Jewish Virtual Library
- Jewish Virtual LibraryA comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia. There are more than 16,000 articles and 7,000 photographs and maps that have been integrated into the site.
Jewish Encyclopedia
- Jewish EncyclopediaThe complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, originally published between 1901-1906.
Jewish Museums and Collections
"Jewish museums – and counterpart cultural institutions without “museum” in their names – offer programs and exhibits on Jewish art, culture and history while stimulating interest and motivating learning in visitors."
- Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM)Provides a list of Jewish art and history museums, historic sites, historical and archival societies, Holocaust centers, children's museums, synagogue museums, community centers, and university galleries.
- Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of PennsylvaniaThese informative online exhibits include Printer, Publisher, Peddler: The Business of the Jewish Book; Modern Jewry and the Arts; From Written to Printed Text: Transmission of Jewish Tradition; and Tablet, Scroll, & Book: Judaic Treasures.
- The Cairo Genizah Collection of the Bodleian LibrariesThis collection features Biblical, Early Rabbinic literature, and liturgical fragments, and is one of the largest collections of its kind.
- Exhibits in American Jewish History from the American Jewish ArchivesThe Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA), located on the historic Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, was established in 1947 by renowned historian, Dr. Jacob Rader Marcus to collect, preserve, and make available for research, materials on the history of Jews and Jewish communities in the Western Hemisphere, including data of a political, economic, social, cultural, and religious nature.
Local History
- Jewish Historical Society of MichiganEducating, celebrating and promoting awareness of the contributions of the Jews of Michigan to our state, our nation and the world.
WSULS Special Collections: Kasle Collection
Complementing the exhibit, selections from the Kasle Collection are on display in the Purdy Kresge Library through April and May 2013.
The Kasle Collection was established in the mid-1950s by means of a generous grant from Mr. and Mrs. Abe Kasle and Family. The collection contains materials on Judaic-Christian heritage with a special emphasis on Judaica, Hebraica, and Yiddish literature.
Individual items from this collection are shelved with like material throughout the Purdy/Kresge Library, with rare or fragile items housed in both the Purdy/Kresge Closed Collections and the vault. Other items are housed in the secure Storage area of the Adamany Undergraduate Library. All material from the Kasle Collection is clearly labeled as such in the online catalog, and can be viewed by doing a keyword search on “Kasle Collection.” Those items located in the Closed Collections, vault, or secure Storage can be requested using a form that is accessed via a link on the catalog record for each individual title.
Digital Collections
- Judaica EuropeanaJudaica Europeana works with cultural institutions to identify and provide access online to content which documents the Jewish presence and heritage in the cities of Europe. Access to more than 3.7 million items.
- Virtual ExhibitsIncludes Collections, Tours of Jewish Neighborhoods, Jewish Artists, Jewish Theatre, and More.
Ceremonial and Decorative Art
Ritual objects for use in the home and synagogue were often very decorative. Materials and design motifs reflect various points in history and geography.
Hanukkah lamp. Poland or Russian, first half of the nineteenth century. The Jewish Museum, New York (© The Jewish Museum / Art Resource, NY)
Read more about ritual objects:
- Ceremonial and Decorative ArtFrom the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe.
Books in the Libraries' Collection
The Jewish Cultural Tapestry by ISBN: 0195158008Publication Date: 2002-12-05Here, in one compact volume, is an illuminating survey of Jewish folkways on five continents. Filled with fascinating facts and keen insights,The Jewish Cultural Tapestry is a richly woven fabric that vividly captures the diversity of Jewish life. All traditional Jews are bound together by the common thread of the Torah and the Talmud, notes author Steven Lowenstein, but this thread takes on a different coloration in different parts of the world as Jewish tradition and local non-Jewish customs intertwine. Lowenstein describes these widely varying regional Jewish cultures with needlepoint accuracy, highlighting the often surprising similarities between Jewish and non-Jewish local traditions, and revealing why Jewish customs vary as much as they do from region to region. From Europe to India, Israel to America,The Jewish Cultural Tapestry offers an engaging overview of the customs and folkways of a people united by tradition, yet scattered to the far corners of the earth.
More Library Resources
- Cultural Assimilation of Jews in the United StatesLinks to catalog search results.
- East European Jews, HistoryLinks to catalog search results.
- History of Jews in the United StatesLinks to catalog search results.
- History of Judaism in the United StatesLinks to catalog search results.
- Israel and the DiasporaLinks to catalog search results.
- Jewish Art and SymbolismLinks to catalog search results.
- Jewish Families in the United StatesLinks to catalog search results.
- Jewish Wit and HumorLinks to catalog search results.
- Jewish Women in the United StatesLinks to catalog search results.
- Judaism - Customs and PracticesLinks to catalog search results.
- Marriage and JudaismLinks to catalog search results.
- Michigan Jewish HistoryLinks to catalog search results.
- Social Life and Customs of JewsLinks to catalog search results.
Current News Resource
- The Detroit Jewish NewsInteresting news and events from and about the metropolitan Detroit Jewish community.