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History is everywhere in the news, but what about the diverse stories of Jewish Buffalo? Since the 19th century, Jews have been making their home in Buffalo, bringing and building an array of attachments and connections, while forging ever-evolving paths in the city and suburbs. Part of the breadth of Jewish life in America, Jewish Buffalonians have created a diverse array of local institutions and organizations, businesses, and initiatives as they have responded to challenges and changes as individuals, families and neighbors. From utopian dreams that fail to materialize to neighborhoods and community institutions that did emerge, we will trace these local, national and international stories from the 1820’s to our contemporary times over three online sessions. What was the attraction of Buffalo for Jews? Who settled here and why? How did communities evolve? Which factors were instrumental in shaping Jewish living in Greater Buffalo? How did these dynamics interact with existing communities? Did Buffalo Jewish trajectories mirror or diverge from other Jewish Community Histories in America?

Using materials drawn from organizational archives, as well as individual, family and business papers, we will study the varied stories of Jewish community in the Greater Buffalo region.

Session 1 (February 9th) will explore the Ararat story and its enduring fascination, the later founding of a Jewish community in Buffalo with the beginnings of communal buildings, as well as the men and women who made this happen.

Session 2 (February 16th), we will follow the exponential growth of Jewish communities from 1881 and organizational flourishing alongside the creation of the “first” Jewish neighborhood on William Street. Through its different cultures and commercial vitality, we will follow unfolding national and international stories of flight, refuge, wars, and more.

Session 3 (February 23rd), we will delve into the stories of North Buffalo and other areas in the city, then track increasing suburban developments, chart the legacy of the Holocaust and the impact of the birth of the Stat of Israel in Buffalo. Tracing newer forms of communal attachments and initiatives as well as legacy inheritances across the latter half of the twentieth century, we will conclude this course in our contemporary times.

For over a decade, Dr. Chana Revell Kotzin was the Director of the Jewish Buffalo History Project, a University-Community archives program that amassed over 50 Jewish organizational and personal collections for public use. She subsequently worked as the Director of the Jewish Buffalo History Center, a virtual history and exhibition experience, currently online at http://jewishbuffalohistory.org. She also served as historian and curator for a reimagined Cofeld Judaic Museum at Temple Beth Zion that opened in 2023. Most recently, she authored the successful application for inclusion of Ahavas Achim cemetery on National Register for Historic Places.

Meeting Virtually on Mondays February 9th, 16th and 23rd at 7-8pm ET