Flaxman's Pop Up Libraries

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, we appreciate the diverse peoples and experiences that make up our shared society, and work to create a space of belonging on campus. Unfortunately, bigotry persists, and there have been increased incidents of violence against minoritized communities, including a rise in bias-related crimes targeting Jewish people. This virtual pop-up list features books, videos, and online resources highlighting Jewish art, culture, and history. It also provides resources for folks who wish to become better allies in combatting rising antisemitism. 

Get Started

Embarking on self-education can be daunting. Where do you start? This section is a selection of resources to help if you are new to these topics. After checking these out, the sections below have resources to help you dig deeper.

• Learn Context: Judaism, Jewish history, and anti-Jewish prejudice: An overview
  An introduction written by Mika Ahuvia, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies & Comparative Religion to the topics listed in the title. This resources is particularly helpful for those requiring more context before diving into the topic of antisemitism. 
   
• Current Events: Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022
  The Anti-Defamation League's 2022 report findings - one of their major findings notes: "In 2022, ADL tabulated 3,697 antisemitic incidents across the United States. This represents a 36% increase from the 2,717 incidents recorded in 2021 and is the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979.
   
• Antisemitism Basics: Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era
  The Anti-Defamation League's " comprehensive resource with historical context, fact-based descriptions of prevalent antisemitic myths, contemporary examples and calls-to-action for addressing this hate."
   
• Actions You Can Take: A Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America
  "American Jewish Committee's Society-Wide Nonpartisan Guide to Address Antisemitism" with sections including Understanding Antisemitism, Responding to Antisemitism, and Preventing Antisemitism.
   
• Local Guide: The Guide to Jewish Living in Chicago
  The Guide to Jewish Living in Chicago offers a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of Chicago-area Jewish organizations, resources, products, and services.
   
• Discover Artists: The Jewish Art Salon
  "The Jewish Art Salon is a global network for Jewish visual art. Established in 2008 and based in New York City, the JAS, a 501.c.3 nonprofit institution, has over 400 members and over 2,000 subscribers."

Look Back: Jewish History

• The Jewish Americans [PBS Documentary Series Website]
  Video Clips featured on the website are available here.
• From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America [Library of Congress Digital Exhibition]
• Jewish Virtual Library [Plethora of resources organized by topic]
• The American Jewish Archives
  Their Digital Collections can be found here.
• The Center for Jewish History: Art History Research Guide
• The Center for Jewish History: Architecture and Design Research Guide
• The Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum: Explore the Collection [Digital Collections]

Chicago History

• Encyclopedia of Chicago: Jews [Encyclopedia Entry]
• 2020 Jewish Chicago: Who We Are: Population Study [From the Berman Jewish Databank]

Take Stock: Antisemitism Now

Resources about Antisemitism in the United Sates and its History

• Antisemitism is on the rise, and it's not just about Ye [NPR, All Things Considered, December 1, 2022]
   
• Jewish Virtual Library: Anti-Semitism Collection [Resources around the topic of Antisemitism] 
  • In the United States subsection
  • Neo-Nazism subsection
     
• Anti-Semitism or Antisemitism? [Article]
   
• 10 Tough Questions on Antisemitism Explained [Article, November 8, 2022]

Fighting Antisemitism

• Fight Antisemitism
  The Anti-Defamation League's guide including multiple actions you can take to fight antisemitism and support Jewish communities. 

Honor: Jewish Stories

• American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection [New York Public Library Digital Collections]
• Jewish Book Council's Reading Lists by topic
• Jewish Women's Archives: Collections [Digital Collections]
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Oral Histories [Digital Collections]

• The Yiddish Book Center's Wexler Oral History Project [Digital Collections]

Discover: Jewish Creators

• The Art Story: Modern Artists in Jewish Art 
  Biographies and analysis of the work of artists that specialized in Jewish Art or somehow connected to the experience of the Jewish people.
• Is There a New Yiddish Contemporary Visual Art? [Article, August 12, 2020]
• Jewish Biographies: Artists [Resource from the Jewish Virtual Library]
• Poems of Jewish Faith and Culture [Collection from the Poetry Foundation]
• States of Mind: Toward an alternative future for Jewish art [Article, August 15, 2022]
• Twenty-First Century Jewish Literature by Women in the US [Article, June 2021] 

Connect: Jewish Institutions, Organizations, and Services

Chicago / Illinois

• Chicago Jewish Historical Society
• Jewish United Fund
• Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

National

• The American Jewish Committee
• The American Jewish Historical Society
• Center for Jewish History
• Jewish Book Council
• Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum
• The Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis
• Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History