A new exhibit presented by the American Jewish Historical Society at the Center for Jewish History will survey the ways that secular, hip, young American Jews wear their Jewishness on their sleeves–literally. With various contemporary, funny, edgy Jewish-themed T-shirts on display, “Shmattes” will challenge the common ways we think of American Jewishness today. Featuring T-shirts ranging from celebrated brands such as Los Angeles-based Unkosher Market, politically savvy independent artists selling their work globally, Shmattes has a special tee for everybody.

Shmattes, which translates to “rags” in Yiddish, is a traveling exhibit curated by artist Anne Grant. Grant writes that her collection was inspired in part by the growth of individuals who identify as “culturally Jewish.” According to the Pew Research Center (2013), one in five Jews–22 percent–described themselves as having no religion.

“While culturally Jewish people may attend trips such as Birthright or join online dating services such as JDate, their Jewish identities are said to be ‘thin’–weak, ambivalent, and often lacking the foundation of a religious education. We know what culturally Jewish people are avoiding (religious rituals and synagogue membership, to name a few things); But what are they embracing?” Grant writes on shmattes.org.

“For almost three years, I have been collecting over 100 T-shirts from all over the American Jewish landscape–bat and barmitzvahs, retail stores, independent visual artists, university Hillels, and more–that represent the multifaceted and hybridized identities of culturally Jewish people in America. This collection attempts to ‘track’ via T-shirts the ways in which American Jews have creatively dealt with what it means to identify as culturally Jewish. Self-aware, visually striking, and often funny and provocative, these T-shirts are narratives of wildly divergent culturally Jewish identities. With their cheeky, status-conscious treatments of what is (and what is not) Jewish, these shirts challenge the myth of a united and dominant American Jewish identity,” Grant writes.

The exhibit is open Sundays 11:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.; Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.—8:00 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m.—5:00 p.m.; and Fridays 9:30 a.m.—4:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m., Shmattes, presented by the American Jewish Historical Society, will feature live onsite T-shirt printing, wine and latkes, and tours–come schmooze! Tickets: $25 general; $20 students, AJHS members, and seniors. Visit http://cjh.org/event/2740 or call 212-294-8330. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan.

The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture, and heritage. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

The partners’ archives comprise the world’s largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span 700 years, with more than 5 miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs.

The Center’s experts are leaders in unlocking archival material for a wide audience through the latest practices in digitization, library science, and public education. As one of the world’s foremost research institutions, the Center offers fellowships, a wide array of exhibitions, symposia, conferences, and lectures. The Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a partner of the Google Cultural Institute.

The Center for Jewish History is home to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room; Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute; David Berg Rare Book Room; and the Collection Management & Conservation Wing. Public programs create opportunities for diverse audiences to explore the rich historical and cultural material that lives within the Center’s walls.

The American Jewish Historical Society is the oldest ethnic, cultural archive in the United States. AJHS provides access to more than 25 million documents and 50,000 books, photographs, art and artifacts that reflect the history of the Jewish presence in the United States from 1654 to the present. It is the future of the American Jewish past.

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