Guest post by Marianna Najman-Franks, Barnard ’22. Marianna has done incredible work in the last three years participating in various projects to provide important access to the Judaica collections. Over the past 3 years I’ve been a part of so many incredible projects at the RBML, but by far the most exciting moment I’ve been […]
Learning from the crowd: the CULHebrewmss Twitter bot
In 2018, we decided to partner with a developer named Russel Neiss to create an automated Twitter account that randomly selects and posts images from the Hebrew manuscript collection on the Internet Archive. In doing so, we have not only made the manuscripts available to an audience that includes people who could not or would […]
New Acquisition Roundup: Rare and Digital
Special Collections: Although many people have been away from campus over the last year, there has been a significant increase of books available in the Judaica collection at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Some books are newly arrived on campus, while others, like a work with a list of English cantillation marks and descriptions, […]
Salo Baron and Columbia’s Judaica Collections
This essay was initially published in the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies‘ Spring 2021 newsletter. It is copied here with permission. Salo Baron’s impact on Jewish Studies in America is widely known. Less well known, however, is the impact he made in building the Judaica collection at Columbia University. Soon after Baron’s arrival at […]
Chanting the Torah Through the Centuries
When the Torah is read in the synagogue, there is a distinct tune that is used for the traditional chanting. It is called cantillation in English, trop in Yiddish and te’amim in Hebrew, and is indicated in the Hebrew Bible by various symbols above and below the letters. Medieval manuscripts often included the masorah, a […]
Norman E. Alexander Celebration of Collections and Research
Please join us at the 10th annual Norman E. Alexander Lecture in Jewish Studies! All are welcome, but registration is required. […]
The Luzzatto family at Columbia
There were many notable Italian Jewish families throughout history. One of the more famous ones was the Luzzatto family, which included many important scholars and rabbis. According to family lore, the Luzzattos originated in the city of Lausitz in Germany before they migrated to Italy in the mid-15th century. Members of the family settled first […]
Norman E. Alexander Newsletter Fall 2020
To download a PDF version with clickable links, click here: Newsletter 2020-2 […]
Norman E. Alexander Newsletter, Spring 2020
We are pleased to share the Spring Newsletter for the Norman E. Alexander Library for Jewish Studies. Click to download the PDF (with clickable links): Newsletter 2020-1 […]
Manuscript in Printed Books
This essay was written for the Insitute for Israel and Jewish Studies’ Spring 2020 Magazine. The full magazine can be downloaded on the IIJS website. In presenting the rare Judaica to students and other visitors to the libraries, I have learned that sometimes basic terms can be confused. For instance, many people think that a […]