Primary sources on the history of Jews and Jewish literature and culture

For an overview of Cornell University Library resources in Jewish Studies and more information about starting research on these topics, see Jewish Studies in the Cornell University Library, 2019-2020, which introduces the various holdings in Judaica at Cornell.

Among the significant online resources on the Holocaust against the Jews (1939-45) and other acts of genocide before and since World War II is USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive (individual registration necessary for access; see instructions), which includes more than 54,000 videorecorded testimonies. Cornell University now has perpetual access to this major database because of generous support for this arrangement.

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  • Just a few interesting Judaica resources--encyclopedias and essay volumes--encountered in the Cornell Library catalogue, available electronically to the Cornell community:

The Wiley Blackwell companion to ancient Israel, edited by Susan Niditch (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/11318268)

Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic world, executive editor, Norman A. Stillman (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/7666416)

Encyclopedia of the Jewish diaspora: origins, experiences, and culture, M. Avrum Ehrlich, editor. (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/9940240)

The Oxford handbook of Holocaust studies, edited by Peter Hayes and John K. Roth. (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/9425478)

Cultures of the Jews: a new history, edited by David Biale. (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/9923133)

The Oxford handbook of Jewish daily life in Roman Palestine, edited by Catherine Hezser. (https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/9425514)

...Watch for additional suggestions, which may or may not be new acquisitions to our e-resources.

Coinciding in 2020 with Friday, 22 May is Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim / יום ירושלים), markng the reunification of this diverse and historic city that serves as the capital of Israel and hosts multiple sites sacred to the Abrahamic monotheistic traditions. See https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/yom-yerushalayim for further description.

Patrick J. Stevens (pjs3@cornell.edu) is the bibliographer and selector for Jewish Studies for both the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the circulating collection in Olin Library.