Association of Jewish Libraries 2024 Conference San Diego

Building an East Asian Judaica Collection in the Harvard Library--Elizabeth Vernon
This presentation will outline how the Harvard Library Judaica Division developed its holdings of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Judaica, particularly the process by which Judaica titles published in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea over the past 30 years were identified. The presentation will also explore the Judaica topics explored in these countries, and the commonalities and differences in the Judaica publication patterns in each country.

The Shlansky Collection of Jewish and Israeli Law at the Cardozo School of Law: Collection Development Issues & Challenges--Ellen Drucker-Albert
Cardozo’s Shlansky Reading Room is a special collection of books and periodicals of Jewish and Israeli law emphasizing Mishpat Ivri and the various sources of law from which Israeli law has developed. Growing a comprehensive Israeli and Judaic law collection presents a unique set of challenges. Selecting authoritative sources requires expertise in Jewish legal tradition and contemporary Israeli law to maintain a balanced and relevant collection. The collection needs to encompass both classical Jewish legal texts and contemporary Israeli legal materials. This presentation will examine techniques used to strike a balance between these facets considering user needs and research trends to develop a long-term plan for maintenance and growth.

The legacy of German Judaica through Books as Objects of Memory among Jewish German Refugees in Argentina--Tamara Kohn
This paper explores diverse book collections in multiple German synagogues in Argentina, as historical artifacts symbolizing migration, resilience, and tradition. Comprising religious and secular texts, these volumes biographies and provenance reflect enduring ties to German heritage amid adversity. They serve as potent historical relics, preserving the collective memory and identity of German Jews in the diaspora. It aims to examine the significance of Judaica and books as memory objects in Argentina and to contribute to holocaust studies and Jewish history, especially amidst the contemporary challenges of global antisemitism and Holocaust denial.