Commemorations & Celebrations

The artist Lee Krasner (1908-1984) created a strikingly diverse body of work, ranging in style from realism to cubism to abstract expressionism, and in form from paintings to collages to mosaics. The home Krasner once shared with her husband, fellow artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), was designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1994.

Eldridge Street Synagogue was built in 1887 for Congregation Kahal Adath Jeshurun, an Orthodox Jewish congregation made up primarily of immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe. The synagogue illustrates the history of Orthodox Jewish immigration and community in New York City’s Lower East Side from the 1880s through the 1920s.

B’nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery illustrate the history of Jewish immigration and community in North Dakota. The cemetery was established by the Jewish community of Grand Forks in 1888. The synagogue was designed in the Art Deco style in 1937 and is the second house of worship constructed by this congregation. Most of its founding members were immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe. Both the synagogue and cemetery are in active use.

The Jacksonville Jewish Center embodies the growth and development of the local Jewish community of Jacksonville, Florida from the 1950s onward. It is located in the historic Springfield neighborhood and consists of a community center and educational annex. The center, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, served as a place to educate Jewish children and provided a haven where Jewish culture could be cultivated and shared for the local Jewish community.

The relationship between Levi Memorial Hospital and Hot Springs National Park demonstrates an enduring connection between Jewish American communities and the National Park Service. The hospital the national park’s thermal water to treat disabled Jewish visitors to Hot Springs, combat anti-Semitism through achievements in health, and provide a lasting site of thermal water medicinal care in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Rosika Schwimmer was a Hungarian peace activist, suffragist, and feminist. When she applied for United States citizenship, officials rejected her petition. The application asked if new citizens would be willing to take up arms to defend the country. Due to her pacifist beliefs, Schwimmer refused. Officials viewed her refusal as a sign of disloyalty and lack of commitment to the Constitution. In 1929, Schwimmer’s challenge to their decision went to the Supreme Court.

Clara Lemlich Shavelson was a union organizer, suffrage activist, and Communist Party organizer.