Homes of the Past

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In the 1940s, immigrant Jewish scholars in New York sought to create a museum to honor their lost worlds and communities. Among them were Polish scholars from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, who had dedicated their lives to studying Yiddish-speaking Jews in Europe. Confronted with the harsh reality that returning to their homes was impossible, they aimed to document the lives, places, and traditions of European Jews that were being obliterated. This led to their ambitious plan to establish a museum dedicated to East European Jewry, intending to educate American Jews about this heritage. Over several years, YIVO scholars worked tirelessly to publicize their initiative and collect materials for exhibits. However, the project, known as the Museum of the Homes of the Past, was ultimately abandoned shortly after World War II. Jeffrey Shandler provides insight into this endeavor, utilizing archival sources to recount the museum's purpose, development, and fate. This exploration reveals a largely overlooked chapter in modern Jewish and museum history, illustrating how the project, despite never being realized, significantly influenced the relationship between American Jews and their Eastern European roots.