A Collection Spanning Centuries: Library of Congress Is One of World's Foremost Centers for Hebraic Studies

106 SHOFAR A COLLECTION SPANNING CENTURIES: Library of Congress Is One ofWorld's Foremost Centers for Hebraic Studies1 Michael Grunberger Michael Grunberger is head of the Hebraic Section of the Library of Congress. The Library's first documented Hebrew book, a 17th-century HebrewLatin tractate of the Talmud, was in the collection that Thomas Jefferson sold to Congress for the Library in 1815. The Library of Congress, one of the world's foremost centers for the study of Hebrew and Yiddish materials, has acquired Hebraica since its earliest days. An exhibit, "From the Ends of the Earth: Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress," is based on those collections. According to Irene Burnham of the Office of Interpretive Programs, the exhibit is a "demonstration of America's receptiveness to all culturesthe people, as well as their civilization and their written legacies." The items on display are relevant to all, not just those of Jewish descent, since they give "insight that spans centuries. And for me personally, what is remarkable about many of the items is the sense of humor evident in them. Although their makers were dealing with sacred traditions, the works are also funny, a characteristic not often found in sacred Christian" art and liturgy. The makings for the exhibit go back to the first decade of this century, by which time the Library had acquired a number of important Hebraic works, including four incunables (books printed before 1501) and at least one miniature manuscript. In 1912 Jacob H. Schiff, the well-known financier-philanthropist, purchased for the Library of Congress (at Librarian Herbert Putnam's behest) nearly 10,000 Hebrew books and pamphlets from the private collection of Ephraim Deinard, a well-known bibliographer and bookseller. Through Schiff, the Library acquired a second Deinard collection in 1914, and it pur1Reprinted with permission from the Library of Congress Information Bulletin ofJune 17, 1991. Volume 10, No.1 Fall1991 107 chased additional Hebraica from Deinard in 1916 and 1920. These four collections , totaling some 20,000 volumes, form the nucleus of the Hebraic Section . Related reference works are found in other reading rooms, such as Newspaper and Current Periodical. In 1914 Congress set aside funds to establish a Semitic Division in the national' library. This initial appropriation, which officially marks the founding of what is today the Hebraic Section, covered the salary of Israel Schapiro, the librarian-scholar who served as chief of the Semitic Division from its creation until his retirement in 1944. A Hebraic collection was established in the Library, in the words of then Librarian Putnam, in "recognition of the part which Hebrew history, literature and tradition ... play and will play in the affairs of this country." It was with the 1916 purchase-the first major acquisition of Hebraica with funds appropriated by Congress-that the Library enlarged its mission to include a commitment to strengthen its collection of materials relating to the cultural and spiritual heritage ofJews. In the years that followed these initial acquisitions, the Library expanded its holdings to include all materials of research value in Hebrew and related languages. Today the section houses works in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Arabic, Aramaic, Syriac, Coptic, Amharic, and Tegrenian. The section's holdings are especially strong in the areas of the Bible and rabbinics, liturgy, Hebrew language and literature, and Jewish history . Extensive collections of printed editions of Passover haggadot have been assembled, as well as a comprehensive collection of yizker-bikher (i.e., Holocaust memorial volumes). The Hebraic Section received a second major boost via the enactment of Public Law 480 in 1958, through which 25 U.S. research libraries, including the Library of Congress, were supplied with a copy of virtually every book or journal of research value published in Israel. The PL-480 program for Israeli imprints, coordinated by the Library, lasted from 1964 to 1973, and provided each of the participating institutions with an average of 65,000 items over the course of the program. Since 1973 the Library has maintained this high level of acquisition. Hebraica is currently acquired through a variety of channels, including blanket order agreements with book suppliers in Israel and the United States, a network...