Livro de ascamot: A List of the Books in Yeshivat ‘Ets Ḥayim
Established in 1616 as part of a yeshiva in Amsterdam, the Ets Ḥayim library continues to function to this day, making it the oldest operational Jewish library in the world. It moved to its current premises, inside the Esnoga complex that houses the city’s Portuguese synagogue, in 1675. In 1889, the collection was further enriched when librarian David Montezinos donated his personal library, and since then the library has been known as the Ets Ḥayim-Livraria Montezinos. During World War II, the library’s holdings were seized and transferred to Germany. Most of the books were returned in 1946, although some had suffered damage. The library’s collection today includes 560 manuscripts, the earliest dating to 1282, many of which were copied or written by teachers and students at the yeshiva. It also holds 30,000 printed books. The holdings are in many languages, among them Hebrew (65 percent), Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Latin, and Portuguese. The works encompass all branches of Jewish literature and scholarship, as well as general topics such as history, science, belles lettres, music, and more.
Credits
The Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam, Livro de Ascamot (Book of Regulations). Municipal Archives of Amsterdam: PA 334, no.19 fols. 407, 551, 606.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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Seek ye out the book of the Lord (Isaiah 34:16), and read The Holy Epistle [so] called to water the flock, go and browse.
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