A Century of Jewish Life

Text by Saul Austerlitz

During its century of operation, the Yiddish newspaper the Jewish Daily Forward (known to its readers as the Forverts) and its English-language sibling The Forward have accumulated a remarkable collection of photographs of Jewish life.

In their photos--now collected for the first time in "A Living Lens: Photographs of Jewish Life from the Pages of the Forward"--we can see the evolution of Jewish life over the course of the 20th century--moving from Europe to the United States and Israel, incorporating tradition and modernity, ancient religious practice and contemporary celebrity culture.

In these photos, Jewish life is captured for eternity, bringing together movie stars and Zionist pioneers, college students and rabbinic scholars. Judaism, continuous and ever-evolving, pauses here to pose for the camera.

Photo Credit: The Forward Association