Prof. Hayim Tawil’s An Akkadian Lexical Companion for Biblical Hebrew  is the fruit of many years of intensive effort. In this book, which will serve as an essential reference tool in the fields of Biblical studies and Semitic languages, Dr. Tawil provides etymological equivalents between Biblical Hebrew and Akkadian, as well as semantic and idiomatic relationships between words in the two languages. Thus, hundreds of Biblical words and idioms are offered new meanings in context through examination of the Akkadian in similar usage.

It is the richness of extant Akkadian literature and hence vocabulary which enabled Prof. Tawil, on the basis of previous scholarly work, to build his "Lexical Companion."  The reader may expect virtually every page to provide some fresh perspectives on Biblical words or expressions, some previously obscure and others now newly interpreted.

Posted by Zvi Erenyi

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The Archaeology of Cult in Middle Bronze Age Canaan :  the Sacred Area at Tel Haror, Israel, by Jill Katz. Gorgias Press, 2009.

The Archaeology of Cult in Middle Bronze Age Canaan is Dr. Jill Katz’s book-form publication of her doctoral dissertation. In it she reviews different theories on the origins of ancient religions and cultic practices and develops a series of archaeological correlates to determine how to evaluate and draw conclusions from archaeological evidence. She then tests these correlates against the findings of archaeological investigations in Tel Haror and thirteen other Middle Bronze Age sites in Canaan. At the end she includes maps of the sites, graphs of collected data and pictures of representative types of artifacts.

Posted by Moshe Schapiro

Posted by Hallie Cantor

Jewish Ethics as Dialogue: Using Spiritual Language to Re-imagine a Better World, by Moses L. Pava. Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

Jewish Ethics as Dialogue is an innovative discussion of the translation and adaptation of the core moral and ethical values of Judaism to the modern, secular culture of society in general and the business community in particular. It provides a framework for thinking about the interaction of ancient traditions with the progressive worldviews of the contemporary western world. Dr. Pava's essays are both enlightening and thought-provoking. 

Posted by Moshe Schapiro
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Catalogue of the Cairo Geniza Fragments in the Westminster College Library, Cambridge, by Elazar Hurvitz. Cairo Geniza Institute, Yeshiva University, 2006.

The two volumes of Dr. Elazar Hurvitz's catalogue of Cairo Geniza fragments held in the Westminster College Library of Cambridge (UK) represent the first installment of a monumental project.

The first volume describes the discovery of the Geniza and its subsequent dispersal to a variety of libraries and collections throughout the world. It also presents an analysis of the content, significance and dating of the fragments, and a thorough treatment of the history of the Ben-Ezra Synagogue, where most of the Geniza was housed, and other synagogues in Old Cairo and Memphis (Egypt).  The second volume offers an identification (or a description where identification is impossible) and a bibliography for each of the 2,500 fragments in the collection, and correlates the fragments with similar material in other collections. A third volume is in preparation; it will contain selected texts from the Geniza at Westminster College, supplemented by related material from elsewhere.

Posted by Zvi Erenyi

Neo-Babylonian Court Procedure, by Shalom E. Holtz. Brill, 2009.

In his new book, Neo-Babylonian Court Procedure, Professor Shalom Holtz has transformed his doctoral dissertation into a sophisticated monograph on the subject of legal procedure in one of the regions of ancient Mesopotamia. The book begins by presenting a comprehensive classification of the text-types that made up the "tablet trail" of records of the adjudication of legal disputes in the Neo-Babylonian period. In presenting this text-typology, it considers the texts' legal function within the adjudicatory process. Based on this, the book describes the adjudicatory process as it is attested in private records as well as in records from the Eanna at Uruk. This book will be an important addition to the scholarship of Ancient Near Eastern studies.

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Revealed Texts, Hidden Meanings : Finding the Religious Significance in Tanakh, by Hayyim J. Angel. Ktav, 2009.

Revealed Texts, Hidden Meanings is a collection of essays dealing with different personalities in the Bible, literary techniques of the prophets and questions of methodology in biblical interpretation. Each essay is a self-contained unit, but read together, they present a wide-ranging and deeply penetrating analysis of biblical exegesis and the theological lessons that can be derived from the text. Both in content and form these essays are fascinating and thought-provoking.   

Posted by Moshe Schapiro.

Did you know that Jacob de Cordova, a Jew born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1808, was a Texan pioneer?  De Cordova settled in the Republic of Texas in 1837 and by 1848 ran one of the largest land agencies  in Texas, which had become a state in 1845. A gift of rare Americana, recently donated to the library by Dr. Ronald Rubin,  includes a deed signed by the governor of Texas, George T. Wood, granting a vast tract of land near Austin to Jacob de Cordova.

The  donation also includes large bound  volumes of newspapers from New York and New England, chiefly from the early 19^th century.  The collection is especially rich in newspapers documenting the War of 1812. A particularly rare document is the  black-bordered issue of the New-York Spectator from July 18, 1804, with a detailed description of the funeral of Alexander Hamilton, who was fatally shot in a duel with Aaron Burr. Hamilton’s last residence, Hamilton Grange, is currently located on 141^st St. in St. Nicholas Park, not far from the Wilf Campus.  

Dr. Ronald Rubin is a professor of political science at CUNY, a noted collector of antiquarian Americana, and the author of several books and numerous articles.

A couple of months ago Prof. Daniel Rynhold’s latest book, An introduction to medieval Jewish philosophy, came off the press. Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, Librarian at the Mendel Gottesman Library, had this to say about the new publication:

Medieval Jewish philosophy is a difficult area of study to penetrate. Obscure terminology and conceptual frameworks that are rooted in Greek, Arabic and Hebrew sources can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. That is why Dr. Daniel Rynhold's An Introduction to medieval Jewish Philosophy is such a worthwhile endeavor. Dr. Rynhold surveys the approaches of the greatest figures of medieval Jewish philosophy to some of the most fundamental topics of philosophy and theology. He explains the background, assumptions and orientations of each philosophical approach in an organized, lucid and interesting manner. This book will give perspective and clarity to those who have already dabbled in Jewish philosophy as well as provide orientation and direction to the new student.

The YULIS catalog will be accessible via the following URL:

http://tinyurl.com/YUcatalog

The E-Res pages will be accessible – on campus only – via the following URL:

http://yeshiva.docutek.com/eres

We apologize for the inconvenience this causes our patrons.

Librarians here remember Fred as a consummate gentleman, a mentor for young professionals, with charm and with a sense of humor.  He was quick to see the potential of technology for information and research, and brought the first computers to Yeshiva’s libraries.

 Sefer Imre Barukh, ‘Eruvin u-Reshuyuot, by Rabbi Baruch Simon. New York, 2009.

 Rabbi Baruch Simon's latest publication is an erudite, thorough and lucid study of some of the most complex and heatedly debated topics in Jewish Law. Rabbi Simon covers the definitions of the different halachic "domains" on Shabbat, the regulations of the structural aspects of contemporary eruvin and the proper procedural methods for enacting an eruv. Though the subject matter is by its very nature difficult, Rabbi Simon's clarity and organization make the discussion accessible and meaningful even to the non-expert.

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 Orthodox Jews in America, by Prof. Jeffrey S. Gurock. Indiana University Press, 2009.

 Dr. Gurock's latest study of the history of Jews in America is an enthralling and thought provoking survey and analysis of the changing challenges and developments within Orthodoxy in America. Dr. Gurock begins with the problems of mass assimilation and Sabbath desecration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, continues with the educational and social innovations of the middle part of the 20th century and concludes with the more contemporary issues of the manifestations of feminism and materialism within the orthodox community. Captivating anecdotes and absorbing discussions of controversial matters make this volume a fascinating read. 

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 Sefer ha-Gan, by R. Aharon ben R. Yosi ha-Kohen, 13^th cent.; edited by Prof. Mitchell Orlian. Jerusalem : Mosad Harav Kuk, 2009.

 R. Aharon ben R. Yosi ha-Kohen, one of the French Ba'ale ha-Tosafot, wrote his original and penetrating commentary on the Pentateuch, Sefer ha-Gan, over 700 years ago, but it is only with the publication of this new volume that the full work of this great Medieval commentator has been made available to all. Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Orlian's painstaking labor over manuscripts, and his addition of careful and copious footnotes have resulted in a presentation of both a classical commentary and an illuminating work of modern scholarship.  

We welcome suggestions for appropriate additions to the collection.
 

For installation and printing instructions click on **Printing from laptops ** on the Library’s main web page, or pick up a paper handout in the Library.

STAND- A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition is the student run division of Genocide Intervention Network. Our mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. Born out of the fight to stop genocide in Darfur, Sudan, STAND is devoted to creating a sustainable student organization that actively fights genocide wherever it may occur. We seek to unite students around the world in a permanent anti-genocide constituency.

The YU Chapter of STAND aims to educate the campus about genocide and provide you with an opportunity to take action. Fueled by our Jewish responsibility to protect innocents and maintain a just world, we hope to bring YU to the forefront of social activism.

Working with the Yeshiva University Library, we are encouraging students to take advantage of the resources available on campus. The library collection contains a large selection of genocide related reading. Realizing that education is a base off of which we can impact permanent change, we hope for students to take steps towards empowering themselves by reading about past and present genocides. With a range of books focusing on historical, emotional, and political aspects of genocide, we hope to create a heightened level of awareness on campus.

The only way to end the silence is to end the ignorance. By encouraging education we are pushing the campus towards a higher level of awareness and activism. The library is an invaluable tool for us in this process, and we are extremely excited for the chance to work with them.  

Dr. Dienstag was a scholar-librarian par excellence, and a bibliographer who was well known for his chosen field of research, Maimonidean scholarship. 

• The Gertrude Hirschler Papers, documenting the publishing career of this editor/translator of literary works.
• The Irving I. Herzberg Photograph Collection, containing thousands of images depicting Brooklyn's Hasidic community, Israel, and general New York City life.
• The National Council of Jewish Women, Department of Service for the Foreign Born Records, consisting of numerous case files from the agency's efforts to help immigrants adjust to the United States and to locate their missing relatives.
• The Israeli Broadside Collection and  the Tovia Halberstam Religious Broadside and Ephemera Collection, intentionally-assembled collections covering a wide array of economic, cultural, social, religious and political issues encountered by the Jewish communities of Palestine/Israel and Brooklyn, N.Y., respectively. 

These collections represent a small number of the more than 300 manuscript collections held by the Archives that document modern Jewish history and culture in the United States and abroad.  The full list of online guides can be viewed at the Finding Aids main page.

Ha-Yayin bi-Yeme ha-Benayim – Wine in Ashkenaz in the Middle Ages, by Prof. Haym Soloveitchik. Jerusalem : Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History, 2008. In Hebrew.

In the Middle Ages, wine played a much greater role than it does today.

How did the small Jewish population of Ashkenaz deal with the halakhot of yeyn nesekh when they were dependent on the gentile population for the production and transport of wine as well as help in their kitchens? The book answers this question in much detail and expands into many related areas.

 Divine footsteps: Chesed and the Jewish soul, by Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman. Yeshiva University Press, 2008.

 Chesed, loosely translated as kindness, but meaning much more, is discussed in this book, bringing to the fore Chesed’s philosophical meaning, its premise as imitatio dei, and especially its many halakhic implications.

Feast your eyes on the latest addition to the library’s digital projects page. A visual treat and a historic artifact, the Memorbuch is an example of the renaissance of the art of manuscript decoration in Central Europe in the 18^th century.  The Memorbuch was written and illustrated by Binyamin Ze’ev (Wolff Jacob) of Kempen in Breslau in 1765.  It was dedicated in the neighboring community of Auras in 1803. 

The economy sank. But our professors soared.

This year Hedi Steinberg Library has seen new releases of three of our faculty members. Turkish courts, Boer Wars, British salons and imaginary realms – the following books take readers around the world.

THE HUNGRY CLOTHES & OTHER JEWISH FOLKTALES, by Peninnah Schram. Diverse selection of Ashkenazic and Sephardic legends, parables, fables, and supernatural and mystical stories. Part one of a brand new series aimed to acquaint children with the faith and values of their heritage. Sterling Press.

Judaica Juvenile BM 530 .S44 2008

ACTING LIKE A LADY, by Nora Nachumi. An in-depth look at 18^th century theater and its impact on British women novelists. From stage to drawing room, immortal subjects are discussed (i.e. Austen, Burney), as well as their association with contemporary playwrights. AMS Press, Inc.

PR 858 .P44 N33 2008

SARAH HECKFORD: A LADY TRADER IN THE TRANSVAAL, edited by CAROLE G. SILVER. Governess, doctor, builder, nurse, farmer – Sarah Heckford did it all, trekking to the Transvaal and eventually peddler-trading with the Africans and Afrikaners of the bush-veldt. This book examines both her private, eventful life, and her attitudes to empire, politics, and race. Parlor Press, 2008.

On order

Articles of interest about Jewish books include:

• Yizkor Books in the Twenty-First Century: A History and Guide to the Genre, by Michlean J. Amir and Rosemary Horowitz
• No Disneyland: Biography and Bibliography of Rabbi Shimeon Brisman (1920-2004), by Roger S. Kohn
• Studying the Jewish Book: A Review Essay (review of: The Book in the Jewish World 1700-1900, by Zeev Gries) by Arthur Kiron
• Recognizing Jewish Children’s Literature for Forty Years: the Sydney Taylor Book Award, by Kathe Pinchuck

 Also included are articles about cataloging, classification, indexing and the 2008 Sydney Taylor awards.

If you would like to suggest other magazines for circulation, from among those received at the Pollack Library, please click on Comments below and let us know.

About the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ)

Founded by Jacob Birnbaum in 1964, the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry was one of the first concrete, communal steps in the awakening of American Jews to the oppression of their brethren in the Soviet Union.  The civil rights movement’s successful use of open protests and civil disobedience led to Birnbaum's belief that students would be more likely to respond to calls to action than their elders. Birnbaum moved to Washington Heights, near Yeshiva University, which he used as a base to mobilize students on behalf of Soviet Jewry, laying the groundwork for a national movement that energized a post-Holocaust generation of Jewish activists.

For over 25 years, the SSSJ tried to hold weekly, and sometimes even daily, events and to provide a steady flow of information to the media and to other organizations. From its mantra “Let My People Go”, to events such as the Jericho, Geulah, and Exodus marches, the SSSJ viewed its mission in historic terms, and tenaciously strove to send a message to the US and to the Soviet Union that the Jewish community would not remain silent.  Natan Sharansky stated that "students and housewives" helped free him. These "students and housewives" were the backbone of the SSSJ.

About the SSSJ Collection

In 1993, Birnbaum donated the SSSJ records to Yeshiva University Archives.  This collection, one of the largest in the Archives’ holdings, documents the full scope of SSSJ's activities on behalf of Soviet Jewry, as well the condition of Jewry and individual Jews in the Soviet Union through numerous firsthand accounts. It includes case files of hundreds of individual refuseniks, correspondence, especially with Jewish “establishment” organizations and members of the United States and Israeli governments,  newsletters and other SSSJ publicity information, clippings, thousands of photographs of SSSJ events, posters, buttons and other artifacts from SSSJ demonstrations, reports, and hundreds of sound and video recordings. 

Highlights of the collection include footage of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach singing "Am Yisrael Hai" for the first time, which he wrote at Birnbaum’s request and became the movement's "theme song",  figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Golda Meir, Elie Wiesel, Senator Jacob Javits, Alan Dershowitz, Avraham Burg, and refuseniks such as Anatoly Shcharansky, Yosef Begun and Yosef Mendelevich. 

Since it was donated to Yeshiva University, the research value of the collection has been utilized by historians, documentary filmmakers, authors and numerous others in their work documenting the American Soviet Jewry movement, an area of growing interest among both scholars and the general Jewish public.  In 2007, Yeshiva University granted Jacob Birnbaum an honorary degree for his achievements on behalf of Soviet Jewry.

A detailed description of the collection, known as a “finding aid”, with background information on the SSSJ and a comprehensive list of the collection contents, can be found here.  

About Finding Aids to Collections at Yeshiva University Archives

The SSSJ online guide is the latest of a growing number of finding aids to collections from the Archives’ rich and diverse trove of organizational records and personal papers relating to modern Jewish history and culture in the United States and abroad that are available on the web.  The full list of online finding aids can be viewed at the Finding Aids main page. 

More information about Yeshiva University Archives can be found at the Special Collections website.  For questions about the SSSJ collection, finding aids, or other holdings in the Yeshiva University Archives, send email to archives@yu.edu or call (212) 960-5451.

We look forward to sharing library news and to posting relevant information in a timely fashion.  Add the blog to your RSS feeds and keep up to date with your Library.

At the Libraries:

• Sandra Herschli Straus has retired from her postition at the Hedi Steinberg Library.  Ms. Herschli Straus provided evening service at the Library for the past  19  years. 
• The libraries in the Mendel Gottesman Library Building on the Wilf Campus may now be reached by stairs.  There is no longer a need to wait for an elevator on the G level of the Building.  This is a first step.  Access to the Building is being completely overhauled in conjunction with construction of the adjacent Glueck Center for Jewish Study.
• Color printing is now available on the Wilf Campus in the Mendel Gottesman Library.  After a short period of testing the plan is to proceed at the Beren Campus as well.

Derashot Shedarashti -  Sermons of Rabbi Norman Lamm.  With more than 10,000 visits in its first two months the Lamm Sermons website appears to be filling an important niche.  Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Chancellor of Yeshiva University, provided the Library with manuscript copies of approximately eight hundred sermons that he delivered over a period of almost fifty years.  The sermon manuscripts and some eulogies as well, were digitized by the Library and are now available as part of the Lamm Heritage website.  Go to Lamm Heritage and click on From the Lamm Archives, or link directly to the sermons.    

Hot off the press!  The Book of Esther:  A Classified Bibliography, Edith Lubetski and Meir Lubetski, Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2008.  Congratulations to Prof. Edith Lubetski, Head Librarian of the Hedi Steinberg Library on this impressive achievement.  The “bibliography attempts to provide an extensive collection of twentieth-century studies dealing with the Scroll of Esther.  It…assembles items scattered all over the world, in many languages, covering a century of scholarship.”

Did you know that among its Sephardic publications the Mendel Gottesman Library has an extensive collection of books in the Ladino language?  Many are in very fragile condition and the Library was successful in securing a $30,000 grant this year through the New York State Discretionary Grant Program to preserve them on microfilm.  Search the YULIS catalog for the subject Ladino Literature to find our Ladino publications.