Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

This return was superseded by a later amendment. matched by us It is kept because history is preserved rather than replaced.

What the amendment changed

Compared with the latest return for 2023 , filed 21 February 2025. matched by us Only the return's totals, a 990-PF's accounting method and the names listed in Part VII (Part VIII on a 990-PF) are compared. We relate returns by organization, tax year and form, and order them by each return's own timestamp; the filer's own "amended return" checkbox is a separate fact.

Program services expenses: $982,402 changed to $1,351,752
Management and general expenses: $866,401 changed to $335,114
Fundraising expenses: $181,045 changed to $342,982
Program service expenses (Part III): $982,402 changed to $1,351,752

Totals

Total revenue: $2,753,581
Total expenses: $2,029,848
Contributions and grants received: $2,429,498
Grants paid: $0
Program service revenue: $0
Investment income: $197,478
Other revenue: $126,605
Total assets, end of year: $7,289,220
Total liabilities, end of year: $135,687
Net assets or fund balances, end of year: $7,153,533
Program services expenses (Part IX): $982,402
Management and general expenses: $866,401
Fundraising expenses: $181,045
Program service expenses (Part III): $982,402

Program services were 48.4% 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

$300,917
1e · Government grants (contributions)

$459,461
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

$1,669,120
1g · Noncash contributions included above

$750,766
3 · Investment income

total $145,994 · excluded $145,994
5 · Royalties

total $115,621 · excluded $115,621
7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

securities $2,055,443
7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

securities $2,003,959
7c · Gain or loss

securities $51,484
7d · Net gain or loss

total $51,484 · excluded $51,484
8a · Fundraising events: gross income

$116,246
8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

$300,917
8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

$116,246
8c · Net income from fundraising events

total $0
11a · Other revenue: MISCELLANEOUS INCOME

total $10,984 · excluded $10,984
11e · Other revenue, total

$10,984

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

total $234,630 · management and general $234,630
7 · Other salaries and wages

total $737,812 · program services $468,951 · management and general $185,989 · fundraising $82,872
8 · Pension plan contributions

total $19,542 · program services $12,641 · management and general $4,937 · fundraising $1,964
9 · Other employee benefits

total $153,774 · program services $78,587 · management and general $62,967 · fundraising $12,220
10 · Payroll taxes

total $71,877 · program services $34,699 · management and general $31,785 · fundraising $5,393
11b · Fees: legal

total $21,007 · management and general $21,007
11c · Fees: accounting

total $109,225 · management and general $109,225
11f · Fees: investment management

total $8,298 · program services $8,298
12 · Advertising and promotion

total $35,365 · program services $16,816 · management and general $15,242 · fundraising $3,307
13 · Office expenses

total $67,892 · program services $19,955 · management and general $39,332 · fundraising $8,605
16 · Occupancy

total $271,795 · program services $132,786 · management and general $116,141 · fundraising $22,868
17 · Travel

total $53,061 · program services $31,864 · management and general $4,492 · fundraising $16,705
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

total $4,382 · program services $2,140 · management and general $1,873 · fundraising $369
23 · Insurance

total $35,907 · program services $17,543 · management and general $15,343 · fundraising $3,021
24a · Other expenses: DIGITIZATION AND STORAG

total $115,230 · program services $110,456 · management and general $4,774 · fundraising $0
24b · Other expenses: SOLICITATION EXPENSE

total $42,145 · program services $8,983 · management and general $9,562 · fundraising $23,600
24c · Other expenses: PRINTING

total $39,704 · program services $38,528 · management and general $1,176 · fundraising $0
24d · Other expenses: MISC

total $8,202 · program services $155 · management and general $7,926 · fundraising $121

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

beginning of year $17,839 · end of year $214,703
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

beginning of year $400
4 · Accounts receivable

beginning of year $62,300 · end of year $642,178
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

beginning of year $16,135 · end of year $8,915
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

$402,229
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

$397,481
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

beginning of year $9,130 · end of year $4,748
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

beginning of year $5,841,401 · end of year $6,418,676
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

beginning of year $130,689 · end of year $115,029
25 · Other liabilities

beginning of year $27,623 · end of year $20,658
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

beginning of year $5,456,989 · end of year $5,963,971
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

beginning of year $331,904 · end of year $1,189,562

Mission and programs · 2023

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 - LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE-THE SOCIETY WELCOMES ALL RESEARCHERS 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 APPROXIMATELY 2000 ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND HAS DEVELOPED FINDING AIDS FOR ITS PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL HOLDINGS, AND THEY ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE. ACCESS TO THE PHYSICAL MATERIALS IS AVAILABLE 4 DAYS PER WEEK, AND SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN USING THE MATERIALS AT HIGH LEVELS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND VIA DIGITIZED VERSIONS. THE SOCIETY ALSO HAS EXPANDED OUR DIGITAL HOLDINGS AND DIGITIZATION PROGRAM, IN ORDER TO CONTINUALLY PROVIDE ACCESS TO OUR MATERIALS AND EXPAND OUR BASE OF USERS. FOR 2023, STATISTICS ON DIGITAL USE FOUND THAT FOR THE FULL YEAR THE TOP THREE COLLECTIONS SEARCHED WERE CAMP MASSAD ACCESSED 1,418 TIMES, THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS RECORDS ACCESSED 1,358 TIMES, AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN ACCESSED 851 TIMES. THESE ARE COLLECTIONS THAT HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF DIGITIZED CONTENT, DEMONSTRATING THE OVERALL VALUE OF THE SOCIETY DIGITIZATION PROGRAM AND THE ONGOING NEED TO CONTINUALLY EXPAND OUR DIGITAL OFFERINGS; IN 2023, AJHS ADDED 283,567 NEW IMAGES TO OUR DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER, MAKING THESE IMAGES AVAILABLE FREE TO THE PUBLIC, ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

Expenses $833,883
PUBLIC PROGRAMS- SEE SCHEDULE O - PUBLIC PROGRAMS-IN 2023, THE SOCIETY HELD A NUMBER OF IN PERSON, ONLINE, AND HYBRID PUBLIC PROGRAMS REACHING AUDIENCES BOTH LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY. EVENTS INCLUDED A DAYLONG SYMPOSIUM THAT WAS LATER BROADCAST TO 10 THOUSAND PEOPLE ON JBS (JEWISH BROADCASTING SERVICE), BOOK TALKS FEATURING NEW SCHOLARSHIP, AND DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENINGS. THE SOCIETY CONTINUED ITS POPULAR "AT LUNCH" SERIES WITH JULIE SALAMON, WELCOMING GUESTS FROM THE FIELDS OF HISTORY, ENTERTAINMENT, JOURNALISM, AND MORE. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOCIETY CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP 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 50 EDUCATORS AND REACHED ROUGHLY 5,000 STUDENTS NATIONWIDE.

Expenses $106,342
AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORICAL JOURNAL SCHOLARLY JOURNAL OF PUBLISHED ARTICLES ON AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY THEMES. THE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD PUBLISHED 4 VOLUMES IN 2023, RESUMING ITS FULL PRE-PANDEMIC PUBLISHING SCHEDULE. THE SOCIETY CONTINUES WORK ON OUR WEBSITE TO BE A DYNAMIC PUBLISHING PLATFORM, USED TO CROSSPOST JOURNAL ARTICLES AND ADDITIONAL CONTENT PRODUCED BY JOURNAL CONTRIBUTORS AND EDITORS, INCLUDING RECAPS OF JOURNAL ISSUES AS WELL AS OTHER DIGITAL MEDIA AND CONTENT RELATED TO AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY. THE WEBSITE CONTINUES TO SERVE AS A DIGITAL PORTAL TO THE SOCIETY'S CONTENT, FEATURING ARTICLES, VIDEOS, PAST PROGRAMS, AND FEATURED COLLECTIONS.

Expenses $42,177

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Sidney LapidusSIDNEY LAPIDUS

CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
Charles KnappCHARLES KNAPP

VICE CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Felicia HermanFELICIA HERMAN

PRESIDENT

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Scott EinhornSCOTT EINHORN

VICE PRESIDENT

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Joshua H LandesJOSHUA H LANDES

VICE PRESIDENT

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Samuel R KaretskySAMUEL R KARETSKY

TREASURER

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
Marc DollingerMARC DOLLINGER

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Deborah Dash MooreDEBORAH DASH MOORE

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Jonathan LewisJONATHAN LEWIS

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Nancy T PolevoyNANCY T POLEVOY

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Dana RaucherDANA RAUCHER

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Julie SalamonJULIE SALAMON

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Jeff MankoffJEFF MANKOFF

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Morton SteinbergMORTON STEINBERG

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Justin WynerJUSTIN WYNER

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Laurence ZuckermanLAURENCE ZUCKERMAN

TRUSTEE

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

1
Gemma BirnbaumGEMMA BIRNBAUM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Total calculated

$234,630

From this org

$218,969

From related orgs

$0

Other

$15,661

Hours/week

40

Schedule J breakdown matched by us

Base

$218,969

Bonus

$0

Other

$0

Deferred

$6,643

Nontaxable benefits

$9,018

Filer's total

$234,630
Patricia CottenPATRICIA COTTEN

DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

Total calculated

$131,113

From this org

$117,369

From related orgs

$0

Other

$13,744

Hours/week

40
Melane Meyers McCartyMELANE MEYERS MCCARTY

DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHAIR, COLLECTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT

Total calculated

$143,342

From this org

$112,264

From related orgs

$0

Other

$31,078

Hours/week

40

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.

CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY

501(C)(3) · REPOSITORY · NY

Provenance

Return type: form_990
Tax year: 2023
Filed: 27 September 2024
IRS schema version: 2023v5.1
Source object: 202402749349301190

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