History is Calling! Celebrating 130 Years of Jewish History in the Bay Area

Presented by J. The Jewish News of Northern California and the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life.

Join the J. and the Magnes for a free, family-friendly afternoon of programs and activities celebrating 130 Years of Jewish History in the Bay Area.

• Be a part of our audio history project: Record a voice mail sharing your Jewish history story.
• Hear from local archivists Susan Morris and Lara Michels as they look back at Jewish identity and culture in the Bay Area
• Dive into Bay Area Jewish history with a hands-on, family-friendly art workshop
• Discover local Jewish material culture and journalism from the Magnes collection and the J’s archive.
• Connect with the community during a reception with light refreshments

Sunday, March 22, 2026 | 1:00-4:00 pm

at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA

Activities and Reception begin at 1:00pm
Historian Panel begins at 2:30pm

For questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please reach out to magnes@berkeley.edu or (510) 643-2526 with as much advance notice as possible.

About the Panelists

Lara Michels is an archivist and historian. She serves as Head of Archival Processing at The Bancroft Library, where she oversees work on all of Bancroft’s archival collections, including those of the Magnes’ former Western Jewish History Center. She has also been an archivist at the Pacific Gas & Electric Company and at the Judah L. Magnes Museum.

Susan Morris is a a former archivist and curator in the Western Jewish History Center, Judah Magnes Museum, Berkeley. She served as Executive Director of the Judah Magnes Museum following the retirement of Seymour Fromer, Magnes museum co-founder. Susan is the author of A Traveler’s Guide to Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries of the California Gold Rush. She is a Rosston Society member of the UC Berkeley University Library.