Ten years ago, Nikki Schreiber decided two things: that she needed to honor her late father’s memory and that the world needed more positive and uplifting tales of Judaism. So, she created the Instagram account — now, social media brand — @humansofjudaism, which shares snapshots of Jewish people from all corners of society.
The posts include details of who they are, what their daily lives are like and what Jewish religious practices and culture mean to them.
“When it started it was this campy little project. It was basically ‘forcing my friends and family to follow my little page’ kind of energy,” she said with a laugh. “I started the account without any ambition other than to sort of aid my grief and work on some sort of a project with a bit of a purpose.”
That was in June. By the end of August, the account had garnered more than 10,000 followers.
“I was like, ‘Oh, this is interesting. We have something here,’” she said.
A decade after that idea was born, the Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History in Center City is preparing to open its new installation based on Schreiber’s work and her recently released book, both of which share the same name as the brand.
“Nikki’s Humans of Judaism project is one of the most moving and important social media accounts in the Jewish world today,” said Emily August, chief public engagement officer at the Weitzman.
The exhibit opens on Dec. 1 and runs to Feb. 1. This follows the release of the Humans of Judaism book by Schreiber earlier this fall.
“I have been able to encounter different Jewish organizations and individuals to do more and more in my father’s memory, and that’s how the brand got started,” she said. “The book is just the next exciting chapter, no pun intended, in the journey.”
The exhibit consists of a curated selection of photos accompanied with the stories of their subjects. The exhibit traces the development of the brand, showing this content on digital screens, printed pages and more. Some of the entries include stories of Nissim Black, a Hasidic rapper; Aly Raisman, a Jewish American gymnast who has won six Olympic medals; and Sam Salz, a 5-foot-6 Jewish student who had never played organized football before walking onto the legendary Texas A&M University program in 2022.
Schreiber said that the connections she makes and then sees forged through her work are the most rewarding parts of the whole experience. She called the account a “modern, accelerated version of Jewish geography,” in terms of how it has linked people. One example that stuck with her came after she posted a powerful image of a Holocaust survivor holding an infant.
“With the tattoo on her arm and the baby, you don’t even need to know anymore information. Suddenly, on Facebook, there is a comment from a woman who said, ‘I can’t believe it — that’s me. I’m the baby,’” Schreiber said.
The account was relatively new and small at this point, so it was particularly special. It turned out that the now-adult woman had been photographed years ago with her survivor grandmother, and somehow the photo found its way to Humans of Judaism. Schreiber privately messaged the woman and asked her if she had permission to share this revelation with the rest of the page. The woman approved, and the special moment was preserved.
“That’s so authentic; you can’t ever plan something like that,” Schreiber said.
This comes as the Weitzman prepares to begin a new era under CEO Dan Tadmor in January. The museum has previously expressed its intent to share topical Jewish stories and increase its reach through the use of modern channels like social media.
This is the Weitzman’s fourth special installation of 2024. The Humans of Judaism exhibit follows one that featured portraits of hostages taken on October 7, 2023, in the Hamas attacks; an exhibit that showed photos and essays by local students at Central High School; and a pop-up version of the moving exhibit titled “The Moment the Music Stood Still: The Nova Music Festival.”
“[Schreiber’s] work, like our museum, tells the stories of real Jewish people, highlighting their joys and their struggles — always with warmth and a sense of hope for our people,” August said. “It is fitting for the Weitzman to host the first in-person showcase of her work.”
The Humans of Judaism account has evolved a lot in a decade, as has its purpose. What was once a lighthearted side project that focused exclusively on uplifting Jewish anecdotes has become a center for social justice activism, Holocaust education and Jewish history. Schreiber just wants to see it continue to be a space for the normal, everyday lives of Jews around the world to be celebrated in a time when it is increasingly brave to simply exist as a Jew.
“This is not my book — it’s a collaborative, community effort,” she said. “My hope is that it just gives [non-Jewish] readers a nice seat at our table to learn about us, our community, our traditions and our history, and [Jewish readers] a chance to celebrate our history and traditions with a sense of pride and discovery.”
More information can be found at https://humansofjudaism.com/book/ and https://theweitzman.org/events/humans-of-judaism/.
