Collections

Jewish life in Delaware dates back to 1655, when Dutch Jewish traders landed in what is now New Castle. The community began to grow more steadily in the second half of the 19th century. In 1879, the Moses Montefiore Mutual Benefit Society became the first Jewish organization in the state, helping establish a lasting foundation for Jewish communal life in Delaware. Today, the Delaware Jewish community includes approximately 13,000 people.

The archives preserve materials that document the organizational, cultural, religious, educational, business, and family life of Delaware’s Jewish community. Holdings include photographs, documents, oral histories, audio-visual materials, private papers, newspapers, memorabilia, and artifacts. All collections are stored in climate-controlled facilities and processed according to professional archival standards. Major collections highlight the lives and work of prominent Jewish Delawareans, including the Harry Bluestone Collection, the David Geffen Collection, and the Mollye Sklut Collection. The archives also maintain an extensive biographical collection with information about many Delaware Jewish individuals and families.

Additional holdings include records from the Jewish Community Center of Wilmington, the Jewish Federation of Delaware, and Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth Congregation, the oldest enduring congregation in the state. Recent acquisitions include the papers of William Penn Frank, a nationally known Delaware journalist; an extensive Greenbaum family photograph and correspondence collection; records from the Montefiore Mutual Benefit Society and Vaad Hakashruth; Holocaust-related materials; and minute and membership books from Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth Congregation. Many of these books date to the 1890s and are among the oldest surviving records of Delaware’s Jewish community. The archives’ family and genealogical collections continue to grow.