Antisemitic Historical Literature

Antisemitic Historical Literature from the American Jewish Historical Society (1869–1993) offers a rare and vital window into how antisemitic ideas took shape, spread, and were challenged in modern history. This extraordinary archive contains decades of materials collected chiefly by librarian and scholar Nathan Kaganoff (1926–1992), preserving difficult yet essential histories.

A Powerful Tool for Research and Teaching
Spanning 1869 to 1993, this collection captures more than a century of antisemitic expression and public discourse across the United States and abroad. Researchers will find materials from organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, the American Nazi Party, and the Aryan League of America, alongside the publications that carried their messages: The Dearborn Independent, The Crusader, The White American, Clarinada, and others.

Equally significant are the responses: letters, clippings, pamphlets, and press releases that document how Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, journalists, and scholars pushed back against bigotry and hate. These artifacts provide a foundation for exploring how antisemitism intersected with race, religion, politics, and nationalism and how rhetoric became a battleground for democracy itself.

Context, Continuity, and Connection
Antisemitic Historical Literature supports teaching and research in American history, cultural studies, political science, sociology, law, and communication and media studies. It complements related Readex archives such as American Race Relations and Immigrations, Migrations and Refugees to create a multifaceted resource for analyzing how prejudice and propaganda evolve across time.

Organization of the Collection
The collection is arranged into seven series in a single product:

• Series I: Periodical Publications, undated, 1920-1982
• Series II: Antisemitic Material by Organization, undated, 1919-1989
• Series III: Antisemitic Material by Author, undated, 1931-1990
• Series IV: Reaction to American Antisemitism, undated, 1920-1993
• Series V: Reaction to German and Soviet Antisemitism, undated, 1931-1982
• Series VI: Subject Files, undated, 1880-1992
• Series VII: Illustrations, undated, 1869-1986