Stories of Jewish America: Watch, Read, Listen
Below you’ll find a curated collection of films, books, and podcasts compiled by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month. While this list is by no means exhaustive, we hope it offers meaningful entry points for adults and children alike into the many stories, histories, and contributions that shape Jewish American life—and provides ideas for engagement across your community.
Films:
American Jewish Culture
A Serious Man (2009)
A darkly comic portrait of a Midwestern Jewish professor grappling with faith, ethics, and responsibility amid the uncertainties of American Jewish suburban life.
Avalon (1990)
Barry Levinson’s semi‑autobiographical film traces a multigenerational Jewish immigrant family as they navigate memory, tradition, and postwar Americanization.
Crossing Delancey (1988)
A gentle romantic comedy about a New York Jewish woman balancing modern independence with inherited traditions of family, food, and matchmaking.
Everything Is Illuminated (2005)
Through a young American Jew’s journey to uncover his family’s past, the film examines memory, trauma, and the relationship between American Jews and ancestral Europe.
Funny Girl (1968)
This musical biography celebrates Fanny Brice’s rise to stardom, highlighting Jewish talent, ambition, and identity in early American entertainment history.
Goodbye, Columbus (1969)
Adapted from Philip Roth’s work, the film explores class differences, assimilation, and generational tensions within mid‑20th‑century American Jewish life.
Hester Street (1975)
A vivid depiction of Eastern European Jewish immigrants on New York’s Lower East Side confronting gender roles, tradition, and American modernity.
The Chosen (1981)
Set in 1940s Brooklyn, the film follows two Jewish boys from different religious backgrounds whose friendship reflects diverse expressions of American Judaism.
The Frisco Kid (1979)
A comedic Western pairing a Polish rabbi with an outlaw while exploring Jewish moral values and adaptation in the American frontier mythos.
The Jazz Singer (1927, 1950, 1980)
This landmark story of a cantor’s son torn between tradition and popular music dramatizes tensions between Jewish heritage and American cultural success.
The Producers (1967, 2005)
Mel Brooks’s satirical classic uses Jewish humor and irreverence to confront antisemitism, trauma, and survival through comedy.
You’re So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
A contemporary coming‑of‑age story centered on friendship, social pressure, and Jewish ritual in present‑day American adolescence.
Antisemitism in America
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
A postwar drama that exposes antisemitism in mainstream American society by following a journalist who poses as Jewish to investigate discrimination.
School Ties (1992)
Set at an elite prep school, the film examines antisemitism, privilege, and conformity in mid‑20th‑century American education.
The Plot Against America (2020)
An alternate‑history miniseries imagining how antisemitism and authoritarianism could take root in the United States through political normalization.
Documentaries:
Black & Jewish America: An Interwoven History (2026)
This documentary explores the shared struggles, solidarities, and tensions between Black and Jewish communities in shaping American civil society.
Family Recipe: Jewish American Style (PBS)
A food‑history series using family stories and cuisine to explore Jewish diversity, migration, and American identity across communities.
Shared Legacies: The African American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance (2020)
A historical account of Black–Jewish cooperation during the Civil Rights Movement and its lasting impact on American democracy.
The Jewish Americans (2008)
A comprehensive documentary tracing 350 years of Jewish life, contribution, and identity in the United States.
Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations (2020)
Analyzing modern and historical forms of antisemitism, the film explores how hatred adapts to new political and cultural contexts.
Young Children / Family Friendly
An American Girl: Rebecca (2009)
The story of a Jewish immigrant family in early‑20th‑century New York, highlighting faith, culture, and belonging in America.
An American Tail (1986)
An animated allegory of Jewish immigration that follows a mouse family fleeing persecution in search of freedom and opportunity in America.
Books:
Non‑Fiction
Neil Baldwin, Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate (2001)
A history of how Henry Ford used his wealth, influence, and mass media to promote antisemitism in the United States during the early twentieth century.
Stephen Birmingham, Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York (1967)
A social history of New York’s prominent nineteenth‑century Jewish families and their influence on American finance, culture, and communal life.
Naomi Cohen, Not Free to Desist: A History of the American Jewish Committee, 1906–1966 (1972)
A scholarly history of AJC’s first six decades, focusing on civil rights advocacy, Jewish defense, and American democratic values.
Leonard Dinnerstein, The Leo Frank Case (2008)
A historical account of the Leo Frank trial and lynching, examining antisemitism, justice, and American society in the early twentieth century.
Sue Eisenfeld, Wandering Dixie (2015)
A personal and historical exploration of Jewish life in the American South.
Roya Hakakian, A Beginner’s Guide to America (2011)
A memoir reflecting on Jewish immigrant belonging, freedom, and the promises of American civic life.
Dara Horn, People Love Dead Jews (2021)
Essays challenging how American and world culture engages with Jewish suffering, memory, and antisemitism.
Irving Howe, World of Our Fathers: The Journey of the East European Jews to America and the Life They Found and Made (2001)
A sweeping social history of Eastern European Jewish immigrants and the communities, culture, and politics they built in the United States.
Sarah Hurwitz, As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us (2025)
A personal and historical exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity in America and how Jews can reclaim their tradition without apology.
Sarah Hurwitz, Here All Along (2019)
A personal journey of rediscovery that explores Jewish texts, ethics, and meaning through the lens of modern American life.
Jerome Karabel, The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (2006)
An examination of how elite American universities shaped—and restricted—access through admissions practices that targeted Jewish and other marginalized applicants.
Laura Arnold Leibman, Once We Were Slaves (2012)
The true story of a multiracial Jewish family that reshapes understanding of race and slavery in early America.
Deborah E. Lipstadt, Antisemitism: Here and Now (2019)
A clear and urgent examination of antisemitism’s history and its contemporary expressions in American and global society.
Deborah Dash Moore, GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation (2004)
A social history of Jewish American soldiers whose wartime experiences reshaped American Jewish identity and belonging.
Pamela S. Nadell, America’s Jewish Women (2019)
A sweeping history of Jewish women’s roles in shaping American religion, culture, politics, and social reform from colonial times to the present.
Pamela S. Nadell, Antisemitism, an American Tradition (2025)
A history tracing the deep roots of antisemitism in the United States from the colonial era to the present day.
Shari Rabin, The Jewish South: An American History (2025)
A panoramic history of Jewish life in the American South, examining how Jews navigated religion, race, regional identity, and belonging over three centuries.
Marianne Sanua, Let Us Prove Strong: The American Jewish Committee, 1945–2006 (2007)
A continuation of AJC’s institutional history, tracing its postwar evolution into a global human rights and advocacy organization.
Jonathan D. Sarna, American Judaism: A History (2004, 2019)
A comprehensive history of how Judaism evolved in the United States under the pressures of democracy, pluralism, and modern life.
Sydney Stahl Weinberg, The World of Our Mothers: The Lives of Jewish Immigrant Women (2011)
A social history highlighting the work, family lives, and activism of Jewish immigrant women in early twentieth‑century America.
Emily Tamkin, Bad Jews (2020)
A contemporary analysis of the debates and divisions shaping American Jewish identity, politics, and culture today.
Memoirs
Mary Antin, The Promised Land (1912)
A classic immigrant memoir recounting a young Jewish woman’s journey from poverty in Eastern Europe to opportunity and assimilation in the United States.
Lucette Lagnado, The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit (2007)
A family memoir recounting the dislocation and reinvention of an Egyptian Jewish family rebuilding their lives in mid‑twentieth‑century America.
Nicholas Lemann, Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries (2026)
A family history and memoir tracing three centuries of American Jewish life in the South, exploring assimilation, antisemitism, faith, and the ongoing search for Jewish belonging.
James McBride, The Color of Water (1995)
A son’s exploration of identity and faith through the life story of his immigrant Jewish mother, interweaving personal memoir with American racial history.
Tova Mirvis, The Book of Separation (2017)
A candid memoir about leaving an Orthodox Jewish marriage and community while forging a new sense of self and Jewish identity.
Ariel Sabar, My Father’s Paradise (2008)
A son’s search for his family’s past in Kurdish Iraq, interweaving personal memoir with the story of Jewish exile, language, and loss across continents and generations.
Michael W. Twitty, Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew (2022)
A memoir‑history blending food, faith, and family to explore Jewish identity through the lens of an African American Jewish experience.
David Weiss Halivni, The Book and the Sword (1996)
A Holocaust survivor’s memoir tracing a life shaped by Talmudic learning, survival, and the struggle to sustain faith and intellectual integrity in America in the aftermath of destruction.
Fiction & Short Stories
Saul Bellow, Herzog (1964)
An intellectually restless Jewish academic reckons with faith, failure, and modern American life through unsent letters and philosophical reflection.
Abraham Cahan, Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of Yiddish New York (1896)
Short stories portraying Eastern European Jewish immigrants grappling with assimilation, tradition, and identity in turn‑of‑the‑century New York.
Abraham Cahan, The Rise of David Levinsky (1917)
A landmark immigrant novel chronicling a Jewish man’s rise in American business alongside his gradual alienation from Jewish tradition.
Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000)
A sweeping novel about Jewish immigrant creativity, trauma, and resilience, centered on two cousins who help invent the Golden Age of American comic books.
Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007)
An alternate‑history detective novel set in a Yiddish‑speaking Jewish refuge in Alaska, exploring exile, belonging, and political identity.
Nathan Englander, Kaddish.com (2019)
A darkly comic novel about a secular Jewish man who outsources religious obligation while wrestling with grief, guilt, and contemporary Jewish life.
Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated (2002)
A novel intertwining humor and tragedy as a young American Jew travels to Eastern Europe to uncover his family’s Holocaust past.
Allegra Goodman, Kaaterskill Falls (1998)
A nuanced portrait of an Orthodox Jewish community in upstate New York, examining faith, gender, and modern pressures.
Allegra Goodman, The Family Markowitz (1996)
Short stories tracing the shifting values and quiet tensions of American Jewish families across generations.
Dara Horn, The World to Come (2006)
Interconnected stories linking Jewish history, art, and survival across time and place.
James McBride, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023)
A vibrant novel set in a mid-20th century Pennsylvania neighborhood, focusing on a Jewish immigrant couple and their community.
Jean Meltzer, The Matzah Ball (2021)
A Jewish rom-com focusing on a Jewish woman with a secret life as a Christmas romance author
Tova Mirvis, The Ladies Auxiliary (2000)
A novel about communal conflict and belonging in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood challenged by questions of observance and inclusion.
Cynthia Ozick, The Shawl (1989)
A powerful novella exploring the devastating psychological legacy of the Holocaust and the burden of memory.
Cynthia Ozick, The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories (1971)
Short stories blending myth, intellect, and moral inquiry to explore Jewish assimilation and spiritual longing in America.
Grace Paley, The Collected Stories (1994)
Sharp, compassionate stories capturing American Jewish family life, politics, and conscience through everyday moments.
Chaim Potok, The Chosen (1967)
A coming‑of‑age novel about friendship, learning, and faith within two contrasting Orthodox Jewish communities.
Chaim Potok, My Name Is Asher Lev (1972)
A novel about artistic ambition and religious conflict as a Hasidic Jewish boy struggles to reconcile faith and creative freedom.
Henry Roth, Call It Sleep (1934)
A groundbreaking modernist novel depicting the inner life of a Jewish immigrant child in early‑20th‑century New York.
Philip Roth, Goodbye, Columbus (1959)
Stories examining class, desire, and assimilation in mid‑20th‑century American Jewish life.
Philip Roth, The Plot Against America (2005)
An alternate‑history novel imagining the rise of American antisemitism through the eyes of a Jewish family.
Bernard Malamud, The Magic Barrel (1958)
A classic short‑story collection blending immigrant struggle, moral testing, and Jewish folklore in postwar America.
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Lost in America (1981)
A satirical novel following a Yiddish intellectual confronting displacement, desire, and the promises of American life.
Herman Wouk, Marjorie Morningstar (1955)
A classic novel about ambition, romance, and Jewish identity in mid‑20th‑century American society.
Anzia Yezierska, Bread Givers (1925)
A semi‑autobiographical novel about a Jewish immigrant daughter striving for independence while resisting patriarchal tradition.
Books for Children:
Preschool
Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Ariel Landy (illustrator), Gitty and Kvetch (2021)
A warm, gentle story introducing young readers to empathy, problem‑solving, and Jewish values through a lovable pair of very different classmates.
Sheryl Haft and Jill Weber (illustrator), Goodnight Bubbala (2019)
A soothing bedtime book celebrating family, comfort, and Jewish endearments through a lullaby‑style goodnight ritual.
Julie Merberg and Julie Wilson (illustrator), My First Book of Famous Jews (2022)
A bright board book introducing young children to notable Jewish figures from history and popular culture.
Julie Merberg and Beck Feiner (illustrator), My First Jewish Baby Book (2018) – A playful introduction to Jewish holidays, traditions, and symbols designed especially for the youngest readers.
Lower School
Ruth Behar and Devon Holzwarth (illustrator), Tía Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey (2022)
A family story about immigration, resilience, and Jewish life, inspired by the Cuban Jewish experience.
Nancy Churnin and Yevgenia Nayberg (illustrator), A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah (2021)
A lively biography of a Jewish humanitarian leader who helped shape American Jewish activism and care.
Barbara Cohen, Molly’s Pilgrim (1983)
A powerful classroom story about immigration, self‑expression, and finding pride in one’s cultural identity.
Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth (illustrator), One Little Goat (2025)
A graphic novel that uses humor, time travel, and Passover tradition to explore Jewish history, memory, and the enduring power of asking questions.
Debbie Levy, I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark (2016)
An accessible, inspiring portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her lifelong commitment to justice and equality.
Michele Markel, Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 (2013)
A dramatic account of a young Jewish labor activist who helped lead a historic fight for workers’ rights.
Yona Zeldis McDonough, The Doll Shop Downstairs (2011)
A historical novel exploring antisemitism, courage, and identity in turn‑of‑the‑century America.
Sheldon Oberman, The Always Prayer Shawl (1993)
A tender intergenerational story about memory, loss, and Jewish ritual through the gift of a tallit.
Patricia Polacco, Mrs. Katz and Tush (1992)
A gentle story of friendship across cultures, introducing Jewish traditions and the meaning of connection.
Patricia Polacco, The Keeping Quilt (1988)
A multigenerational family story showing how Jewish heritage and memory are preserved through tradition.
Sydney Taylor, All‑of‑a‑Kind Family series (1951)
Classic stories about a Jewish family growing up in early‑twentieth‑century New York City, grounded in warmth and everyday tradition.
Jane Breskin Zalben, Beni’s Family Treasury: Stories for the Jewish Holidays (1998) – A collection of short stories introducing Jewish holidays and values through family life.
Middle School
Nora Raleigh Baskin, The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah (2009)
A realistic coming‑of‑age story about friendship, disappointment, and growing up Jewish in contemporary America.
Judy Blume, Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself (1977)
A semi‑autobiographical novel about a Jewish girl navigating family change, prejudice, and self‑discovery during World War II.
Natasha Díaz, Color Me In (2019)
A novel about a bicultural Jewish‑Latina girl grappling with identity, belonging, and antisemitism in a middle‑school setting.
Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi, Don’t Feed the Lion (2025)
A contemporary middle‑grade novel about a Jewish family confronting antisemitism, peer pressure, and the courage to speak up when hate appears close to home.
Veera Hiranandani, The Whole Story of Half a Girl (2012)
A sensitive exploration of religious, cultural, and racial identity through the eyes of a Jewish‑Indian‑American protagonist.
Susan Ross, Searching for Lottie (2019)
A mystery‑driven historical novel following a young girl uncovering her family’s Holocaust‑era past.
High School - See above list of fiction for adults
Podcasts:
Being Jewish with Jonah Platt
A conversational podcast that explores the diversity of Jewish American identity through personal stories of culture, belonging, and pride, making visible the many ways Jews shape and experience American life.
Can We Talk? (Jewish Women’s Archive)
Through interviews and storytelling, this podcast amplifies Jewish women’s voices and examines how gender, justice, and leadership have contributed to Jewish American history and civic life.
For Heaven’s Sake (Hartman Institute)
Co-hosted by Rabbi Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, this podcast uses rigorous “argument for the sake of heaven” to explore Israel–Diaspora relations and other big questions shaping contemporary Jewish life
Gatecrashers (Tablet Magazine)
A historical narrative podcast that uncovers overlooked stories about Jews and the Ivy League.
Identity/Crisis (Hartman Institute)
This podcast examines the ethical, civic, and identity questions facing Jewish Americans today, situating Jewish thought within broader debates about democracy and public life.
Judaism Unbound
Focused on innovation and change, this podcast explores how American Jews are reimagining Judaism and contributing new ideas to religious and cultural life in the United States.
The Forgotten Exodus (AJC)
A documentary‑style podcast that expands Jewish American history by centering the stories of Jews displaced from Arab countries and Iran and their journeys to the United States and Israel.
The Nightingale of Iran
Using one family’s story, this narrative podcast highlights the diversity of Jewish backgrounds within America and the broader Jewish immigrant experience.
Unorthodox (Tablet Magazine)
Blending news, culture, and humor, this podcast spotlights contemporary Jewish American life and geography, emphasizing the richness and complexity of Jewish communities across the U.S.
Wondering Jews (Unpacked / OpenDor Media)
Hosted by two Jewish educators, this podcast invites curiosity and conversation about Jewish ideas, values, and lived experience in a modern American context.
