YIVO Institute works to document COVID-19's effect on Jewish life

The initiative, launched earlier this month, focuses on collecting first-hand accounts of how the coronavirus has affected Jewish life.

By AARON REICH
A man studies in a university library. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A man studies in a university library.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research has launched a new initiative to gather and compile stories of Jewish life during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative, launched earlier this month, focuses on collecting first-hand accounts of how the coronavirus has affected Jewish life.
Founded in 1925 and now based in New York, YIVO seeks to preserve, study and teach Jewish history. Their archives contain over 23 million different documents, recordings and other artifacts, and their library contains the world's single largest collection of Yiddish-language works.
"From its earliest years, YIVO collected the experiences of the Jewish people in their own words," YIVO Archives' director Stfanie Halpern said in a statement.
"Today, as the COVID-19 pandemic affects the world in unprecedented ways, we are launching a new archival initiative to ensure that everyone’s stories and experiences during these difficult times can be saved for future generations."
All accounts can be submitted online here.
The coronavirus outbreak has had a significantly disruptive impact on Jewish life around the world, as the social distancing methods required to slow the spread of the virus clash with many inherently communal Jewish traditions, with many institutions and synagogues being forced to close their doors amid the pandemic.
YIVO itself is one such Jewish organization struggling during the coronavirus, with its facilities being forced to close their doors at the end of March, along with some of its fellow partners at the New York-based Center for Jewish History.
This disruption was especially evident on Passover, as families were forced to hold the Passover Seder by themselves rather than visit relatives.
In order to help combat the aid the Jewish community's collective response and management of the pandemic, eight major Jewish federations led by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) formed an emergency coalition in March to encourage cooperation and proactive management.