The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is thrilled to announce the acquisition of an inspiring and robust collection from internationally acclaimed photographer Bill Aron, Jewish Art Salon member in California, whose lens has, for more than fifty years, illuminated the vibrancy, diversity, and resilience of Jewish life around the world.
The World in Front of Me: A Bill Aron Retrospective Exhibition opening and reception will take place on Thursday, February 5″ 2026
Presented by Jay & Gretchen Stein
The Center for Jewish History
15 West 16th Street, New York, NY
Febr. 5: 5:00 pm doors open I 5:30 pm remarks by Bill Aron I Reception to follow
REGISTER HERE for the OPENING
The World in Front of Me will be on view until June 4th with free admission at the Center for Jewish History.
A storyteller with a camera, Aron is best known for his striking portraits of Jewish communities — from the Deep South to Los Angeles, from Cuba and the former Soviet Union to Jerusalem. His work, exhibited at leading institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Art Institute of Chicago, The Jewish Museum in New York and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, has helped define how we see Jewish life in the modern era. His books, including From the Corners of the Earth and Shalom, Y’all, are also considered essential works in American photography.
AJHS will house and care for Aron’s expansive archive, comprising more than 100,000 individual negatives, thousands of work and exhibition prints, and an extensive collection of digital materials, a treasure trove that captures half a century of Jewish experience at home and abroad.
To celebrate Aron’s remarkable work and history, AJHS and Aron will present a career-spanning retrospective, The World in Front of Me: A Retrospective on Bill Aron, opening at the Center for Jewish History in February 2026. The exhibition will be accompanied by a podcast series offering personal reflections from Bill Aron, behind-the-scenes stories, and insights from his decades capturing Jewish life through photography. Hosted by acclaimed author Ruth Ellenson (The Modern Jewish Girl’s Guide to Guilt), the series will provide a deeper, more intimate look at Aron’s work and legacy.
“As the oldest cultural archive dedicated to American Jewish history in the United States, AJHS is the natural home for Bill Aron’s extensive and impressive photographic legacy. For decades, he has provided a window into the lives of Jewish people around the world, and Bill has captured the beauty, traditions, and resilience of Jewish people, including through some of the most tumultuous times in our history,” said Gemma Birnbaum, Executive Director, American Jewish Historical Society.
Bill Aron added, “It is an incredible honor to have my work preserved in such an important archive, and deeply meaningful to know it will be accessible, both onsite and digitally, to scholars, researchers, and artists for generations to come.”
Materials from the collection, much of it already digitized, are expected to be available to researchers as soon as this summer.
“The acquisition of the Bill Aron photography archive is a perfect match of collection and repository, as both AJHS and Aron are dedicated to chronicling Jewish life in the Americas. This collection will add a beautiful and unique perspective to the AJHS photography holdings and will serve as a wonderful resource for scholars and artists alike,” remarked Melanie Meyers, Deputy Director and Chair, Collections and Engagement.
Further details on the exhibition, podcast, and related programming will be announced in the coming months.
“Sukkot: American Jewish Gothic (Zev),” circa 1974-1978.
From Jewish New York (Lower East Side) 1974-1978. Bill Aron.
“Tallit Steps, Jerusalem.”
From the Corners of the Earth.
Copyright © 1986 Bill Aron. All rights reserved.
About Bill Aron
Bill Aron (b. 1941) is an award-winning American photographer whose moving portraits of individuals and communities have been exhibited in major museums and galleries throughout the United States and Israel, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Jewish Museum in New York. Represented by the Pucker Gallery in Boston since 1975, he has published several books of his photographic works, beginning with From the Corners of the Earth (1986) and most recently New Beginnings: The Triumphs of 120 Cancer Survivors (2015). Aron lives and maintains his studio in California.
About the American Jewish Historical Society
The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) is the oldest ethnic, cultural archive in the United States. Founded in 1892, AJHS provides access to more than 30 million documents, artifacts, and photographs chronicling the Jewish experience in America. Through exhibitions, public programs, and research resources, AJHS preserves and shares the rich history of Jewish life in the United States. Visit ajhs.org to learn more and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
