Two new digital manuscript sites: Dead Sea Scrolls and Maimonides

In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd exploring a cave in the Judean desert came across a fantastic treasure trove of Hebrew documents from the third to the first centuries BCE.  The Dead Sea Scrolls, as we now know them, are now the oldest known Biblical manuscripts in existence.  While they can be viewed today at the […]

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RAMBI: The Index to Articles in Jewish Studies

One of the first things to do before embarking on any research is to check the current work on the topic being studied.  In many cases, this can be very daunting: How do I find what has already been done?  Sure, I can check CLIO to see if there are books published in my area of […]

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Hebrew Mss @ CUL: New Acquisitions in History and Literature

CUL is proud to announce the recent acquisition of two new manuscripts, both dealing with Sephardic Jewry, which were sold at a recent Kestenbaum and Company sale as part of the Alfonso Cassuto collection. The first manuscript, from 1506 (left), is critical for the history of the Jews in Portugal.  The manuscript contains a register of […]

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New Resource: Confidential Print, Middle East (1839-1969)

We are proud to announce a new database containing primary sources relating to the history of Israel and the Middle East: The Confidential Print collection includes documents relating to Middle Eastern history from the years 1839-1969.  The series originated out of a need for the British Government to preserve all of the most important papers […]

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Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees: The West’s Response to Jewish Emigration

As part of a purchase of a major database collection, Columbia now has access to "Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees: The West’s Response to Jewish Emigration." According to the site’s description: The Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees (IGCR) was organized in London in August 1938 as a result of the Evian Conference of July 1938. The Evian […]

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Free resource: Jewish Telegraph Agency Archives (1917-2008)

Thanks to many and various funders, the Jewish Telegraph Agency has been able to post its archives online in a fully searchable (by keyword, date, and topic) website.  A premier resource for "news about the Jews," the JTA reported news worldwide, and was (and is) cited by many other newspapers throughout its time.  Major topics […]

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New Database: Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954

I am very pleased to announce a new database available at Columbia, Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954.  According to their own description: "Jewish Life in America will enable you to explore the history of Jewish communities in America from the arrival of the first Jews in the 17th century right through to the mid-20th century. […]

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Historical Jewish Press

In studying historical events, one of the most interesting primary sources (aside from manuscripts from those involved) is newspapers from the time detailing this event.  Often fatalistic or extreme (as newspapers can tend to be), these articles can give the researcher a good idea of how the general public reacted to an event, and can […]

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