Paul Peter Porges with self-portrait, during his time in the US army, 1951-52.

‘They Were Survivors’: the Jewish Cartoonists who Fled the Nazis

A new exhibition celebrates the work of three Austrian artists who escaped their country as Nazis took over and created daring work in the years after.
Kris Kringle with children from the film 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.'
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A Classic Christmas Movie Offers a Lesson About Antisemitism

Nazis play a key role as villain in American collective consciousness—but without broad understanding of antisemitism.
Scene from "Schindler's List."

How 'Schindler's List' Transformed Americans' Understanding of the Holocaust

The 1993 film also inspired its director, Steven Spielberg, to establish a foundation that preserves survivors' stories.
Crowds of people filling Ellis Island Immigration Station

Ken Burns Turns His Lens on the American Response to the Holocaust

Commemorating the Holocaust has become a central part of American culture, but the nation’s reaction in real time was another story.
Illustration of a bookshelf at CYCO with a bust of I.L. Peretz.

The Joy of Yiddish Books

The language sustained a Jewish diasporan secular culture. Today, that heritage survives in a gritty corner of Queens to be claimed by a new generation.

Haunted by History

War, famine and persecution inflict profound changes on bodies and brains. Could these changes persist over generations?

Who Owns Anne Frank?

The diary has been distorted by even her greatest champions. Would history have been better served if it had been destroyed?
Riesman giving fundraising speech

My Grandfather the Zionist

He helped build Jewish American support for Israel. What’s his legacy now?
Refutees carrying their possessions prepare to board a truck

Finding a Home for the Last Refugees of World War II

What happened to the last million Eastern Europeans in refugee camps in Germany, who refused to return home, or who had no home to return to.

Eugenic Sperm

A "test tube baby" grapples with the dark corners of 20th century reproductive technologies.

It Can Happen Here

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s decision to speak out against Holocaust analogies is a moral threat.
Elder M. Andrew Robinson-Gaither demonstrates for reparations for slavery.
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The Centuries-Long Fight for Reparations

And how black activists won the support of Democratic candidates.
LBJ at his desk writing.

A Brief History of Slavery Reparation Promises

Several 2020 presidential candidates have called for reparations for slavery in the U.S.
Donald Trump giving a State of the Union address.

American Uses and Misuses of the Holocaust

Wielding Holocaust memory to make America look good is an American tradition.

Inherited Trauma Shapes Your Health

A new study on Civil War prisoners suggests that our parents’—and even grandparents’—experiences might affect our DNA.

The NYT Says We’re Forgetting About the Holocaust

History suggests otherwise.