Engage with us and learn about Michigan's rich Jewish history! That's all we do, and we have been doing it since 1959. We offer meaningful and informative programming--from lectures with renowned scholars and amazing bus and bike tours through historic neighborhoods, to our award-winning publications. We have something for everyone!
All aboard for a great activity for your family reunion or tour group! JHSM’s award-winning bus tours of historic Jewish Michigan are just the ticket. Tailored to your group's interests and timetable, our tours offer visits to former synagogues and explorations of historic sites of interest. Your group will feel entertained, educated, and uplifted.
Private tours are a meaningful and popular way for families, organizations, sisterhoods, reunion committees, and more to gain a deeper connection to Michigan's Jewish roots. Click below to contact us about booking a customized private tour!
JHSM’s Speakers' Bureau travels around the state to present one of several multi‐media “virtual tours” of historic Jewish Michigan. Members of JHSM’s Speakers’ Bureau are seasoned JHSM docents who bring their own unique styles to their presentations. All presentations can be given either in person or virtually. Choose from:
We charge a modest stipend for our Speakers' Bureau presentations. For more information or to schedule,
JHSM maintains an active year-round calendar of activities that support the organization’s mission. JHSM presents and sponsors, often in collaboration with other organizations, author chats, lectures and events that relate to the preservation and celebration of Michigan’s Jewish heritage and history. Our events are crafted to be both educational and entertaining and appeal to a broad range of participants.
JHSM also extends its programming to areas outside of Detroit, including communities such as Traverse City, Flint, and Windsor, Ontario.
In 2010, JHSM launched a collaborative community-awareness event, J-Cycle, a bicycle tour of historic Jewish Detroit. Held each August, and always to a sold-out crowd, J-Cycle enables participants to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city while learning the area’s Jewish history.
Sharing our state’s proud Jewish history is central to the mission of Jewish Historical Society of Michigan. JHSM's Jewish History Curriculum reaches students of all ages. Our educators not only bring Jewish history to life, but also demonstrate how Jewish values have been and continue to be a vital part of our community. Customizable for communities outside of the Detroit area, our immersive classroom experiences build an understanding of Michigan’s Jewish history, and reinforce Jewish pride and identity through engaging stories of Michigan’s early Jewish settlers, along with the legacies of today’s Jewish innovators, philanthropists, leaders, and urban pioneers.
We are especially known for our Traveling Trunk program, which engages roughly 400 fifth- and six-graders each year. It begins with an immersive four-part series of classroom lessons that actively explore and engage students in the history of Detroit’s Jewish community. It concludes with a hands-on, experiential bus tour of historic Jewish Detroit, connecting Detroit’s Jewish past with its Jewish future.