It’s been a while since we’ve posted about recent additions to the library’s unique collections, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been coming in!  Here’s a sampling of some new and exciting additions to the library:

• In the literary realm, we acquired a polemical manuscript from Italy, a grammatical text formerly owned by S.D. Luzzatto (who features prominently throughout our collections). We also recently acquired a parody for Purim from Metz, which will join the already substantial collection of material that we have on the subject!  Additionally, a collection of rare Jewish book prospectuses from pre-Holocaust Germany has been added to our Judaica book trade collection.
• We’ve acquired a number of artistic and visual pieces from around the world as well.  A book of prayers for a circumcision produced in 1719 Berlin includes a number of lovely illustrations (right), and compliments another title that we have of the same genre with extensive illustrations as well. Moving farther east, a newly acquired elegy in Judeo-Arabic for Hannah and her seven children (known for their refusal to denounce their Jewish religion and bow to the king’s idols) produced in 19th century Baghdad includes painted decorations surrounding the text (below, left). We have earlier examples of this same text in the collection from elsewhere as well. Given the importance of Jewish comics artist William Gropper in our Comics and Cartoons collection, we were glad to be able to add his sketches and layout plan for the illustrated children’s book, Hound Dog Moses and the Promised Land by Walter D. Edmonds to the collection.

  

• To our artist’s book collection we’ve added “A collection of Yiddish words,” a whimsical, hand-made book featuring a variety of words in Yiddish, as well as Akedah: The Binding of Yitshak. The latter, with accordion-style pages and thoughtful text and pasted-in materials of all kinds, was used continuously from the moment it arrived, in many classes, and so only could be processed once the semester ended.
• Historical pieces included a 15th century commentary by Nahmanides on the Talmudic tractate of Gittin from pre-expulsion Spain. We also received a collection of documents written and printed for the appointment of R. Moshe Gloga as cantor of the Ashkenazic synagogue in Amsterdam in 1786, which will be added to our already extensive Dutch Jewish Archive.
• Finally, we went beyond our usual collecting areas on two pieces, as we had the opportunity to acquire two items that are truly unique: A beautiful rendering of three houses of worship in Istanbul (right) and a drawing of New York by day by the mid-20th century artist Shalom of Safed. Shalom of Safed was known for his religious and Holy Land-themed drawings, and this one, of New York City, was very much an exception to his oeuvre, while also very much of local interest.

We look forward to seeing what kinds of scholarship and study will come from engagement with these new items, as well as with our deep existing collections!