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← AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Totals

Total revenue
$2,761,274
Total expenses
$2,206,553
Contributions and grants received
$2,501,073
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$226,553
Other revenue
$33,648
Total assets, end of year
$8,630,214
Total liabilities, end of year
$145,270
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$8,484,944
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$1,495,541
Management and general expenses
$366,675
Fundraising expenses
$344,337
Program service expenses (Part III)
$1,495,541

Program services were 67.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $262,257

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $219,646

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $2,019,170

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $1,029,619

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $152,149 · excluded $152,149

  • 5 · Royalties

    total $78,371 · excluded $78,371

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $2,228,528

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $2,154,124

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $74,404

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $74,404 · excluded $74,404

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $29,300

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $262,257

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $85,163

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$55,863 · excluded -$55,863

  • 11a · Other revenue: MISCELLANEOUS INCOME

    total $11,140 · excluded $11,140

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $11,140

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $237,029 · program services $213,327 · management and general $11,851 · fundraising $11,851

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $905,882 · program services $624,104 · management and general $79,035 · fundraising $202,743

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $21,523 · program services $14,582 · management and general $1,921 · fundraising $5,020

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $174,577 · program services $124,735 · management and general $15,235 · fundraising $34,607

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $86,481 · program services $63,131 · management and general $6,918 · fundraising $16,432

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $3,272 · management and general $3,272

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $131,030 · management and general $131,030

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $16,600 · program services $16,600

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $20,841 · program services $13,842 · management and general $6,724 · fundraising $275

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $78,433 · program services $21,345 · management and general $55,113 · fundraising $1,975

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $271,163 · program services $198,271 · management and general $21,919 · fundraising $50,973

  • 17 · Travel

    total $42,161 · program services $27,912 · management and general $1,597 · fundraising $12,652

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $4,382 · program services $3,197 · management and general $353 · fundraising $832

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $18,893 · program services $13,782 · management and general $1,524 · fundraising $3,587

  • 24a · Other expenses: PRINTING

    total $87,359 · program services $72,187 · management and general $15,172

  • 24b · Other expenses: DIGITIZATION AND STORAG

    total $69,200 · program services $64,946 · management and general $4,254

  • 24c · Other expenses: SOLICITATION EXPENSE

    total $37,727 · program services $23,580 · management and general $10,757 · fundraising $3,390

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $214,703 · end of year $271,239

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $642,178 · end of year $1,099,516

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $8,915 · end of year $6,465

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $402,229

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $401,863

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $4,748 · end of year $366

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $6,418,676 · end of year $7,252,628

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $115,029 · end of year $131,576

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $20,658 · end of year $13,694

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $5,963,971 · end of year $6,163,979

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $1,189,562 · end of year $2,320,965

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

SEE SCHEDULE O - THE AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (THE "SOCIETY") IS THE OLDEST ETHNIC, CULTURAL ARCHIVE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SOCIETY PROVIDES ACCESS TO MORE THAN 30 MILLION DOCUMENTS AND 50,000 BOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART AND ARTIFACTS THAT REFLECT THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1654 TO THE PRESENT. AT OUR HOME ON WEST 16 TH STREET IN DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN, THE SOCIETY ILLUMINATES AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY THROUGH OUR MANY ARCHIVAL TREASURES, SCHOLARSHIP, EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS. AMONG THE TREASURES OF THIS HERITAGE ARE THE HANDWRITTEN ORIGINALS OF EMMA LAZARUS' THE NEW COLOSSUS, WHICH GRACES THE STATUE OF LIBERTY RECORDS OF THE NATION'S LEADING JEWISH COMMUNAL ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS IN THE FIELDS OF EDUCATION, PHILANTHROPY, SCIENCE, SPORTS, BUSINESS AND THE ARTS. THE SOCIETY IS THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH PAST.

Activities or mission (Part I)

ACCESS TO MILLIONS OF ARTIFACTS REFLECTING THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PRESENCE IN THE U.S.

  • LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE- SEE SCHEDULE O - THE SOCIETY WELCOMES ALL AUDIENCES, INCLUDING SCHOLARS, WHO WISH TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON AMERICAN JEWISH LIFE FROM FIRST ARRIVAL IN THE AMERICAS TO THE PRESENT DAY. THE LIBRARY CONSISTS OF APPROXIMATELY 50,000 VOLUMES, INCLUDING BOTH BOOKS AND SERIALS (JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS). THE SOCIETY HOUSES OVER 3,000 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND HAS DEVELOPED FINDING AIDS FOR ITS PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL HOLDINGS; THESE FINDING AIDS ARE ALL PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE ON AJHS'S WEBSITE. ON-SITE AND VIRTUAL USAGE OF AJHS'S HOLDINGS REMAINS VERY ROBUST AND CONTINUES TO INCREASE, WITH PATRONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WORLDWIDE ACCESSING THE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS. SINCE ESTABLISHING ITS OWN-HOUSE DIGITIZATION LAB IN 2022, THE SOCIETY HAS CONTINUED EXPANDING ITS DIGITAL HOLDINGS AND DIGITIZATION PROGRAM, IN ALIGNMENT WITH ITS MANDATE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO HISTORIC MATERIALS. IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2024, STATISTICS ON DIGITAL USE SHOWCASED THAT THE TOP THREE FINDING AIDS ACCESSED WERE: THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETY (ACCESSED 2459 TIMES); THE RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS (ACCESSED 2283 TIMES); AND THE HEBREW ORPHAN ASYLUM COLLECTION (ACCESSED 1898 TIMES). THESE ARE COLLECTIONS WHICH FEATURE A SIGNFIICANT AMOUNT OF DIGITIZED CONTENT, THUS DEMONSTRATING THE OVERALL VALUE OF THE SOCIETY'S ACTIVE DIGITIZATION EFFORTS AND UNDERSCORING THE ONGOING NEED FOR ADDITIONAL EXTENSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT AND CURRICULAR RESOURCES PREPARED BY THE SOCIETY.

    Expenses $833,752

  • EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS- SEE SCHEDULE O -IN 2024, THE SOCIETY HOSTED 22 IN-PERSON, ONLINE, AND HYBRID BOOK TALKS, FILM SCREENINGS, AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS REACHING AUDIENCES BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY THROUGH THIS PUBLIC HISTORY INITIATIVE. THE SOCIETY PARTNERED WITH INSTITUTIONS ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND NATIONALLY TO INCREASE PROGRAM VIEWERSHIP AND EXPAND ITS NETWORK. ONLINE, THE SOCIETY CONTINUED ITS POPULAR "AT LUNCH" SERIES WITH JULIE SALAMON, WELCOMING GUESTS FROM THE FIELDS OF HISTORY, ENTERTAINMENT, JOURNALISM, AND MORE. THE SOCIETY OFFERED IN-PERSON CLASSES TO LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PS 41 FOR JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, TEACHING OVER 500 PRE-K TO 5TH GRADE STUDENTS.THE SOCIETY HAS CONTINUED ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY TO TRAIN K-12 TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS ABOUT HOW TO BEST USE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS RELATED TO JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. THE PROGRAM TRAINED 35 EDUCATORS AND REACHED ROUGHLY 3,000 STUDENTS NATIONWIDE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOCIETY HOSTED ITS BIENNIAL SCHOLARS CONFERENCE ON-SITE IN NYC, A MULTI-DAY EVENT OFFERING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOLARS TO PRESENT WORK AND GAIN FEEDBACK FROM COLLEAGUES IN THE FIELD. THE SOCIETY ALSO HOSTED THE GRANT CENTER AT TULANE UNIVERSITY'S BEINNER SYMPOSIUM, A DISCUSSION OF SCHOLARS AND JOURNALISTS ON MODERN ANTISEMITISM.

    Expenses $578,136

  • DIGITAL MEDIA - SEE SCHEDULE O -IN 2024, THE SOCIETY SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED ITS DIGITAL OFFERINGS, PUBLISHING WEEKLY BLOGS FEATURING COLLECTION MATERIALS AND SPECIAL GUEST AUTHORS, AND ADDING NEW VIDEO CONTENT TO ITS YOUTUBE CHANNEL. IN MAY 2024, AJHS LAUNCHED ITS LARGEST NEW DIGITAL INITIATIVE: A NARRATIVE PODCAST TITLED "THE WRECKAGE." THE SERIES CHRONICLES THE STORIES OF JEWISH AMERICANS FROM THE AJHS COLLECTIONS, COVERING THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II AND THROUGH THE END OF THE COLD WAR. THE SERIES IS HOSTED BY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS AND SINGER REBECCA NAOMI JONES AND FEATURES HISTORIAN INTERVIEWS AND EXPERTS IN THE FIELD. THE EIGHT EPISODE SEASON CULMINATED WITH A LIVE TAPING OF A PANEL OF HISTORIANS DISCUSSING HOW THE HOLOCAUST AND POST-WAR REFUGEE CRISIS SHAPED JEWISH AMERICAN IDENTITY, MEMORY, AND CULTURE. THE SEASON, TITLED YEAR ZERO, WAS NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY AWARD.

    Expenses $83,653

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Gemma Birnbaum

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $237,029
    From this org
    $218,762
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $18,267
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $218,762
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $6,643
    Nontaxable benefits
    $11,624
    Filer's total
    $237,029

  • Melanie Meyers-McCarty

    DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHAIR, COLLECTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT

    Total calculated
    $155,421
    From this org
    $111,633
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $43,788
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $111,633
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $3,660
    Nontaxable benefits
    $40,128
    Filer's total
    $155,421

  • Patricia Cotten

    DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

    Total calculated
    $134,645
    From this org
    $118,953
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $15,692
    Hours/week
    40

  • Charles Knapp

    CHAIR - ON 12/31/23

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Felicia Herman

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Scott Einhorn

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Jonathan Lewis

    VICE PRESIDENT - ON 12/31/23

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Joshua H Landes

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Samuel R Karetsky

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Deborah Dash Moore

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Marc Dollinger

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Sidney Lapidus

    TRUSTEE - CHAIR EMERITUS

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jeff Mankoff

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Eric Morgenstern

    TRUSTEE - ON 4/18/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Nancy T Polevoy

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Dana Raucher

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Julie Salamon

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Morton Steinberg

    TRUSTEE - OFF 4/18/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Justin Wyner

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Laurence Zuckerman

    TRUSTEE - OFF 4/18/24

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Hedy Zankel

    TRUSTEE

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 3
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION IS DETERMINED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
22 July 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202542039349301604

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