Dissertation Information for Dov Bernhard Schidorsky NAME: - Dov Bernhard Schidorsky
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- University of California, Berkeley (USA) (1977)
ADVISORS: - J. Periam Danton
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Raynard C. Swank - Richard A. Webster
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: THE ORIGINS OF THE JEWISH NATIONAL AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE MODERN JEWISH NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Abstract: The Jewish National and University Library (JNUL), the largest and most important library in Erez-Israel, began at the end of the nineteenth century as one of the first public libraries in the country. The concept of a Jewish national library was generated in the 1870's in the Diaspora with the emergence of the ideology of the forerunners of Zionism, which believed that the future existence of the Jewish nation was conditioned by its return to its historical homeland. The peculiar beginnings and evolutionary path of the JNUL were different from those of the national libraries that had been established in other countries. This study is the first attempt to trace the origins of and forces leading to the establishment of a Jewish national library in Jerusalem. The historical, analytical method has been employed and, for the first time, extensive use has been made of archival material that, together with the Jewish contemporary press, have constituted the main sources for the investigation.
The first attempts to establish a Jewish national library in Jerusalem were made by I.D. Frumkin within the framework of his Tiferet Yerushalayim Society (1874) and by E. Ben-Yehuda's Library for the People of Israel (1884). These attempts failed, mainly because of inadequate financial support. The establishment of the Bet Midrash Abarbanel Library by the B'nai B'rith of Jerusalem (1892) can be attributed to a combination of three categories of motives, stemming from (a) the Zionist ideology of the Hibbat Zion Movement, (b) the goals and objectives of the Order, and (c), the specific situation of the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The need for a national library was affirmed by a semi-official forum of the Hovevei Zion in 1893 in Odessa. Practical steps were taken by the Bialystok physician Joseph Chasanowitz, whose efforts from 1895 on created the nucleus for a national collection. Zionist ideology was the chief motivating force that led to the realization of a Jewish national library. Among others, Joshua H. Lewin, I.D. Frumkin, E. Ben-Yehuda, J. Chasanowitz, Y. Syrkin, D. Yellin, and H. Loewe found the justification for a national library within Zionist ideology, although each stressed different aspects of it. In addition, the "cultural Zionism" of Ahad Ha-Am was vital in shaping the concept of the Jewish national library and in assuring the adoption of the July 1893 resolution in Odessa. Chasanowitz saw an analogy between the fate of the Jewish people and the fate of its recorded spiritual heritage. According to Chasanowitz, persecutions had led to the dispersal, drastic reduction, and loss of Jewish libraries, both private and public, resulting in an overall diminution of the number of Hebrew books extant. ,His conclusion was that this heritage should be collected in a Jewish national library in Jerusalem. Other motivating forces in the founding of the precursors of the JNUL were: (a) the Haskalah movement in Jerusalem; (b) the tradition of study and the centrality of books in Jewish society; (c) local patriotism, especially pride in the Holy City of Jerusalem and its community; and (d) the leadership exercised by a few distinguished individuals displaying vision and realism. Among the factors unfavorable to the development of the JNUL, the following are described: (1) Lack of sufficient financial support, the great weakness of the JNUL; and yet, unfavorable economic conditions neither prevented nor deterred men of vision from implementing new initiatives. (2) The Old Community of Erez-Israel was a traditional, closed society zealots safeguarding its religious values, and included certain aggressive, intolerant segments known as Zealots, thereby constituting a deterring factor in the development of libraries. (3) In their rivalry for influence and leadership in the country, the conflicting characters of the Old and the New Jewish Communities had a detrimental impact on the developments. (4) The policy, position, and activities of the Zionist Organization, especially in the educational and cultural domain, deferred the transformation of the Abarbanel Library into a national library. From its generation by Rabbi Lewin to its formulation by Heinrich Loewe, the development of the concept of a Jewish national library may be characterized as an evolutionary process that describes its transition from a scholarly, religious, book-centered orientation to one that was also user-centered. The process that generated the JNUL was not unaffected by foreign library philosophy, development, and practice, particularly on the conceptual plane. This can be found especially in the ideas and plans of Heinrich Loewe.
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MPACT Scores for Dov Bernhard Schidorsky A = 0
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calculated 2008-06-27 20:20:59
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