Price Library of Judaica Anniversary Periodicals Collection
Scope and Content
In his bibliography, Jewish Serials of the World, Singerman stressed that all over the world Jewish newspapers "chronicle the communities they serve [and] ... reflect the ideological and theological undercurrents of the time as well as Jewish opinion on national and international issues" (Singerman XX). Today the Anniversary Periodicals Collection includes over 1,400 different items (full and partial individual issues): from Orthodox Zionist to Socialist periodicals, community newspapers, women's organizations' bulletins, to literary and political scholarly issues, and publications for children; a large variety of themes and voices are included in the collection. They celebrate an important milestone in the life of an organization or commemorate the birth or death of an important historical figure. Some of the items mark a jubilee or an important date in the history of the publication itself, and there are several titles that were issued to celebrate Israel. Part of the collection illustrates how the Jewish press all over the world honored Jewish holidays such as the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) or Passover (Pesach). Other items illustrate Jewish involvement in politics in the east and west, locally, nationally, and globally. When read next to each other, the periodicals highlight different points of views on the very same events, which is especially apparent in the treatment of the topic of Israel, both before and after the foundation of the Jewish State. The periodicals represent the cultural, political, religious, and literary diversity of Jewish life worldwide.
The items in the collection represent over 300 titles from almost thirty countries. The bulk of the items come from the historical centers of modern Jewish journalism and publishing: the United States, Germany, France, Israel and Mandatory Palestine, and Poland, nevertheless, a publication from China and periodicals from Colombia, Switzerland, and other smaller centers of Jewish life are also included in the collection. Some titles moved from city to city, such as Unzer Welt: until 1949 it was published in Munich and from 1950 in Paris. Unzer Wort, however, was a title of two independent series, one issued in the US and the other in France. The well-known New York-based Jewish paper Forward פארווערטס had a namesake newspaper in Chicago as well. Periodicals that were launched in Mandatory Palestine continued also after the foundation of Israel. Some of these periodicals, although published independently, shared the same title, as in the case of "The Observer." הצפה. In the catalog, the orthography of the titles and the call numbers indicate the difference and the correspondence between the newspapers where the differentiation could be made.
Most of the periodicals of the collection are in Yiddish, Hebrew, English, German, and French however, the collection holds items in Dutch, Romanian, and Latvian as well. The richness of Yiddish items in the collection reflects the many Yiddish dialects spoken all over Central and Eastern Europe, which manifested themselves in orthography as well. Similarly influential was the language of the given country where the Yiddish periodical was published: the transliteration of Yiddish words into Latin script may vary according to the linguistic context. This dual impact of the local vernacular and Yiddish dialect often manifests itself in the dating of the newspapers. For example, the Hebrew month and day may be followed by the Gregorian year in some Israeli and Palestinian editions. The Polish newspapers often use the Polish names for the months and the Gregorian month would be noted in Hebrew script. The parallel Hebrew and Christian time keeping so apparent in these newspapers is one of the most characteristic signs of the modernization of Jewish life all over the world.
Aside from the abundance of Yiddish titles, the richness of the collection's offering in Spanish primarily from Argentina, is also notable. These periodicals complement the Price Library's collection of Latin American and Caribbean imprints.
The periodicals in the collection appeared between 1896 and 2009, thus covering more than a century-long time span. The most active publication periods represented in the collection are 1918, 1928-1929, and midcentury, between 1935 and 1960. Patrons should keep in mind that the collection is not representative of the activity of the Jewish press globally neither with regard to the frequency of publishing nor regarding the geographical or linguistic distribution of Jewish periodicals available to readers throughout the twentieth century.
Dates
- Creation: 1896-2009
Creator
- Singerman, Robert. (Person)
Language of Materials
Includes materials written in English, German, Yiddish, Hebrew, French, Dutch, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and Spanish.
Access
The items in the collection are given an individual identifier, unique to the collection. Some of the titles in the collection are already available digitally in the Price Library's "Jewish Diaspora Collection." Some of the newspapers in the collection are in a very bad physical condition, and they will only be available to patrons in digital form. Please note that, as mentioned above, the listed items may be only partial, with pages or sections of the given newspaper missing. Hence, prior to using the collection researchers are advised to consult with Dr. Rebecca Jefferson, Head of the Price Library of Judaica (352-273-2865), to ensure access to the periodicals. Inquiries in connection to the collection should similarly be addressed to Dr. Jefferson.
Biographical/Historical Note
This collection was created over the course of four decades: some of the titles were included in the Price Library's core collection, the Rabbi Leonard C. Mishkin Library from Chicago, Illinois, purchased in 1977. Additional titles were added between 1979 and 2006, through the collecting activities of the renowned bibliographer and former head of the Price Library, Robert Singerman. The creation of this unique collection was his idea and is closely related to his work as a bibliographer: his two-volume "research bibliography," Jewish Serials of the World, is still an authoritative tool for researchers, librarians, archivists and those interested in the development of the Jewish press worldwide from the establishment of the first known Jewish periodical, Gazeta de Amsterdam, published in Amsterdam in 1675, until the 1980s. Although the Anniversary Periodicals Collection does not cover the whole history of Jewish journalism, its importance is highlighted by the fact that when compiling the bibliography, Singerman relied on the items included in this collection in addition to those held in three other prestigious libraries in the US: Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, New York Public Library, and the Yivo Institute for Jewish Research," (Singerman XX). The collection continues to grow.
Extent
205 Volumes
Abstract
This unique collection contains periodicals representing over 300 titles from almost thirty countries, offering a glimpse into the Jewish press worldwide throughout the twentieth century. It illustrates a multitude of Jewish political, cultural, and economic voices and the religious, literary, and mundane interests of Jewish readers in various countries. The collection is not representative of the period's Jewish news publications; nevertheless, it introduces readers to the main trends of Jewish journalism in Europe, North and South America, and in Mandatory Palestine and Israel.
Physical Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building
Acquisition Information
This collection was created over the course of four decades: some of the titles were included in the Price Library's core collection, the Rabbi Leonard C. Mishkin Library from Chicago, Illinois, purchased in 1977. Additional titles were added between 1979 to 2006, through the collecting activities of the renowned bibliographer and former head of the Price Library, Robert Singerman. The addition of new titles is still ongoing.
Alternative Format Available
Digital reproductions of selected materials are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- A Guide to the Price Library of Judaica Anniversary Periodicals Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Katalin Franciska Rac
- Date
- June 2017
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu