Jewish American Heritage Month

(Documentary, 57 minutes) Land of Promise is a fascinating, richly illustrated documentary that explores the Jewish experience in South Carolina from colonial days to modern times. It is a heartwarming story of religious tolerance, economic and political opportunity. By 1800, Charleston was home to the largest and wealthiest Jewish community in North America. The settling of Jews in South Carolina mirrors the Jewish immigration to the United States with Sephardic Jews in the 17th century being followed by German Jews, then Eastern Jews and Russian Jews today. The film relates many surprising firsts. With archival material, photographs and paintings, the film touches on all aspects of Southern Jewish life—their involvement with slavery, the Civil War and civil rights, the prospering of the cities after Reconstruction and their transition from family businesses into the professions. It addresses the challenges Jews face in maintaining their cultural identity as they integrate into the broader Southern communities where they live.

(Documentary, 1 hour 10 minutes) J Street is a term for one of Washington D.C.’s newest lobbies, a lobby in support of an Israeli two-state solution. This upstart lobby, less than five years old, sees itself as a David to the immensely powerful lobby American Jewish pro-Israel lobby. This feature length documentary tracks the J Street lobby as it attempts to change what it means to be pro-Israel in America. We watch as they struggle to influence the Obama administration towards taking an active role in negotiating a two-state solution. J Street is shot with the intimacy of cinema verite, and we feel the pulse of this grass-roots organization as they attend high-level strategy meetings and spend long, intense nights working towards their goal. J Street pulls us into this group of passionate lobbyists and their fervent efforts to persuade those in power. This documentary is at once a compelling story about the American political process at work and about the desperate need for Israel to reach a lasting peace.

(Feature film, 1 hour 46 minutes) In this tender and intimate romance, a married Hasidic woman falls for a secular stranger, opening her eyes to a whole new world and forcing her to choose between her faith and her heart.

(Documentary, 1 hour 16 minutes) A small group of South Americans are eager to affirm their Jewish faith. Their ancestors —Spanish Jews — were forced to convert during the Inquisition. Even after centuries of living in the New World as Catholics and intermarrying, their families still managed to secretly pass down some Jewish traditions from generation to generation. These practices have convinced them that they were originally Jews and fuel their desire to convert.The Longing, set in Ecuador, tells the story of a group of ”conversos" attempting to regain their birthright.

Jewish Life in America will enable you to explore the history of Jewish communities in America from the arrival of the first Jews in the 17th century right through to the mid-20th century. This rich collection brings to life the communal and social aspects of Jewish identity and culture, whilst tracing Jewish involvement in the political life of American society as a whole.

Credo Reference encyclopedic entries concerning Jewish people. Includes broad, introductory information, images, links to other relevant resources, and keyword concept map tools.

Access thousands of materials ranging from ebooks to audio clips, videos to pamphlets focused on Jewish Americans' history and culture via the Internet Archive.