With the return of Jews to England in the 17th century, the developing community’s members surprisingly saw no need for a Jewish printing house. The first printed book was published decades later and only in the wake of a controversial internal dispute…
A Kol Nidre Prayer on the German Warfront in 1870
Even on Yom Kippur, German Jews in the 19th century were ready to sacrifice themselves for their homeland
Stolen by the Nazis: A Book’s Rediscovery in Jerusalem
The long journey of a book of Leviticus that was hidden in a Vienna basement during the Nazi era, before eventually making its way to the National Library of Israel’s Conservation Lab…
Celebrating English Royalty at Synagogue
Though England’s royal coronations are traditionally held at Westminster Abbey, over the years the Jews of the British Empire have celebrated the ascensions of new monarchs in their synagogues, with special prayers tailored for the occasion…
Heinrich Himmler’s Books at the National Library of Israel
Even a mass murderer can have a personal library. Some of the books from Heinrich Himmler’s private collection, containing his signature, can be found today at the National Library of Israel. How did they get here?
“The Jews were in shock…” – A Nazi View of Kristallnacht
Reports and books written by senior members of the Nazi regime deposited in the National Library of Israel reveal chilling texts describing “The Night of Broken Glass” from the Nazi perspective…
The Bar Mitzvah Gift That Survived the Holocaust
A special dedication in a copy of the book “Mesilat Yasharim” sparked some fascinating detective work tracing the history of the Austrian Jewish community during the Holocaust, and the story of a young man and his family who were murdered by the Nazis…
Columbus’ Crusade
A letter unearthed 500 years after Columbus’ famous journey hints at an extraordinary venture that never materialized…
How Capt. Isaac Benkowitz Saved a World of Jewish Books
A rare look into two volumes that contain hints of a cultural world that was and is no more…
How Bergen-Belsen Survivors Celebrated Independence
Take a rare look inside the newspapers published by the inhabitants of the concentration camp after liberation.
