News Highlights Donation from Hebrew College Library Fills Shelves at Northwestern

As Hebrew College transitioned to our shared campus, we faced the bittersweet task of downsizing our treasured library collection to fit the new space constraints. Volumes have found new homes in synagogues, schools, and Jewish learning centers across the country. A significant portion of the collection—more than 3,000 volumes—was recently welcomed by Northwestern University Libraries, where they will enrich one of the leading Jewish Studies collections in the Midwest. Many of the books date back to the era of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and include treasures in Hebrew, Yiddish, German, and more.

The collection’s arrival was recently featured on the Northwestern Libraries blog:

A 2023 gift from a downsizing library has led to a surprise-filled trove of Hebrew materials for the Libraries and an ambitious cataloguing project for a Northwestern senior. The nearly 3,000-book gift was so full of rarities and delightful discoveries that when Jewish Studies associate Prof. Hanna Seltzer was invited to see it, she described the moment later with, “Every two minutes I would shout, ‘Oh my gosh!’”

In 2022, Barry Wimpfheimer, associate professor of Religious Studies, passed word to Northwestern Libraries that Hebrew College in Newton, Mass., was downsizing its library in preparation for relocating its campus. Wimpfheimer had worked with the Hebrew College collection previously and “he knew it was exceptional and well curated,” said Jewish Studies librarian Geoff Morse.

We are grateful these books have found a new academic home where they will be cared for, valued, and used by scholars and students. Thank you, Northwestern, and happy reading!

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