Published Work
Explore the Books, Guides, and Stories That Bring History to Life
WSJHS published works preserve and share the rich history of Jewish life in Washington through books, guides, newsletters, and more. From oral history how-to guides to in-depth historical works, our materials offer insight, education, and connection to the community’s past and present.
Distant Replay! Washington's Jewish Sports Heroes
Who beat the world featherweight champion in 1933? Who was the MVP of the 1959 World Series? Who brought the Seahawks to Seattle? Who saved the Seattle Storm? With 180 fascinating stories, Distant Replay! celebrates Jewish individuals in Washington State who have contributed to our rich athletic history.
Jewish Experience in Washington State, 1845-2015: A Chronology
This newly released fourth edition sourcebook presents key events, organizations, and figures that have shaped Jewish communities across Washington State, arranged chronologically. Revised by professional archivists and historians, it features 125 photographs and archival documents. With a bibliography, index, and table of contents, it's a valuable resource for students, scholars, genealogists, and history enthusiasts.
Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies: Traditions in Northwest Jewish Kitchens
Food is history, culture, connection, community, ritual, nourishment, sustenance, survival, and memory. Through the lens of your kitchen, your grandmother's kitchen, your children's kitchen, Yesterday's Mavens, Today's Foodies tells the story of our Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions and combines them with the pioneer spirit of the Pacific Northwest region's bounty of fresh food products and growing foodie culture.
A Hug from Afar
A Hug from Afar tells the powerful true story of Clara Barki, a young Sephardic Jewish girl from Rhodes who wrote letters in Ladino to her relatives in Seattle from 1930 to 1946. As fascism spread across Europe, her letters turned from family updates to desperate pleas for help, ultimately documenting her family’s struggle to survive and immigrate to the U.S. Rediscovered decades later, these letters were preserved, translated, and compiled by journalist Cynthia Flash Hemphill into a moving memoir of resilience and hope.
Family of Strangers: Building Jewish Communities in Washington State
Family of Strangers offers the first comprehensive history of Jewish life in Washington State, tracing the journeys of immigrants from the 19th century through postwar and Soviet-era arrivals. Drawing on interviews, oral histories, and archival sources, the book explores how diverse Jewish groups—Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Holocaust survivors, and more—built vibrant communities despite cultural and linguistic differences. This new edition includes an epilogue on recent decades, highlighting growing diversity, identity exploration, and the evolving role of Jewish organizations in uniting Washington’s Jewish community.
Family Of Strangers: Building A Jewish Community in Washington State
"History comes alive in such appealing photos as the portraits of smiling teenage girls in their modest swimming dresses, at a Luna Park picnic organized by Jewish groups in 1912, and of hardy young members of the Sephardic Young Men's Hebrew Association hiking in the Cascades around the same time." -- Misha Berson Seattle Times. Very limited availability, contact the WSJHS office to order.