Jewish Historical Society of Michigan

Illuminating the past for a brighter future

West Bloomfield, MI   |  www.jhsmichigan.org

Mission

Founded in 1959, JHSM, a nonprofit educational organization, interprets and highlights the history of Jewish Michigan. Through the past, we understand our present and actively shape our future. We firmly believe in history as activism. Our mission is to glean wisdom from the tragedies and triumphs of the past to path our future. In the classroom, the boardroom, or out in the community, JHSM brings the past into dialogue with the present to illuminate and advance the aims of social justice. With your help, we can achieve our vision: illuminating the past for a brighter future.

Ruling year info

1961

Executive Director

Catherine Cangany PhD

Main address

33228 West 12 Mile Rd. #349

West Bloomfield, MI 48334 USA

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EIN

38-6056397

NTEE code info

Historical Societies and Related Activities (A80)

Jewish (X30)

Cultural, Ethnic Awareness (A23)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Jewish History Curriculum

Targeting 5th and 6th-grade religious school students, our Jewish History Curriculum begins with "The Traveling Trunk," an immersive four-part series of classroom lessons that actively explore and engage in the history of Michigan's Jewish community. It concludes with a hands-on, experiential bus tour of historic Jewish Detroit or Jewish Ann Arbor, connecting Michigan's Jewish past with its Jewish future.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Our Speakers' Bureau, staffed by highly trained docents, travels around the state to present multimedia “virtual tours” of historic Jewish Michigan. Topics include Detroit Jewish History, 1760s-1940s; Northwest Detroit; The Synagogues of Michigan; Michigan Women Who Made a Difference; Michigan's Jewish Cemeteries; and Jewish Yearbook Show & Tell (highlights of our collection).

Population(s) Served
Jewish people
Retired people

THE MWWMD Project collects and preserves the biographies of Michigan women who helped build and shape Michigan’s Jewish communities, and shares those biographies through an online archive and gallery: https://www.michjewishhistory.org/mwwmd/.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls

Since 2010 we have offered an annual bicycle tour of historic Jewish Detroit. Held the third Sunday in August to a sold-out crowd, J-Cycle gives riders of all ages and abilities a chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city while learning about Detroit's rich Jewish history. The route and stops vary each year, but the ride is always a blast!

Population(s) Served
Adults
Adolescents

Looking for a great activity for your family reunion or tour group? JHSM’s award-winning bus tours give life to Detroit’s rich Jewish history and showcase the accomplishments of Jewish people. Tailored to your group's interests and timetable, our tours offer visits to former synagogues and explorations of sites of historic interest, both old and new. Our tours are designed to entertain, educate, and inform. A great way to hand down stories to the next generation!

Population(s) Served
Jewish people
Jewish people
Jewish people
Age groups
Families

Where we work

Awards

Outstanding Published Periodical Award 2021

Historical Society of Michigan

Affiliations & memberships

Historical Society of Michigan - Outstanding Published Periodical Award 2021

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of paid participants on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Jewish people, Secular groups, Adults, Children and youth

Related Program

J-Cycle

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

J-Cycle not offered in 2020 due to Covid-19. Offered a deliberately smaller, distanced version in 2021.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Michigan's Jewish population, plus the interested general public.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Community meetings/Town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We did not hold J-Cycle in 2020 because our members were not ready to meet in person.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    As we pursue a Museum of Jewish Michigan, we have conducted numerous listening sessions with out members, to discern their interest in pursuing it. The museum won't go forward without their support.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

Jewish Historical Society of Michigan
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Jewish Historical Society of Michigan

Board of directors
as of 2/9/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Risha Ring

Risha Ring, PhD

Consultant

Ken Bernard

Bernard Wealth Management

Barbara Cohn

Jeannie Weiner

Michael J. Kasky

Margery Jablin

Deede Auster

Nancy Gad-Harf

Larry Gunsberg

Suzanne Curtis

Hon. Susan Moiseev

Martin Shichtman

Stacey Simmons

Michael Smith

Trudy Weiss

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 02/09/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/09/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.