Hebrew Mss @ CUL: The Pope, the Sun King, and a Hebrew prayerbook in Southern France

Throughout the centuries leading up to the French Revolution, the Jews of France were alternatively expelled and invited back many times (the 14th and 17th centuries were particularly confusing in this regard).  Throughout this time, however, there were four cities that remained consistently safe for Jews.  Ironically (but perhaps not too surprisingly for those familiar […]

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Hebrew Mss @ CUL: New Aquisitions in History

In February of 1988, the Library Columns, the publication of the Columbia University Libraries, had a note about a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Schaefler.  The donation described, among other items, "…fourteenth-century documents pertaining to commercial transactions of the Jewish community at Apt in Provence, France."  Six of these manuscripts have been digitized, and are […]

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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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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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Hebrew Mss @ CUL: Travels to India

The manuscripts relating to Jewish Studies in the Columbia University Libraries are not limited to those in Hebrew.  This manuscript, written in Spanish in the 17th century, describes one of the far-flung communities of the Jewish diaspora: that of Cochin, India.  The author of the manuscript, Moses Pereyra de Paiva, traveled to Cochin with his […]

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“New” old books at CUL

While Columbia’s collection of Jewish Studies materials in its Rare Book and Manuscript Library is already extensive, we are still actively collecting "new" materials for our collection. Two recent purchases were made with the help of the Rabbi Nathan Stern fund for Semitic Studies: 1) A manuscript "Commonplace book" from America, c.1825, which includes  "the […]

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‘Ot Ha-berit

In 1824, a mohel and doctor named Yeḥezḳel Trish living in Lipník nad Bečvo (in the Czech Republic) received a gift from a man named Yonah Ḳaṿo.  It was a small manuscript book, which contained prayers and exquisitely detailed illustrations relating to his craft, that of circumcision.  Two of the spreads are shown here.  The […]

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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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Sefer ‘Evronot

This manuscript is one of many Hebrew calendar books that we hold in Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  This particular copy (call number: MS X893 Se36), was most likely produced in the 17th century, probably somewhere in Germany.  From the CLIO Record: "The Ms. is done in magnificent fashion and contains a large number […]

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New “Series”: Hebrew Manuscripts at CUL

In recognition of the amazing work being done by Yoram Bitton, our Hebrew manuscript cataloger, and to let our users know about the wonderful treasures that we have hidden in our collection, Jewish Studies at CUL will be periodically posting an image and/or some information about a manuscript or rare book that we have in […]

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