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October 27, 2000/28 Tammuz 5760, Vol. 53, No.5
Center called Jewish 'Library of Congress'
JULIE WIENER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NEW YORK - This week's opening of what is being touted as "the Library of Congress of the Jewish People" brings together what is believed to be the largest repository of Jewish archival material outside Israel.
Under one roof, at the Center for Jewish History, one can now find an extensive book, archive and art collection.
Included among the items are: the original handwritten draft of Emma Lazarus' 1883 "Give me your tired, your poor" poem that went on to be inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty; Sandy Koufax's Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and the eyeglasses of Jewish Enlightenment thinker Moses Mendelssohn.
The New York institution, officially opening with a gala ceremony on Oct. 26, is a consortium of five Jewish organizations brought together into a $50 million facility designed specifically for the purpose.
By joining together, the partner organizations bring together under one roof several areas of Jewish history - the American Jewish Historical Society, which focuses on the U.S. Jewish experience; the American Sephardi Federation; the Leo Baeck Institute, whose holdings are on Jews in German-speaking countries; the Yeshiva University Museum and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, which addresses Eastern European Jewish history.
The organizations will maintain separate boards and budgets, but share resources and jointly sponsor various events.
The center's primary mission is to serve scholars of Jewish history, but the center and its individual partners will also offer services of general interest, hosting art exhibits, concerts and public lectures, as well as assisting people with family history projects.
A gleaming new building on a block of brownstones in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, the center is physically impressive, with state-of-the-art computers, a custom-designed stone floor in the lobby with intricate biblical-themed designs, extensive gallery and display space and jade and teal detail trimming the wood-paneled, skylit reading room.
Carl Rheins, executive director of YIVO, said the new facility improves his organization's ability to store materials, offer public programs and serve researchers.
"Our previous mansion was not air-conditioned, not properly humidified for documents and had no adequate space for researchers to work," he said.
Some scholars question whether investing so lavishly in a physical building, particularly in Manhattan, where real estate is expensive, is the best use of resources.
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