Jewish And Israel Studies Resources

This is a brief list of useful subject specific research sources available in Wesleyan's libraries and on the Internet. It is intended to provide a starting point for research in Jewish And Israel Studies, sufficient for basic research needs. For more extensive research needs, you can ask for a personal research session with a librarian.

On the Internet (See note about Internet sources)
Web Indexes:  Meta Sites/Guides  
Selected Sites:  Full Text Online  Newspapers  Images  Audio  Organizations  Other  

Reference Sources - For introductions to or summaries of topics

Call Numbers - Call Number locations for Jewish And Israel Studies (in Reference and Stacks)

BM 1--BM 990 - Judaism (Religion)

DS 101--DS 133 - History of the Jews in Israel

DS 133--DS 151 - Diaspora Jewish history (by country)

E 184 - History of the Jews in the United States

PJ 4501--PJ 5192 - Hebrew and Yiddish literature

Encyclopedias

Encyclopaedia Judaica. 16 volumes. - Ref DS102.8 .E52--This modern encyclopedia offers a comprehensive and up-to-date view of world Jewish history and religion in about 25,000 articles signed by an international group of scholars. Most articles provide bibliogrphies for further reading on the subject. It is profusely cross-reference and illustrated. Several updated annual yearbooks have been published and they are also available at the same location.

Encyclopedia of Hasidism, edited by Tzvi M. Rabinowicz - This encyclopedia of Hasidism is the first of its kind to appear in English, and it provides short definitions and descriptions of people, places and concepts of the Hasidic movement which began in the early 18th century, and remains the greatest movement of revival in the history of the Jewish people. The purpose of this publication is to serve as a "bridge between the world of the specialist and that of the general reader."

Encyclopedia of Judaism, edited by Jacob Neusner, et. al. - Ref BM50.E63 1999--This three volume work published in 1999, "provides a full and reliable account of Judaism, beginning in ancient Israelite times and extending to our own day...." The entries are arranged topically rather than alphabetically, and it was written for both specialists as well as beginners in the study of the Jewish religion. The highly qualified and international board of contributors to this work have assembled a work that engages in no special pleading for any particular viewpoint within Judaism, but rather to explain the entire range of Jewish system of belief.

Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, edited by Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam - Ref BM487.E52 2000--A two volume encyclopedia with scholarly articles written by eminent scholars of ancient Jewish religion and archaeology. It is meant to encompass all scholarship on the Dead Sea scrolls to date. Each article stresses the importance of the scrolls to biblical scholarship as well as their wider historical significance. In a sense this encyclopedia is a reference work that "unites the fields of historical geography, archaeology, paleography, biblical studies, history, law, theology, and religious studies." The articles have extensive cross references and detailed scholarly bibliographies

Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, edited by Yisrael Gutman - Ref D804.3.E53 1989--Articles in this encyclopedia are clearly written, contain short bibliographies and are signed by an international panel of Holocaust scholars. There are entries for "individual names, major events, the countries involved, the concentration camps, the ghettos, extermination camps and murder sites, political movements and trends and resistance movements." Also included is material on the historical background to the Holocaust, and postwar impact.

Jewish women in America; an historical encyclopedia edited by Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore - Ref DS115.2.J49 1998--Sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society, this two volume encyclopedia provides biographical articles about the accomplishments of American Jewish women from colonial times through the present. There are also topical articles on a wide range of subjects on the role of Jewish women in a wide variety of organizations, scholarly fields, and political movements. The articles are signed by their authors and provide a short bibliography for further reading.

Jewish-American history and culture: an encyclopedia, edited by Jack Fischel and Sanford Pinsker - Ref E184.J5J48 1991. A one volume encyclopedia of people, organizations, events and other topics that "survey the distinctive expereince of Jews in America." All articles are signed by their authors and contain brief bibliographies.

The Jewish Encyclopedia, edited by Cyrus Adler [1901-1906] - Ref DS102.8.J6--This standard and scholarly encyclopedia in English is still a valuable reference source for all topics concerning Jews and Judaism prior to the twentieth century This 12 volume work was orignally published between 1901-1906, and the original edition is available in the reference stacks of Olin Library. The complete contents are now also available on the Internet with a powerful search interface.

Dictionaries

Biographical dictionary of early American Jews: colonial times through 1800 by Joseph R. Rosenbloom. - Ref E184.J5 R63--Attempts to list all persons identifiable as Jews in America prior to 1800, with biographical facts that can be found in primary or secondary sources.

Blackwell dictionary of Judaica, by Dan Cohn-Sherbok - Ref BM50.C615 1992--Contains brief definitions of terms, places and the concepts of Jewish history and religion. It is intended to provide the most commonly sought after information about all aspects of Jewish civilization.

Complete dictionary of ancient and modern Hebrew, by Eliezer Ben Yehuda - Ref PJ4830.B38--This seven volume Hebrew/Hebrew dictionary is a classic in the field of ancient and modern Hebrew.

Complete Hebrew-English dictionary [Milon ivri'angli shalem] by Reuben Alcalay - Ref PJ4833.A421974--Extensive vocabulary; gives equivalents only.

Ha-Milon he-hadash, by A. Even Shoshan - Ref PJ4830.E933 1979. This is an extensive seven volume Hebrew/Hebrew dictionary.

Megiddo Modern Dictionary, English/Hebrew, Hebrew/English, compiled by Edward A. Levenston and Reuben Sivan - Ref PJ4833.L4 1982--Volume 1 is English/Hebrew, Volume 2 is Hebrew/English. This dictionary avoids highly technical as well as obsolete colloquialisms. Spelling and pronunciation conforms to English practice with difference noted between American and English usage.

Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary - Ref PJ4833.O9 1996--This dictionary of modern Hebrew, written in collaboration with the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, is an attempt to describe the Hebrew language as it is actually used in the real world, rather than to prescribe how it ought to be used. The approach is, therefore, "descriptive" rather than "prescriptive." It also provides a guide to pronunciation, and level-of-usage (e.g. colloq., formal, slang, poet.)

Webster's new World Hebrew dictionary, by Hayim Baltsan - Ref PJ4833.B26 1992--Presents transliterated Hebrew words in Latin alphabetical order. Entries include definition, usage, and the proper Hebrew spelling of each word. Dictionary is easily understood by English speakers, but the transliterations are not those prescribed by the Hebrew Language Academy.

Guides/Summaries

Blackwell companion to Jewish culture; from the eighteenth century to the present, edited by Glenda Abramson [et.al] - Ref DS102.8.B46 1989--A strongly biographical one volume reference work consisting mostly of signed articles primarily in the areas of literature, politics, popular culture, history and religion with only the occasional topical article.

Complete book of Jewish observance, by Leo Trepp (1980) - Stacks BM690 .T73--This one volume work is intended as a guide for Jews in studying their heritage and in perferming the mitzvot (commandments), practices, ceremonies and rituals of Judaism. There are two main sections. The first follows the Jewish year, and the second follows the cycle of life. Individual festivals, rites, and ceremonies are discussed in their historical context with attention also given to modern developments.

Index to Festschriften in Jewish studies, by Charles Berlin (1971) - Ref Z6366 .B45--Indexes 243 volumes of Festschriften in Jewish studies published since 1937. Articles are first listed in an alphabetical author section, and then by subject under topical headings.

Bibliographies

Antisemitism: an annotated bibliography/the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, Hebrew University. - Stacks Z6374.A56 A57 1987--This is a comprehensive three volume bibliography of books, dissertations, periodical articles, and collections about antisemitism from ancient times through the present time. Volume I: covers material published 1984-1985 with appendices of antisemitic materials published before 1984. Volumes II-III: extends the coverage through 1988 and includes materials in Hebrew, Yiddish, and other European languages. Detailed subject index.

Index of articles relative to Jewish history and literature published in periodicals from 1665 to 1900, by Moise Schwab. Augmented by Zosa Szajkowski (1972) - Ref Z6366 .S413--This is an English language reprint with additions of a French index by Moise Schwab published from 1914-1923. It is arranged by author and serves as an extensive bibliography to periodicalarticles that appeared on Jewish topics in a wide variety of languages covering from 1665 to 1900.

Index to Festschriften in Jewish studies, by Charles Berlin (1971) - Ref Z6366 .B45--Indexes 243 volumes of Festschriften in Jewish studies published since 1937. Articles are first listed in an alphabetical author section, and then by subject under topical headings.

Index to Jewish periodicals - Ref Z6367.I5. Olin Library owns this index from 1972 to the present. It serves as an author and subject index to about 60 selected English language journals of general and scholarly interest. Also includes book reviews.

Reader's guide to Judaism, edited by Michael Terry. - Ref BM50.R42 2000--One volume work with entries very clearly arranged entries signed by the scholars who wrote them. Each article is preceded by a reading list of 6-12 recently published works for further and more detailed reading. The text of the entries are clearly written, to the point, and should serve students and scholars who need a quick overview of a topic with a list of further reading.

Schocken guide to Jewish books: where to start reading about Jewish history, literature, culture, and religion, edited by Barry W. Holtz - Stacks Z6366.S39 1992 This volume contains bibliographic essays on topics such as Bible, Talmud, and other subjects of Jewish interest for the general reader. The books cited are in print, the essays are both readable and informative, and will be useful to beginning students in Jewish studies.

Statistics

American Jewish year book (1899/5660 to present) - Ref E184.J5A6--The most current year of this annual publication of the American Jewish Commitee is available in Reference while the entire set of back volumes are in the open stacks. It contains important directory and statistical data as well as a review of the year's events pertaining to Jewish affairs in the United States and abroad. Each volume contains articles on special topics, biographies, death notices, and bibliographies. The earlier volumes continue to have useful older reference value.

Data/Tables

The Responsa project/Bar Ilan University - BM495.R47 1999 CD-Rom with user guides (held on 4 hour reserve at the Olin Library Reserve Desk). The Responsa project is a searchable online database of Scriptural and and rabbinical literature containing: MIDRASH-ZOHAR-TALMUD BAVLI-TALMUD YERUSHALMI-RASHI and TOSAFOT COMMENTATIRIES-JEWISH LAW CODES-MISHNAH BERURAH-RESPONA WORKS-RABBINCAL BIOGRAPHIES. This CD-ROM resource enables the scholar to: 1. Search for a word, phrase or expression in Torah texts. 2. Display hundreds of classic Torah texts. 3. Print search results 4. Save search results to view or print later. 5. Display biographies of hundreds of responsa authors and other Torah scholars from medieval times to the present. 6. Calculate gematria of expressions of your choice, and locate Biblical berses with equivalent gematria. 7. compare parallel Torah texts. 8. Display Torah texts which cite other texts or which are referred to by othe Torah texts through hypertext. 9. Look up abbreviations in an online dictionary. Please refer to the User's Guide in English or in Hebrew for help in getting started with the Respona project.

Timetables of Jewish history: a chronology of the most important people and events in Jewish history, edited by Judah Gribetz [et.al.] - Ref DS114.G68 1993--A chronology of important events in Jewish history from 9000 BCE to 1991 CE. For the period up to 500 CE it displays events in parallel columns: GENERAL HISTORY, JEWISH HISTORY, JEWISH CULTURE. For the period after 500 CE it adds columns for the Jews in Europe and Jews in the Middle East and North Africa. After 1492 there is an added column for the Jews in the Americas. Also contains, maps, a glossary of terms, photographs and other related tables.

Maps/Atlases

Atlas of medieval Jewish history, by Haim Beinart - Ref G1034.B413 1992--Text, maps, and other visual material that illustrate Jewish history in the Holy Land and the Diaspora from the 4th to the 17th centuries C.E. There are indices by geographical names and personalities.

Atlas of modern Jewish history, by Evyatar Friesel - Ref G1030.F6513 1990-- A collection of maps, charts, and drawings to illustrate world Jewish history from the late 19th century to the 1980s. Emphasis is on demography and history, although ideological and religious changes are also included. There is a bibliography, and a variety of indices by geographical and other names.

Atlas of the Holocaust, by Martin Gilbert - Ref G1797.21.E29G58 1993--316 black-and-white maps with photographs that "show in chronological sequence, the destruction of each of the main Jewish communities of Europe...." Also has an index of place names and individuals.

Atlas of the Jewish world, by Nicholas de Lange - Ref+DS117.D4 1984--Profusely illustrated atlas and timeline of Jewish history from the ancient world to the present time arranged in three major parts: THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, THE CULTURAL BACKGROUND, THE JEWISH WORLD TODAY. Maps and text are clear and easy to use; this volume, therefore, is especially useful for students who wish to place Jewish historical and religious developments into a geographical context.

Books

Catalogs

CTW Online Catalog - For books at Wesleyan, Conn College, or Trinity College.

Harvard University. Library. Catalogue of Hebrew books. 9 volumes (1968-1972) - Ref Z6366 .B45--The basic six volume set published in 1968 contains photoreproductions of catalog cards for the Harvard Judaica collection which consisted of about 100,00 volumes, about half of which are in Hebrew or Yiddish and the rest in other languages. The three volume supplement was published in 1972. Materials can be located by authors, titles, and selected subjects.

New York Public Library. Dictionary catalog of the Jewish collection - Ref Z6375 .N6--The basic 14 volumes, published in 1960, is a photoreproduction of the card catalog of one of the great Jewish collections of the world. It contains about 250,000 entries for books, periodical and analytics, listieng works in all languages on the history and traditions of the Jewish people of all times and in all countries. The 8 volume supplement appeared in 1975, and adds materials cataloged by the library through 1971.

Articles

Indexes & Databases - These indexes and databases are the ones most likely to be relevant to research in Jewish And Israel Studies. See Indexes and Databases for a full list of available online databases.

America: History and Life - America: History and Life covers all aspects of the history of the United States, Canada and Latin America from the earliest times through the present. As such it is a useful resource for finding articles of Jewish concern in those geographic areas.

Historical Abstracts - Historical Abstracts covers all aspects of world history with the exception of the United States and Canada from the Renaissance through modern times. This index will be useful for articles in Jewish history in a wide variety of international historical journals.

Religion Database - The ATLA Religion Database is produced by the American Theological Library Association and is the most comprehensive tool for locating scholarly articles in religious studies. The database contains about one million articles from over 1400 journals in 30 languages, with coverage from 1949 to the present. It includes articles, chapters in edited volumes, and book reviews taken from from Religion Index One (RIO), Religion Index Two (RIT), and the Index to Book Reviews in Religion (IBRR).

E-journals

Jewish Studies, an Internet Journal - This free internet journal produced by the Faculty of Jewish Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan Israel, is edited by a distinguished editorial board from both Israel and the United States. JSIJ is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles in all fields of Jewish Studies. Articles may be downloaded to your desktop computer and read in Microsoft Word, or they may be read, alternatively, in Acrobat. To subscribe to JSIJ, simply click the Subscribe to JSIJ button to receive a complete list of article summaries each time a new issue is published.

WWW Jewish And Israel Studies Sources - Note: It is important to keep in mind that anyone can publish information on the Internet. You need to be very careful about evaluating and citing information found on the Web. Another good way of finding Jewish And Israel Studies resources is to use a search engine or subject directory.

Internet Indexes

Meta Sites/Guides to jewish and israel studies Sites - These sites list, and often evaluate, web sites relevant to research in Jewish And Israel Studies. See Indexes and Databases for a full list of available databases.

Jewish Links - This eclectic meta index of Jewish links is presented by West Suburban Temple Har Zion is a thorough is especially thorough and easy to use. It includes direct links to Israel governmental pages such as the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, the Israel Foreign Ministry to opposition organizations like Shalom Achshav. There are links to Magen David Adom, a virtual tour of Jerusalem, the Hebrew University, apartmental rentals in Israel, information on Jewish holidays, the Anne Frank House, Jewish publishers, Holocaust links, and links to kosher restaurants and recipes.

Kolisrael.com - This is a meta site for links to all things Israeli: news in English and Hebrew, sports, business news, government information Arab news in English, and a wide variety of other useful informtion pertinent to Israel and life in Israel.

Nizkor Project - The Nizkor organizaion presents a vast amount of data in many languages on issues involved in Holocaust Denial. The organization offers "an expose of common arguments--and techniques of argumentation--employed by Holocaust deniers. The propaganda of denial often includes subtle misrepresentations and pseudoscientific constructs that may not be apparent without examining a topic thoroughly. We examine these arguments, misrepresentations and pseudoscientific offerings by looking at the relevant issues in detail."

RAMBI - Index of Articles on Jewish Studies - The Jewish National and University Library - RAMBI is a bibliography of journal articles in all fields that comprise Jewish Studies. It is compiled primarily from the holdings of the Jewish National University Library in Jerusalem, and it covers articles in Hebrew, Yiddish, and all of the European languages. The RAMBI project began in 1966 has aimed to include all significant articles in Jewish studies publishe throughout the world. RAMBI became accessible on the Internet in 2000, and with the completion of Volume 50 in 2001, the entire project has been made available on the Internet, and publication of the printed volumes has stopped. For detailed information about the RAMBI project and its search protocols, log into the database and click "Search Options."

Snunit--The Center for the Advance of Web Based Learning - Snunit is written entirely in Hebrew; and can be read quickly and easily through Internet Explorer, a program that will prompt you to download foreign language fonts. Netscape must be enabled to handle Hebrew fonts before using Snunit. This webpage was created and developed at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and it is geared toward educators, and students at various levels. There are links to online Hebrew journals, a virtual museum, a "shireshet" section on Hebrew poets and poetry, and a "Kodesh" section dealing with Bible, Mishna and Gemara. Snunit also provides a wide variety of links to Israeli newspapers, magazines and other sites of use to students of Jewish studies.

Selected Sites

Full Text Online

Internet Jewish History Sourcebook - This site which originates at Fordham University provides access to multi-media resources in Jewish history and religion from the biblical period through modern times. There are links to the full-texts of primary source material secondary source material, as will as videos and sound files.

Newspapers

Arutz Sheva--IsraelNationalNews.com - An electronic newpaper from Israel available to readers in English, Hebrew, French and Russian. Arutz Sheva also offers On Demand Audio, Live Broadcasts, news by e-mail, video, excerpts from the Arab press and other news services.

Haaretz - Direct link to the latest news from Israel in Hebrew or English from Haaretz, updated daily.

The Jerusalem Post - Direct link to the Jerusalem Post for daily updates on the latest news from Israel.

Images

Eliezer Segal's Image Maps and Interactive Pages - Eliezer Segal, an eminent Professor or Religious Studies at the University of Calgary has created this exceptionally sophisticated interactive we site that allows users to view digitized texts of Jewish holy texts such as the Mishnah, the Gemara, works of Maimonides, and the Shulhan 'Arukh. The sample texts are fully clickable, providing full explanation for the writings in the sample texts. There are also several pages of descriptive analysis for each work in which information about such topics as redaction, author, place, description of the work, terminology, and dates of composition of the work are provided in a logical and readable order and style. Links from the homepage also have excellent sections on topics such as: --The Ten Sefirot of the Kabbalah --Varieties of Orthodox Judaism --The Ascent to the Merkavah --Chanting the Bible. This website is a delight to use for all students and scholars of Jewish texts and religious issues.

Audio

Radio Jerusalem Post - Hear the latest news and other Israeli radio programs from Radio Jerusalem Post!

Organizations

ADL-Anti-Defamation League - Homepage of the ADL, a national Jewish organization whose purpose is to combat ethnic hatred in all forms.

Americans for Peace Now - Official website of Americans for Peace Now, an organization with a "dovish" view of the Arab/Israeli conflict.

Chabad Lubavitch of Cyberspace - Homepage of Chabad Lubavitch, with daily Parsha, views of Moshiach, and information about mystical Judaism from the Chassidic perspective.

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation - Home Page of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (Reconstructionist)

Masada2000: Israel 101 A Survival Kit for Dummies - A website devoted to a "conservative" view of the Arab-Israel conflict.

Zionist Organization of America - Home Page of the Zionist Organization of America.

Other

Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan) - English language homepage of Bar-Ilan University (Ramat Gan)

Brandeis University HomePage

Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion - Web page of the Hebrew Union College (Reform) in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hebrew University in Jerusalem - Homepage in English of the Hebrew University.

Jewish Theological Seminary of America - Home page of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (Conservative).

United States Holocaust Museum - Homepage of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D. C.

University of Tel-Aviv - A link to the homepage of Tel-Aviv University in English language.

Yeshiva University - Web Page of Yeshiva University (Orthodox), the oldest Jewish University in America.

Research Tips

Types of Sources Developing a Topic Finding Background Info Searching Online Databases Finding Books Interpreting Call Numbers Finding Journal Articles Finding Audio/Video/Etc Finding Primary Sources Getting Stuff That Isn't Here Finding Internet Sources Evaluating Sources Found Citing Sources Used Wesleyan's Plagiarism Policy