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By: Anchi Hoh
(The following is a post by Sharon Horowitz, Reference Librarian, Hebraic Section, African and Middle Eastern Division.) In 1882 three Blumenthal brothers, Sam, Philip and Barney, left the Duchy of Courland, today part of western Latvia, bound for the United States. Michigan became the place they called home. Initially working as traveling peddlers, the three …
Posted in: 4 Corners of the World
By: Betty Lupinacci
The Law Library has put on a display of items from the Jewish American collection for Jewish Heritage Month.
Posted in: In Custodia Legis
By: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by Sharon Horowitz, reference librarian in the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division.) Exodus 23:15 tells us that Passover should be celebrated in the spring. The rabbis understood this to mean it was their job to maintain the holiday in the spring, which required some manipulation …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Stephanie Hall
March 20 is World Storytelling Day. Tying storytelling with the equinox in March is thought to have originated in Sweden as Alla berättares dag (all storytellers day) in 1991 or 1992. Other countries joined to celebrate storytelling on the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the …
Posted in: Folklife Today
By: Erin Allen
(The following post is by Ann Brener, Hebraic area specialist in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division.) Every age has its own image of the “woman of valor,” and in the crumbling Jewish world of post-exilic Spain, that image was embodied in the persons of two unique women: Doña Gracia Nasi and Signora Benvenida …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Dr. Uri Golomb (Editor, Israel Music Institute) and Dr. Ronit Seter (Jewish Music Research Centre, Hebrew University Jerusalem), both of whom recently visited the Performing Arts Reading Room to explore Mordecai Seter materials in the Music Division’s collections. February 26, 2016 marks the centenary of Mordecai Seter (1916-1994), …
Posted in: In The Muse
By: Erin Allen
(The following post is by Ann Brener, Hebraic area specialist in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division.) With its rich nature imagery and enigmatic dream-like sequences, the “Song of Songs” (also known as the “Songs of Solomon”) is surely one of the world’s great love poems and one of the most popular books in …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
(The following is a post by Ann Brener, Hebraic area specialist in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division.) Imagine that some brightly plumed bird-of-paradise has flown in amongst your backyard warblers, and you’ll probably know how I felt upon discovering a beautifully illustrated book in the vaults of the Library of Congress. Nestled between …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Erin Allen
This Thanksgiving, I’ll be celebrating “Friendsgiving” – a thankful gathering for those of us unable to spend the holiday with our families. The veritable smorgasbord of dishes everyone is bringing got me thinking about everyone’s food traditions, since Turkey Day usually revolves around sharing a meal. I imagine my friends’ dishes come from old family …
Posted in: Timeless
By: Stephanie Hall
This week the Library of Congress historic newspaper resource, Chronicling America, will pass a milestone of making ten million digitized pages of American newspapers available free online. These papers were selected by institutions in thirty-eight states and territories, with more expected to be added. When I was working on an article, “Russian American Song,” for …
Posted in: Folklife Today