As promised at Convention, below is the text of the article about Mae Weine that appeared in the Detroit Jewish News last month.
Rachel Kamin, Director Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323 248/661-5700 (phone), 248/661-1302 (fax) Please note my new e-mail address: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] THE SHUL LIBRARIAN Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Staff Writer The Detroit Jewish News, June 18, 2004 Next week, when the membership of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) assembles at its annual convention in New York, a heartfelt tribute will be read in honor of Mae Weine. Mrs. Weine of Oak Park, a former national president of the organization who attended almost every convention for the past 40 years, died June 5, 2004, at age 92. Mrs. Weine, a member of Congregation Beth Shalom, was a synagogue librarian at Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel Moses (now Beth Ahm) for many years. "She didn't resign from her work there until she was 90," said daughter Judith Sinnott of Allen Park. "Mae was passionate about educating Judaica librarians-in-training," reads the tribute, written by Barbara Leff, past president of the New York-based AJL, and Ronda Rose, AJL president-elect. "She was a warm, outgoing woman, who worked tirelessly for the association." Mrs. Weine was one of the AJL founders and helped form chapters in Philadelphia, Southern California and Detroit. She also taught workshops and wrote articles and publications to promote library standards. "I was always amazed by her energy, her passion, her knowledge and her commitment to the profession," said Rachel Erlich Kamin, director of Temple Israel Libraries and Media Center in West Bloomfield and immediate past president of AJL's Michigan Chapter. A professional highlight for Mrs. Weine was her creation of the Weine Classification System for Judaica Collections. "It is one of two classification systems that is used in countless Jewish libraries all over the world," Kamin said. "The Weine Classification scheme was the first one to address Judaic cataloging in the smaller Judaica library, such as a school or synagogue," Ronda Rose said. But far before her years as a librarian, Mrs. Weine was a wife and mother. "She had a master's degree in library science from Drexel University in Philadelphia, but she didn't get it until her kids were teenagers," said daughter Judith. "But she was always a lover of books and literature. All she ever did was read. When we were kids, she informally ran the library at Beth Israel Congregation in Camden, N.J., where my dad was rabbi." Family and holidays were central to Mrs. Weine. "She was an ultra-loyal family person and the personal glue that held the family together," Judith said. "And she was always the one to organize holiday gatherings, like the family seder at Beth Shalom." With as much acclaim as she had received professionally, Judith said, "she wasn't interested in being in the limelight. She was very retiring, modest and unpretentious," she said. At Mrs. Weine's funeral, her niece Reva Barahal of Southfield read a letter from Maureen Reister, an AJL member from Dallas. Reister recounted Mrs. Weine's warm, friendly welcome when she was a newcomer to the association. "I was new to Judaica librarianship and had no idea how famous Mae was -- what she and her work meant to the library world," she wrote. "It was a privilege to know the woman who wrote the brilliant classification scheme, a wonderful gift to the Jewish library world." Mrs. Weine was an active member of the national AJL and the group's Michigan Chapter. Well into her 80s, Mrs. Weine continued to travel to conventions, meetings and events. "Even with her extensive experience in the field, she felt that she could still learn from her colleagues," Kamin said. "And, of course, we all learned so much from her." Mae Weine is survived by her son, Daniel Weine of Georgia; daughter and son-in-law, Judith and Michael Sinnott of Allen Park; sister, Grace Friedman of Los Angeles; granddaughter, Deborah and Shimon Nakar of Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel; great-grandchildren, Ta'ir Nakar, Tamar Nakar, Shira Nakar, Yedidiah Nakar, Natan Nakar, Brandon Sinnott, Christian Sinnott. She was the beloved wife of the late Rabbi Max Weine; dear mother-in-law of the late Florence Weine. Interment was at Machpelah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a Jewish charity of one's choice or Beaumont Hospice. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. 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