Bibliographer: Hebrew Bible/Judaica

Date Revised: September 14, 1998

General Purpose:

The Judaica Collection is primarily intended to support undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as faculty and student research, in the area of Judaism. It also provides support for specific courses in other areas (e.g., Hebrew Bible, Church History, etc.). As one of the major collection of Judaica studies in the Southeast, it also serves as a significant source for scholars and students through the Interlibrary Loan system.

Languages;

Primarily English, German, and Hebrew (ancient, rabbinical, modern); some works in French, Latin, Spanish, Dutch, Yiddish.

Geographic Areas:

North America, Western Europe, Israel; Eastern Europe, from approximately 1850-1940.

Chronological Limits:

As a special collection, the Judaica Collection is not generally restricted or limited to any specific chronological period (see below).

Types of Materials Collected:

Monographs, serials, periodicals, encyclopedias.

"Judaica" is a term usually applied to books dealing with subjects of Jewish interest, regardless of whether the authors are Jewish or not. As a part of the Divinity Library (complemented by the holdings of Central Library), the Judaica Collection basically should include religious works, e.g. the primary religious texts of Judaism, in the original languages and translations; Jewish interpretations of the Bible; works on the Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, Gaonic literature; works on worship and liturgy; and philosophical works. Also of interest are traditionally, sociologically, and politically oriented research, i.e., works dealing with the religious, spiritual, cultural, or institutional aspects of the Jewish tradition the Jewish community. The area of Jewish history generally should include any book dealing with the history of the Jewish people up to 1650, and books dealing with the history of the Jewish people after 1650 if their major emphasis is the intellectual and spiritual life of the Jewish community or nation . Jewish major emphasis is the intellectual and spiritual life of the Jewish community or nation. Jewish belles lettres, with single volumes or anthologies, normally should be housed in Central except for Jewish folk-lore, works of a spiritual or religious nature, or works written in the Hebrew alphabet or in European language translations. The Nahum Glatzer collection (added in 1991) expands the focus to include 19^th and 20^th century European Judaism. Holocaust literature and history is jointly collected in Central and Divinity.

Types of Material Excluded:

Jewish belles lettres; works on the fine arts or literature.