The Denver Jewish news., 1919-08-06
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF
JEWISH BOOKS.


When the wartime chaos and con-
fusion shall be cleared away and the
nations shall return to normal and
natural mode of life, America will be
found to lead the world not only in
commerce and industry and the pro-
tluctiOn of food and raiment, but also
i'm the possession, ut its national IL
brary in Washington, of Jewish books
and manuscripts. The two collections
II few years ago acquired by Mr.. Jacob
II. Schiff for the Congressional Id
l'rary from the famous author and
photographer, Mr.. Ephraim Deinard,
will now be augmented by third and
larger collection which will make the
Jewish department Of the Congression-
al Library the most complete Of any
national institution OF its kind. This
collection was gathered by Mr.. Dein-
ard in European countries, in Egypt
and Palestine before the war. When
Turkey entered the war. Mr.. Deinard
was in Palestine. He had already sent
several cases Of books and they were
lost. But he had with him seventy
nine cases more. These he was obliged
to leave behind. in care of the Ameri-
can consulate at Jaffa, when he left
Palestine and, after many and great
hartlships. he returned 10 this coun-
try. These books were later turned
over for safekeeping to the Spanish
consul and. althO the Department Of
State sent Inquiries about them from
time to toe, their fate was not def
initeiy known until last week. when
Mr.. Deinard received word from Wash.
ington informing him that his yalu-
able collection is ON its way to this
country. .4..-.5-
The Institution Of a Jewish depart
ment in the Congressional Library Is
OF very recent date, The department
was opened less than ten years ago.
Prior to that time no such department
existed. The thousands of people who
visited Washington every year and
viewed the national library used to be
shown the valuable works OF literature
Of almost every people and race. mod
crn ~ well as ancient. The .Jewfsll
literature, however. the literature Of
the people which was the first to give
the world works OF lasting and abiding
worth. the-literature .of that people
which has for thousands Of years con,
sfituted the worlds writer's, readers
and students was not exhibited. The
inevitable conclusion was, that neither
Congress nor we ourselves consider the
Jewish literature important enough to
place 1t on exhibition In the Congress.
sional Library. The conclusion ap-
peared the more justjfiable from the
fact that Washington had until then
been practically the only capital in
all the civilized countries which had
not had a Jewish library or a Jewish
literature in its national library. The
library of every European capital, as
well AS that OF many a large city. had
a Jewish department and a Jewish
librarian. In Germany such depart
iaent was to be found not only in Ber-
lin. but also in Hamburg, Frankfort,
Strassburg, Karlsruhe, Munich, Leip-
zig. Dresden, Breslau. Bonn, Nueren-
berg. Koenigsberg and Memel. In Eng
land one existed. not only in tile Brit
ish Museum at London, but also at
Oxford and Cambridge. Even Russia
always recognized the worth and value
of our literature, for 1t granted hos.
'pitable quarters to our books, main
tanning a special library and librar-
ian for Hebrew literature in Moscow
AS we'll as in Petrograd, In spite of
the fact that she denied the Jews
themselves the right to reside In these
cities.
DIR. Putnam. the librarian Of Con.
gress, had long felt the defect and for
that reason visited Mr.. Detnard at his
home in Arlington, n. j.. with a view
TO securing his collection Of books and
manuscripts, the most valuable and
most complete collection Of Judaica
and Hebraica that was to be found In
any private library in the world. AT
that time. however, the funds at pr.
Putnam's command proved insufficient
to carry out his plans. The matter
was then brought to the attention Of
Mr.. Schiff who came to DR.. Putnam's
rescue and enabled him to introduce