Share Your Journey

The journey of the Jewish diaspora has had an immense impact on the development of modern world politics, economics and culture. Many modern Jews can trace their roots back to distant lands far from their current home. These journeys permeate generations, passed down through treasured stories, objects and photographs. Where did your family's journey begin? What is your diaspora story? Share your journey below and include a family photograph, home video or image of a special heirloom that represents your own Story of the Jews.

Stephanie Gutman McCaw

Teaneck, NJ, United States

In 1912, my Grandpa Philip left Russia to avoid going into the Russian army, which would have been a fairly certain death sentence. He was 18 when he came to ...

Cantor Josh Breitzer

Brooklyn, NY, United States

My great-grandfather Cantor Jacob Margolis studied at the Great Yeshiva in Vilna. In 1907 he went to England to teach Hebrew and later led a group of 200 families to ...

Nicholas S. Miller

New York, NY, United States

Like most New York Jews, both my parents trace their ancestry back to Eastern Europe and Russia, with details growing hazy before the pogroms that forced our relatives to the ...

Simon Schama

New York, New York, USA

The Story of the Jews writer and presenter Simon Schama shares his family's history as a part of the great Jewish diaspora.

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THE STORY OF THE JEWS IS A SERIES WRITTEN & PRESENTED BY SIMON SCHAMA BBC, THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC.