WEST HARTFORD – The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford will host the opening of the traveling exhibit, “From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America” on Wednesday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m. Michael Feldberg, exhibit curator and director of research at the American Jewish Historical Society will be guest speaker.

The exhibit will run through Sept. 24 and will be on display at the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford.

Created from the Library of Congress collections and the New England Archives of the American Jewish Historical Society in Boston, the exhibit traces the history of the original 23 refugees who landed in America in 1654, seeking refuge from persecution, discrimination and legal barriers to their security and advancement. It also documents the way in which Jews made America their home and enumerates their contributions to the nation’s developing values and institutions.

Some of the historical treasures owned by the Library of Congress and reproduced in this exhibit include a 1735 Hebrew grammar book, required for every Harvard College freshman at the time; an 1863 petition protesting General Ulysses S. Grant’s decision to expel all Jews from Kentucky and Tennessee during the Civil War; and a hand-written version of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”

“From the original 23 refugees who landed in America in 1654, to the diverse and important Jewish community we know today, this exhibit is a colorful chronicle of America’s rich Jewish history,” says Feldberg.

The Mandell Jewish Community Center is located at 335 Bloomfield Ave. West Hartford. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily. Admission is free. Docent-led tours are available for groups.

For more information call (860) 727-6170.