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

 

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.

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Recent Submissions

No Thumbnail Available
ItemMetadata only
“J is for Janucá” Brings Latinx Jewish Representation to Children’s Books
(Latina Media Co, 2023-12-15) Heredia, Ces
Ces Herida grew up Jewish in northern Mexico, experienced her Jewishness through a multicultural lens. She describes her house as the only one with a menorah in the window. In trying to explain to Mexicans--Jews and non-Jews--her friend and fellow Jewish-Mexican, Melanie Romero, wrote a children's books “J is for Janucá” She describes the difficulty of establishing an identify in a very Catholic country. Romero describes to Herida the pain of not seeing representations of people like you in the media. "My childhood," she said, "would have been much more empathetic if I had seen a version of myself in the media, and I never did..." Her hope is that "J is for Janucá " will "prevent other Latinx Jewish kids from going through what we went through: the mean comments from kids (and parents), the ignorance, the antisemitic remarks. It holds space for the religious and cultural traditions of a minority within a minority—Latinx Jews—and that can only ever be a good thing." Click on the link to read the article.
No Thumbnail Available
ItemMetadata only
Dianne Feinstein, longest serving woman in the Senate, has died at 90
(2023-09-29) Shafer, scott
Obituary on NPR for Dianne Feinstein, former senator from California, who was the longest serving woman in the senate. Her initial foray into a significant elected position came in the aftermath of the assassinations of San Francisco mayor George Mascone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. She served as interim mayor and then won election as mayor and served until 1988. Feinstein's tenure as mayor coincided with the AIDS epidemic that overran San Francisco and was ignored by the Regan administration. Feinstein spared no resources to fight the epidemic. She won a seat as the Senator from California partially in the wake of the Congressional hearings on the elevation of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, silencing the accusation of sexual harassment leveled against him by his former law clerk, Anita Hill. She is widely credited with opening the door to other women striving for positions of power. Click on the link to read the obituary.
No Thumbnail Available
ItemMetadata only
Gangsters vs. Nazis: How the Jewish mob fought American admirers of the Third Reich
(Tablet, 2018-07-02) Rockaway, Robert
This article describes the rise of antisemitism in the United States concomitant with Hitler's rise to power in Germany. American Jews were frightened and the response of the Jewish establishment was tepid. The Jewish American group that did undertake robust militant responses was the Jewish mob. Nathan Perlman, a former Republican congressman, secretly reached out to and sought the help of Meyer Lansky, a prominent organized crime figure. They attended Nazi rallies and violently attacked the Nazis--but did not kill any of them. Talk show host, Larry King, described how when he was growing up in Brooklyn, “Jewish gangsters were our heroes. Even the bad ones were heroes to us.” Click on the link to read the article.
No Thumbnail Available
ItemMetadata only
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Season 2 | Episode 14
(YouTube, 2021-12-03) Shore, Dinah
This is the second 14th episode of the "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show," an hour long variety show that Dina Shore starred in for seven years. This episode includes guests Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra. Click on the link to watch.
No Thumbnail Available
ItemMetadata only
Dinah Shore: March 1, 1917–February 24, 1994
(Jewish Women's Archive, 2009-02-27) Sochen, June
Born in 1917, Dinah Shore, named Frances “Fanny” Rose Stein, was a top recording star in the 1940s. She changed her name to Dinah Shore, shortly before hosting a variety show on NBC Radio. In 1951, she transitioned to television, and in 1956, starred in her own variety show, "he Dinah Shore Chevrolet Show." June Shochen describes her as having been the "perfect transitional figure for women in changing times": she was confident and independent but retained an image of warm femininity. It remains a significant part of her legacy that she remained active on television, defying the common belief that only young women could be successful on television. Click on the link to read the article.