Subject guides: Jewish Studies and Holocaust &amp; Genocide Studies: Journals & Databases

Key Databases

Listed here are some of the key databases relevant to Jewish Studies and Holocaust & Genocide Studies. From their descriptions, you'll note that some are subject specific while others are multidisciplinary covering a range of subject areas.

Australian public affairs : full text (Informit) This link opens in a new window
Indexing and full text database that provides access to published material on Australian social sciences and humanities. Source documents include periodicals, newspapers, scholarly journals, conference papers, and books. Subject coverage includes business, health, current affairs, economics, humanities, law, literature, politics and social sciences. Inclusive coverage from 1978 to the present, with full text from 1995 onwards.
Conditions & politics in occupied Western Europe, 1940-1945 This link opens in a new window
This is a fully searchable database of British Government records including almost 180,000 images or pages from The National Archives at Kew. These historical documents capture the hidden history of war-torn Europe and offer researchers, teachers and students many new perspectives on politics, diplomacy and everyday life in the German-occupied countries. Here is the complete record of political life in Occupied Western Europe available to the British Government during World War II.
Dead Sea scrolls electronic library. Biblical texts This link opens in a new window
Brill's Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library presents a complete Hebrew transcription and English translation of the Biblical texts, together with high-resolution images.
Dead Sea scrolls electronic library. Non-biblical texts This link opens in a new window
The Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library (DSSEL) provides the user with a comprehensive tool for the study of the non-biblical texts from the Judean Desert (the “Dead Sea Scrolls”) offering transcriptions (texts), translations, images, an inventory, and software for carrying out searches and viewing the images.
Expanded Academic ASAP This link opens in a new window
See: Academic OneFile
Fortunoff video archive for Holocaust testimonies This link opens in a new window
On campus access, or remote access via vpn .See: https://www.monash.edu/esolutions/network/vpn

The Fortunoff Archive currently holds more than 4,400 testimonies, which are comprised of over 10,000 recorded hours of videotape. Testimonies were produced in cooperation with 37 affiliated projects across North America, South America, Europe, and Israel. The Fortunoff Archive and its affiliates recorded the testimonies of willing individuals with first-hand experience of the Nazi persecutions, including those in hiding, survivors, bystanders, resistants, and liberators. Testimonies are recorded in whatever language the witness prefers, and range in length from one-half hour to over 40 hours (recorded over several sessions).
Historical abstracts (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Citation database of English language and foreign language journal articles, articles in collected works, dissertations and books about the history of the world from 1450 to the present, excluding the United States and Canada. Abstracts, in English, are provided for articles only.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a comprehensive library of important scholarly literature, built by over 1,700 worldwide participants, including major Australian universities. It includes thousands of academic journals, books, and primary sources from a wide range of academic publishers and university presses. Titles span across disciplines, including core areas such as business & economics, social sciences, education, history, language & literature and science. Current journals are linked and cross-searchable with archival journals and ebooks.
Post-war Europe : refugees, exile and resettlement, 1945-1950. This link opens in a new window
This online archive delivers essential primary sources for the study and understanding of the challenges facing the European peoples in the aftermath of World War II. It covers the politics and administration of the post war refugee crisis in Europe well as the day-to-day survival of the refugees themselves, and contains newly-commissioned essays by leading scholars. These essays offer an insight into key themes and provide direct links to the documents mentioned and a means to access for students unfamiliar with the original materials. Five documentary British Pathe films provide visual evidence of key issues covered by the documents.
ProQuest This link opens in a new window
The Proquest platform is a leading multidisciplinary portal allowing cross-search access to many key online databases, both full text and bibliographic. Databases cover academic and professional disciplines such as business, law, education, computing, science, technology, engineering, arts, and medicine, and consist of scholarly journals, books, video & audio, dissertations & theses, newspapers and more. Search multiple databases simultaneously or select from amongst individual database titles. A complete list of database titles available to Monash University students and staff is available at the site.
RAMBI : the index of articles on Jewish Studies. This link opens in a new window
RAMBI - The Index of Articles on Jewish Studies - is a selective bibliography of articles in the various fields of Jewish studies and in the study of Eretz Israel. Material listed in RAMBI is compiled from thousands of periodicals and from collections of articles - in Hebrew, Yiddish, and European languages- mainly from the holdings of the Jewish National and University Library, a world centre for research on the Jewish people and Eretz Israel.
Testaments to the Holocaust This link opens in a new window
Testaments to the Holocaust is the online publication of the archives of the Wiener Library, London, the first archive to collect evidence of the Holocaust and the anti-Semitic activities of the German Nazi Party. It contains documentary evidence collected in several different programmes: the eyewitness accounts which were collected before, during and after the Second World War, from people fleeing the Nazi oppression, a large collection of photographs of pre-war Jewish life, the activities of the Nazis, and the ghettoes and camps, and other important content.
Twentieth century religious thought. Volume III, Judaism. This link opens in a new window
This collection focuses on modern Jewish theology and philosophy and details Judaism’s evolution from the late 19th century by examining printed works and rare documents. It includes an international selection of English-language editions of key thinkers such as Eugene Borowitz, Elliott Dorff, Emil L. Fackenheim, Blu Greenberg, David Hartman, Mordecai Kaplan, Adolf Neubauer, and Joseph B. Soloveitchik; writings in German and Hebrew from the Markus Brann collection, and a selection of contextual monographs and reference works.
Visual history archive This link opens in a new window
NOTE: VHA's system requirements: Windows Vista, 7, and 8 with Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 or above

The USC Shoah Foundation Institute's Visual History Archive provides access to over 50,600 video interviews conducted with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust. These testimonies were collected in 56 countries and in 32 languages. The majority of the interviews are with Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Political prisoners, Roma and Sinti (Gypsy) survivors, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and liberators, witnesses, rescuers, and aid providers also provided testimony.
Political extremism and radicalism in the twentieth century This link opens in a new window
With a range of content focused on political extremism and radical thought in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America, Political Extremism provides a range of documents and audio recordings covering the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The archive will contain over 600,000 pages of content, making it one of the first digital archives on far-right and left political groups. This archive includes a diverse range of content, including campaigning materials, propaganda, government records and various ephemera. The inclusion of oral histories, both as audio recordings and transcripts, makes this archive a unique resource for researchers. The subscription is for Part 1, and Part 2 from 2022 (Part 2 concentrates on Far rights groups in America)
Prosecuting the Holocaust : British investigations into Nazi War crimes, 1944-1949 This link opens in a new window
Drawn from The National Archives (UK) and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this collection contains a wealth of information regarding the British government's efforts to investigate and prosecute Nazi crimes during the period 1944-1949. The evidence gathered sheds light on almost every aspect of the Holocaust, from the concentration camp system to the mass murder of the “incurably sick” in psychiatric hospitals. More importantly, it gives a voice to the victims of these atrocities, many of whom testified about their experiences immediately after the war.
Jewish life in America, c1654-1954 : sources from the American Jewish Historical Society, New York This link opens in a new window
Database of original materials selected from the archive of the American Jewish Historical Society in New York. The collection enables the user to explore the history of Jewish communities in America from the arrival of the first Jews in the 17th century right through to the mid-20th century. The collection brings to life the communal and social aspects of Jewish identity and culture, whilst tracing Jewish involvement in the political life of American society as a whole.
World trials (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
The World Trials database contains trial transcripts and other critical court documents, but also trial-related resources such as monographs that analyse and debate the decisions of famous trials. It also includes biographies of many of the greatest trial lawyers in history.

Key Journals

These are some of the key journals in the field of Jewish Studies. It is easier to search for journal articles using the Library's databases but you can also try to find relevant articles by looking in the key journals themselves. You can browse through journals and look at their tables of content online or in print, depending upon their format. With some online journals, you can also try searching for key terms or authors within the publications themselves.

AJS Review
Published on behalf of the Association for Jewish Studies, the AJS Review publishes scholarly articles and book reviews covering the field of Jewish Studies. From biblical and rabbinic textual and historical studies to modern history, social sciences, the arts, and literature, the journal welcomes articles of interest to both academic and lay audiences around the world. A substantial portion of each volume is devoted to reviews of the latest scholarly Judaica and to review essays on current trends in publishing.
American Jewish history
Bringing readers all the richness and complexity of Jewish life in America through carefully researched, thoroughly accessible articles, American Jewish History (AJH) is the most widely recognized journal in its field. Founded in 1892 as Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, AJH is the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), the oldest national ethnic historical organization in the United States. It is published by The Johns Hopkins University Press.
AIR:Australia/Israel review
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) is the premier public affairs organisation for the Australian Jewish community. Its monthly magazine, The Australia/Israel Review (or AIR), highlights developments in the Middle East affecting Israel and public policy issues of interest to the Australian Jewish community. The website also contains useful links and information: http://www.aijac.org.au/
Australian Journal of Jewish Studies
The Australian Journal of Jewish Studies is an international, peer-reviewed journal published annually by the Australian Association for Jewish Studies. The Journal is devoted to the study of Jewish culture in all aspects and all periods. All research articles in the Journal have undergone rigorous peer review.
Holocaust and genocide studies
The major forum for scholarship on the Holocaust and other genocides, Holocaust and Genocide Studies is an international journal featuring research articles, interpretive essays, and book reviews in the social sciences and humanities. It is the principal publication to address the issue of how insights into the Holocaust apply to other genocides. Articles compel readers to confront many aspects of human behaviour, to contemplate major moral issues, to consider the role of science and technology in human affairs, and to reconsider significant political and social factors.
Israel Affairs
Scholarly and authoritative, yet straightforward and accessible, Israel Affairs aims to serve as a means of communication between the various communities interested in Israel: academics, policy-makers, practitioners, journalists and the informed public. It is essential reading for anyone anxious for a fresh analysis of a key country in one of the most confounding regions in today’s world.
Israel Studies
A semiannual journal devoted to multidisciplinary scholarship on Israeli history, politics, society, and culture, with emphasis on the current State of Israel, including the effect of events in the Diaspora communities. Contains articles on topics of broad interest reflecting diverse points of view.
The Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal
The Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal covers all aspects of the history of the Jewish people in Australia. The Journal is national in coverage and deals with the whole sweep of Australian Jewish history from 1788 to the contemporary period.
Journal of genocide research
Journal of Genocide Research is a cross-disciplinary journal that promotes the scholarly study of genocide. It contains articles that combine empirical research with conceptual reflection on these and related topics, like social psychology, military intervention, post-genocide conflict management as well as gender and memory issues.
Journal of Israeli history
The Journal of Israeli History is dedicated to the scholarly examination of issues and ideas in the history of Israel and the Zionist movement. The premier English-language source of cutting-edge scholarship on Israel’s history, the journal is essential reading for scholars and students of international relations, Middle East Studies, and Jewish Studies. The journal features an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, reflecting Israeli historiography’s increasing engagement with the social sciences and cultural studies. The journal fosters an ongoing dialogue between scholars from Israel and other countries, the expression of differing world views and beliefs, and evaluations of new methodologies. The Journal of Israeli History is a vibrant, lively periodical hosting continuing discussions on identity and memory, state and diaspora, relationships between gender, ethnicity and nationalism, and Middle Eastern politics and society.
Journal of Palestine Studies
The Journal of Palestine Studies is the oldest and most respected English journal devoted exclusively to Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Each issue brings you timely and thought-provoking data and analysis on political, cultural, and historical issues affecting Palestine and the Palestinians. With an emphasis on peaceful resolution of conflict, the journal unites sound research and analysis with a variety of well-informed perspectives by academics, policymakers, and experts. Published quarterly, the Journal of Palestine Studies is a vital resource for anyone interested in the Palestine Question.
Polin
Polin, established in 1986 by the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies, has acquired a well-deserved reputation for publishing authoritative material on all aspects of Polish Jewry. Contributions are drawn from many disciplines-history, politics, religious studies, literature, linguistics, sociology, art, and architecture-and from a wide variety of viewpoints. Published for the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies and the American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies.
Prooftexts
Prooftexts provides a forum for the growing field of Jewish literary studies. Integral to its mission is an attempt to bring together the study of modern Jewish literatures (in Hebrew, Yiddish, and European languages) with the literary study of the Jewish classical tradition as a whole. Since its inception, the journal has as much stimulated and created the field of Jewish literary studies as it has reflected its achievements.
Tikkun
Named after the Jewish concept of mending and transforming a fragmented world, the magazine Tikkun offers analysis and commentary that strive to bridge the cultural divide between religious and secular progressives. By bringing together voices from many disparate religious and secular humanist communities to talk about social transformation, political change, and the evolution of our religious traditions, Tikkun creates space for the emergence of a religious Left to respond to the influence of the religious Right and the distortions of global capitalism, while simultaneously critiquing reductionist views that sometimes prevail in liberal and progressive circles. The magazine, which began as a progressive Jewish publication, provides intellectually rigorous, psychologically sophisticated, and unconventional critiques of politics, spirituality, social theory, and culture and is known for its coverage of the Israel/Palestine conflict, social justice issues, and the environment.
Women in Judaism
Women in Judaim is an academic, refereed journal published exclusively on the Internet, and devoted to scholarly debate on gender-related issues in Judaism. The ultimate aim of the journal is to promote the reconceptualization of the study of Judaism, by acknowledging and incorporating the roles played by women, and by encouraging the development of alternative research paradigms. Cross-methodological and interdisciplinary, the journal does not promote a fixed ideology, and welcomes a variety of approaches.

Jewish Studies and Holocaust & Genocide Studies: Journals & Databases

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Key Databases

Key Journals