Donations

Letter from the Chairman

​Dear Family and Friends,
 
I want to take this opportunity to let you know of a few of our accomplishments during 2019 that were made possible because of your support.

Educational Grants in Public Policy
In 2017, SHS established the Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program to support the continuing education of students whose professional objective is advancement in the field of public service. The Program reflects the Straus family’s long and honored history of public service and philanthropy. In the spring of 2018, SHS awarded its first scholarship, and in the spring of 2019, we awarded two scholarships to a pair of extraordinary young women with accomplishments far beyond their years.
 
Archiving Work Continues
SHS’s new digital archivist, Kyle Johnson, continues to digitize the Society’s archives. You can view our work online here, where you will find the L. Straus & Sons, Georgia, Early Family and Lazarus Straus Family Collections. Kyle is currently working on our extensive Titanic Collection.
 
Documentary Interviews
Joan Adler and Isidor and Ida Straus’s great grandson, Paul Kurzman, gave interviews to two international documentary filmmakers. SHS also provided photographs from our archives and information about the Straus’ history. In addition, Joan worked with Steve Frizell, who is creating a documentary about the history of Straus Park on New York’s Upper West Side.
Donate by Check:
Please mail your check to
Straus Historical Society, Inc.
Post Office Box 416 
Smithtown, NY 11787-0416

Donate Online:
Online donations are accepted through the following platforms:
Annual Report
A copy of the Straus Historical Society's annual report may be obtained, upon request, from the Society or from:

Office of the Attorney General
Charities Bureau
120 Broadway
New York, NY 10271

​20th Anniversary Celebration Event
SHS received its nonprofit 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS in 1998. Our 20th anniversary celebration was held April 15, 2019 at The Center for Jewish History. It was co-hosted by Leo Baeck Institute and the American Jewish Historical Society. (AJHS was founded by Oscar S. Straus in 1892.)
 
Morse Charitable Trust Annual Matching Grant
We are grateful to the David A. and Mildred H. Morse Charitable Trust for honoring SHS with a Challenge Matching Grant. Because of your generous earmarked contributions, an additional year of funding was raised for our able assistant director, Catherine Smith.
 
Sustained growth and maintaining excellence do not come without cost, a cost that increases each year. If we are to be positioned to build on our achievements, we respectfully ask that you consider as generous an investment in SHS as you feel you can afford.
 
Help us honor the legacy of the past and the present for future generations. Your FULLY TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation may be made by check, or by clicking the Donate button below.

Thanks. I look forward to meeting more family members in the future.  If you plan to be in the San Francisco Bay Area, please contact me at dhkurzman@gmail.com and let’s grab a coffee.
 
Always,
David H. Kurzman, Chair of the Board

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The Straus Historical Society

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