This year, the holiday of Shavuot falls adjacent to Mother’s Day, a fitting tribute to Naomi and Ruth, matriarchs of the lineage of King David. A century ago, in the United States, Jewish educators emphasized the connection of mothers and children in the cycle of Jewish continuity. The Bureau of Jewish Education established the Jewish [...]
Archive for the ‘Manuscripts and Archives’ Category
Shavuot Pedagogy
Thursday, May 9th, 2013Passover in Germany, 1940
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013“Last year’s matzo may be used, as long as it is free of mites.” “If food is scarce, legumes (if they are available), such as peas, beans, and lentils, may be used this year. After thorough inspection, they should be put in boiling water and cooked. Sick people and children may have rice, which must [...]
Post-Purim at Yeshiva in 1926
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013Yeshiva University Archives recently acquired a photograph of the Alumni Banquet of the Beth Midrash LeMorim, held on March 7, 1926. Rabbi Dr. Bernard Revel, President and Rosh Yeshiva, is standing in the background, surrounded by the staff and graduates. Despite the formality of the setting, the dinner in the photo took place only a [...]
New Library Website
Friday, November 9th, 2012The past comes to life in sound and sight at the Library’s new digital website. Experience musar (moral instruction) as it was delivered by a traditional Eastern European maggid (preacher) by tuning in to the Bialystoker Maggid’s impassioned wedding speech. Even if you don’t understand Yiddish you will feel the force and spirit of his [...]
Sukkah in a Box
Thursday, October 4th, 2012The ubiquitous canvas Sukkot which appear in Jewish neighborhoods the world over were probably first introduced and produced by the Orthodox Union in 1925, in an effort to encourage families to erect their own personal Sukkot and not rely merely on making Kiddush in the synagogue Sukkah. This project was reported by Rabbi Dr. Herbert [...]
Leaves of Talmud
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012The concept of Daf Yomi, the daily study by Jews all over the world of the same daf or blatt [2 pages] of Talmud, was instituted at the suggestion of R’ Meir Shapira, founder of Yeshivas Chachme Lublin, at the Agudath Israel Kenesiyah Gedolah (Great Congress) in Vienna in 1923. Yeshiva University Archives holds materials [...]
Rubin Renewal
Monday, May 21st, 2012Rubin Hall is molting, shedding its skin for a new, 21st century, energy efficient upgrade. The cornerstone laying for the seven-story dormitory took place fifty-six years ago on June 10, 1956. YU’s Public Relations Department, headed by Sam Hartstein, issued a steady stream of communications on the progress of the construction. On February 21, 1957, [...]
Letters of Chaplain Louis Werfel z”l, YU’s “Flying Rabbi”
Monday, April 30th, 2012Yeshiva University Archives has received a small collection of letters written by Yeshiva College alumnus and RIETS musmach Louis Werfel, the only Orthodox chaplain killed in action in World War II. Known as “The Flying Rabbi” because of his frequent flights to visit servicemen in locations throughout North Africa, Chaplain Werfel perished when the plane [...]
Finding the Afikomen: Passover in the Library
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012Pesach is the holiday of searching: checking for hamets, hunting for the afikomen, and defining Jewish identity and freedom. An exploration of the library’s collections unearths images in honor of the holiday. Best wishes for a happy and kosher Passover. Posted by Shulamith Z. Berger
Purim Unmasked
Monday, March 5th, 2012Books and manuscripts in the library hide images of Purim, the holiday of Queen Esther, who had to mask her identity. In honor of Purim, the library reveals buried pictures to the reveler. Happy Purim! Posted by Shulamith Z. Berger