downloaded and/or purchased in print, The collection includes works of fiction, memoirs, cookbooks, short stories, poetry, plays, scientific works, primers, etc. Click on the link to view either the highlights the Library has selected, search the collection, or browse alphabetically by author's name.
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The People of the Joke: Exploring the Covenant of Jewish Comedy
(HuffPost, 2011-04-10) Mankoff, Bob
A brief column by then New Yorker cartoon editor, Bob Mankoff, in which he says that the Jewish people went from being known as the "people of the book" to being known as the "people of the joke." He suggests that behind the importance of humor for Jews is the fact that raising questions plays a significant role in Jewish culture: "If there is any influence Jewish culture has on my cartoons about religion, it's the disputatiousness of the that culture, the questioning everything just for the hell of it and then the questioning of the questioning..." Click on the link to read the article.
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A New Yorker editor picks 7 of his favorite Jewish cartoons
(Jewish Telgraphic Agency (JTA), 2017-04-28) Friedman, Gabe
This article was written as Bob Mankoff, then the celebrated cartoon editor for "The New Yorker," was planning to step down from that post. He shared with JTA seven of his favorite Jewish-themed cartoons. The article briefly discusses his background and his approach to Judaism and Jewish humor. In an essay (a link can be found in the See Also field below), he alluded to the role of humor for Jews about how Jews have become the “People of the Joke,” as opposed to the “People of the Book.” Click on the link to read the article and see which cartoons Mankoff selected.
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Jewish rappers Beastie Boys honored with Lower East Side street renaming
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), 2023-09-10) Keys, Lisa
In September, 2023, the corner of Ludlow and Rivington streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan was officially renamed Beastie Boys Square in honor of the influential Jewish hip hop band, the Beastie Boys. The location was the once site of a store that was featured on their second album, "Paul's Boutique," All three members of the band (Adam Yauch, aka MCA, who died in 2012,; Mike Diamond, aka Mike D, and Adam Horovitz, aka Adrock) have Jewish backgrounds and have included some Jewish themes in a few lyrics. Click on the link to read the article.