Jewish Roots of American Liberty: The Impact of Hebraic Ideas on the American Story
By Wilfred M McClay and Stuart Halpern (Encounter Books)

This 21-chapter collection explores the profound influence of Jewish tradition on American ideals, from the nation’s founding principles to its literature and political culture. It reveals how biblical values and the Hebrew tradition helped shape the freedoms and institutions that define the United States.

The Jewish South: An American History
By Shari Rabin (Princeton University Press)

Diving into a lesser-known part of American History, this panoramic nonfiction book traces more than 300 years of Jewish life in the South. Shari Rabin highlights the complex choices southern Jews made as they sought to belong in a society built on enslaved labor while preserving their Jewish identity through adaptation and religious innovation.

Read more about the Jewish South here: https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2026/07/01/new-books-that-explore-the-jewish-south/

Yiddish Scholarship Comes to America: The YIVO Institute at 100
By Kalman Weiser (Wayne State University Press)

Originally founded in 1925, with headquarters in Vilna until World War II, YIVO has spent more than a century preserving the language, history and culture of Eastern European Jewry. This book traces the organization’s remarkable journey through genocide, mass emigration and displacement, highlighting its enduring mission to safeguard Jewish heritage for future generations.

Jewish Firebugs: Arson and Antisemitism from the Civil War to World War I
By Jeffrey A. Marx (New York University Press)

Drawing on fire department reports, insurance records, newspapers, trial transcripts and humor journals, Jeffrey A. Marx delves into both the accusations and the realities of Jewish arson from the late 1800s to the early 1920s. This new nonfiction title also examines the socioeconomic truths about Jewish immigrants and how the arson accusations from 100+ years ago tie into the  antisemitism Jews face today. 

Who Is American?: Belonging and the Question of Jewish Citizenship
By Lila Corwin Berman (Princeton University Press)

Jewish citizenship has never been a simple journey and Lila Corwin Berman details its longstanding complexities. In her new book, she draws on case law, statutes and debates to argue that both the laws of American citizenship and Jews’ position in them changed repeatedly across the 20th century. Rather than finding resolution, the idea of citizenship continues to be debated, which explains why the United States continues to discuss the question of who is American.

Heritage: Jewish Artists in America since 1900
By Matthew Baigell (Syracuse University Press)

Featuring the work of 20th-century Jewish artists including Mark Rothko, Leon Israel, Max Weber and Saul Bernstein, this nonfiction book explores how Jewish identity, history and culture shaped American art. By placing these artists in a distinctly Jewish context, Matthew Baigell offers a fresh perspective on their lasting influence on American art history.

A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hun­dred Years of Reli­gion in America
By Brook Wilensky-Lanford (Atlantic Monthly Press)

When it came to the separation of church and state, America faced a defining question: Would religion deepen the nation’s divisions, or could it become a force for unity and freedom? In this sweeping nonfiction history, Brook Wilensky-Lanford explores that question further, from the nation’s earliest days to the 2024 election, examining how religious communities—including American Jews—helped shape the country’s evolving understanding of faith and religious liberty.

Play­mak­ers: The Jew­ish Entre­pre­neurs Who Cre­at­ed the Toy Indus­try in America
By Michael Kimmel (W.W. Norton & Company)

Did you know that many of the toys you know and love today were created by Jews? From Barbie and G.I. Joe to the teddy bear, Mr. Potato Head and more, Michael Kimmel’s book dives into the history of the toy industry, spotlighting companies like Mattel and Hasbro and the Jewish innovators whose creativity transformed childhood play.

Read our review here: REVIEW: ‘Playmakers’

Courtney Shapiro is the Assistant Digital Editor for Hadassah Magazine. She has written for Woman’s World, First for Women and Best Life. Follow her on Instagram for book recommendations, reviews and more.