Jewish Community Archives of Greater Kansas City
The Jewish Community Archives of Greater Kansas City (JCA), in partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO), works to preserve the stories that compose our region's history. JCA fulfills its mission to preserve American Jewish history in Greater Kansas City and the Midwest by encouraging and supporting the collection of documents, photographs, and other memorabilia concerning Jewish life, history, and culture in the region. The collection provides researchers, teachers and students, and the general public an opportunity to engage with the diverse and dynamic stories that compose the area's rich Jewish history.
Members of the community have an important role to play in preserving Jewish history. Consider donating personal papers or collections of organizational and business records to the Jewish Community Archives by contacting us.
Articles in the Missouri Historical Review
- Boutrous, David. "From the Stacks: Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City Foundations of the Jewish Community in Kansas City."
Missouri Historical Review 103, no. 4 (July 2009): 240-45. - Boxerman, Burton. "The Honorable Nathan Frank."
Missouri Historical Review 67, no. 1 (October 1972): 52-74. - Boxerman, Burton. "The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis: Its Formative Years."
Missouri Historical Review 91, no. 3 (April 1997): 229-49.
"The St. Louis Jewish Coordinating Council: Its Formative Years."
Missouri Historical Review 65, no. 1 (October 1970): 51-71. - Brandimarte, Cynthia Ann. "Fannie Hurst: A Missouri Girl Makes Good."
Missouri Historical Review 81, no. 3 (April 1987): 275-95. - Ehrlich, Walter. "The First Jews of St. Louis."
Missouri Historical Review 83, no. 1 (October 1988): 57-76. - Kantor, Harvey A. "The Barth Family: A Case Study of Pioneer Immigrant Merchants."
Missouri Historical Review 62, no. 4 (July 1968): 410-30. - Muehl, Siegmar. "Isidor Bush and the Bushberg Vineyards of Jefferson County."
Missouri Historical Review 94, no. 1 (October 1999): 42-58. - Olson, Sister Audrey. "The Nature of an Immigrant Community: St. Louis Germans, 1850-1920."
Missouri Historical Review 66, no. 3 (April 1972): 342-59. - Sachs, Howard F. "Development of the Jewish Community of Kansas City, 1864-1908."
Missouri Historical Review, 60, no. 3 (April 1966): 350-60.
Manuscripts
The State Historical Society of Missouri manuscript collections include material about or by Jewish Americans; personal papers, organizational records, and other materials related to social life and customs, religious practices, family experiences, and other aspects of life in Jewish American communities in Missouri.
Newspapers
| County | City | Title | Available On | Date Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone | Columbia | Frontier | Hard Copy Only | 1985-2001 |
| Boone | Columbia | Hillel | Hard Copy Only | 1986-2000 |
| Jackson | Kansas City | Jewish World | Microfilm | Sep 15, 1901 |
| Jackson | Kansas City | Kansas City Jewish Chronicle | Hard Copy Only | Jul 4, 1947 |
| Jackson | Kansas City | Kansas City Jewish Chronicle | Microfilm | 1954-2000 |
| St. Louis | Bulletin (National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis Section) | Hard Copy Only | 1980-2000 | |
| St. Louis | Die Wahrheit | Microfilm | 1871 | |
| St. Louis | Generations | Hard Copy Only | 1995-2005 | |
| St. Louis | The Greater St. Louis Jewish Star | Hard Copy Only – SA1107 | 1954-1955 | |
| St. Louis | Immanuel's Witness | Hard Copy Only | 1903 | |
| St. Louis | Jewish Daily Forward | Hard Copy Only | Feb 1945; Mar 28, 1950 | |
| St. Louis | Jewish Free Press | Microfilm | 1885-1887 | |
| St. Louis | Jewish Tribune | Microfilm | 1879-1884 | |
| St. Louis | Jewish Voice | Microfilm | 1888-1926 (missing 1892) | |
| St. Louis | The Jewish Voice | Hard Copy Only | Oct 24, 1980 | |
| St. Louis | Missouri Jewish Post & Opinion | Hard Copy Only | Apr 23, 1986 | |
| St. Louis | Modern View | Hard Copy Only | 1902-1903; 1913-1943 | |
| St. Louis | St. Louis Jewish Light | Microfilm | 1947-2013 (incomplete) | |
| St. Louis | Sulamith | Microfilm | 1880-1881 |
Photographs and Other Images
The Jewish Community Archives of Greater Kansas City (JCA) digital collection features photographs of Jewish community life in Kansas City. These photographs include local and national leaders, civic organizations such as B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Community Center, the National Council of Jewish Women, and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, social organizations like Kansas City’s Irari Club, family portraits, and photographs of significant events, including the annual Man of the Year award ceremony. The photographs also include synagogues and religious leaders, including Rabbis Maurice Solomon, Morris Margolies, and Gershon Hadas. Several photographs in the collection highlight the relationship between President Harry S. Truman and the Kansas City Jewish community.
The digitization of these invaluable materials documenting local Jewish history was made possible through a Jewish Leadership Education Action and Development (J-LEAD) grant and matching funds from the Jewish Community Foundation’s Community Legacy Fund, as well as other foundation donors.