People

The Buffalo region has been home to a wide range of individuals associated with local Jewish communities and Jewish networks from the 1820s through to the contemporary period as immigrants, citizens, residents and locals.

Institutions

Buffalo Jews have a rich history of forming both formal and informal institutions for religious, educational, political and social needs. From synagogues to organizations, and from coordinating agencies to groups and clubs, Jewish Buffalonians have seen a changing range of institutions supported by group endeavors and community philanthropy.

Neighborhoods

In living memory, the East Side and North Buffalo stand out as physically connected and interwoven religious and commercial centers of Jewish living. In contrast to these specific areas are the mini hubs identified with Jewish living and connected to a more dispersed idea of neighborhood. Separately, suburbia with its significant geographic spread, has redefined how a series of Jewish spaces come together with a mix of hubs, focal points and networks.

Themes

Some nice intro blah blah

Exhibitions

Special exhibitions, through a focus on particular individuals and subjects, delves into the personal stories that have animated Jewish lives. Each digital exploration reflects on the interplay between place, identities and changing times and the way in which American, Jewish and Buffalo historical experiences are deeply interwoven.

Resources

Materials that document Jewish Buffalo in all its diversity are found in books, articles, archives and museums, many of which are available locally or online. This section highlights some of these sources and will be updated regularly.

Sol Messinger

Sol Messinger, aged 6, on board the MS St. Louis, 1939. Courtesy of Sol Messinger.

In the run up to WWII and the Holocaust, thousands of Jews fled Nazi Germany, Austria and Czech Sudetenland. Sol Messinger was born in Berlin in 1932. On May 27, 1939, Sol Messinger, fled with his parents onboard the SS St. Louis. The ship tried to dock in Havana, with over 900 refugees, but was refused entry, and then attempted to enter the United States only to be turned away. The ship was eventually forced to return to Europe. From Belgium, Sol Messinger and his parents survived by moving from country to country until 1942 when they managed to sail from Portugal to the United States. Read More

Kadimah Photographs