Hear OWashington : Jewish Life : Museum : Washington State Jewish Historical Society

Unlocking the Voices of our Community

Hear O'Washington is a new multi-year initiative launched in 2020

Learn about Jewish life in Washington state past and present preserved through recorded Oral Histories.

Know someone who should have their Oral History recorded? Click here for details.
Schedule a meeting to discuss your/your family's history digital museum exhibit.
More information about each service is available at the link.

Featured podcast: Ladino Refranes

There are many ways to capture voices in the digital age. We have extended beyond the traditional oral history to feature voices from the Seattle Sephardic Network grappling with idioms, insults and dirty words in the Ladino language, once spoken by over 500,000 Jews.

Click here to access the new and innovative podcast!

Featured Video: Interview with Miri Cypers, Regional Director of the ADL

Shema: Hear O'Washington Event Video

Volunteer with the Hear O'Washington Committee

The Hear O'Washington Committee Chair is Jeremy Ehrlich.

Volunteer with the Hear O'Washington Committee as an interviewer, transcriber, community researcher, or digital curator. There are jobs for everyone. Use this link and enter HOW Committee along with your specific interest(s) and any questions you may have in the "additional details" box on the form.

Submit Your Own Story

Submitting your story is different than the HO'W initiative that features larger and more extensive interviews. Submitting your story to a specific exhibit ensures your important story and experience is preserved in the context of a larger digital exhibit.

Submit to Confronting Hate Together

We are deeply grateful for your heartfelt support of the "Confronting Hate Together" exhibit. Your commitment to standing against hate and fostering understanding means the world to us. Because we value your perspective and want to ensure your voice is heard during this critical time, we are kindly asking that you share your thoughts and feelings with us through the platform Their Story using the link below. This should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
Tell your story as a Jewish Woman in WA state

Agents of Change are remarkable Jewish women (that's you) of Washington State who have made their mark, created change, and inspired others. Share your story about how you broke a barrier, stood up to lead, went above and beyond, or achieved something great.

Learn about the Archives & the Oral History collection

Our latest podcast takes a deep dive into the Washington State Jewish Archives, featuring interviews with some of our region's most legendary figures, including executives from the Seahawks and Supersonics, the founder of Costco, and the longtime leader of the Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz.

Listen to this podcast at this link.

Isaac Alhadeff Foundation
The Loeb Family Charitable Foundation

Funding for Shema: Hear O'Washington is made possible by all of our generous sponsors and, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and by Humanities Washington and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020

Washington State Jewish Historical Society is dedicated to discovering, preserving, and disseminating the history of the Jews of Washington state and promotes interest in and knowledge of the life, history, and culture of the Jewish people and communities through publications, exhibits, displays, speakers, tours, and performance.