The Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) encourages the publication of outstanding works of Judaica reference and bibliography through its annual awards. We are pleased to announce the 2024 awards (for works published in 2023):
Reference: Jewish Documentary Sources in Lviv Archives: A Guide. Edited and compiled by Alexander Ivanov and David E. Fishman. Wrocław: Wrocław University Press; Kyiv: Dukh i Litera Publishing House, 2023. Bibliography: Fables in Jewish Culture: The Jon A. Lindseth Collection. Edited by Emile Schrijver and Lies Meiboom. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Library, 2023. Jewish Documentary Sources in Lviv Archives is a comprehensive guide to 235 collections related to Jewish culture found in Lviv archives, libraries, and museums. The collections cover the range of Jewish history, from the fourteenth century to today. The committee was duly impressed by the depth of the research that went into assembling this guide as well as its incredible scope. As a result of this guide, countless works have been made visible to the scholarly world for the first time, and many more newly introduced to the English-speaking scholarly community. Jewish Documentary Sources in Lviv Archives was published by the Jewish Archival Survey in Ukraine, co-sponsored by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the Archival Survey of Ukraine. Three previous guides have appeared as part of the series. The committee would also like to highlight and give honorable mention to The Population History of German Jewry 1815–1939,published by Academic Studies Press. This immaculate work of scholarship and statistical gathering is also an act of scholarly devotion. Not only is this work a posthumous tribute to Steven Mark Lowenstein, it is also based on the work of the late Hebrew University demographer Osiel Oscar Schmelz. The resulting book is a tribute to two extraordinary scholars and to scholarly cooperation itself. Our Bibliography Award Winner, Fables in Jewish Culture: The Jon A. Lindseth Collection, represents traditional bibliography at its highest level. The editors, Emile Schrijver and Lies Meiboom, began with the arduous task of first convincing the skeptical reader that the Fable as a genre has a long history within Jewish culture, a task they accomplished with aplomb. The committee was equally impressed with the critical apparatus of scholarly texts, detailed descriptions composed for each item in the collection, and the beauty of the book itself. The committee, of course, also wants to acknowledge the work of Jon Lindseth in building this collection and assembling such a diverse library of texts on the fable. It is an incredible accomplishment—and a treasure for the Cornell University Library. Finally, the committee would also like to highlight two books that do not quite fit the awards categories but are otherwise worthy of special recognition. First, The Beauty of the Hebrew Letter: From Sacred Scrolls to Graffiti by Izzy Pludwinsky and published by Brandeis University Press. Pludwinsky’s book is lovingly compiled and gorgeously published—a true showcase of the beauty of Hebrew script. Second, 101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel. While not designed as a rigorous bibliographic catalog, the work features tremendous, erudite essays about each of the selected works. Published by the National Library of Israel and Scala Arts and Heritage, the book is truly special, something that deserves to find a home both in personal libraries and in academic libraries. The winners of the awards will be celebrated both in person at the AJL conference in San Diego and through online programs. For his commitment and continuing support of the Bibliography Award, AJL would like to recognize and thank Mr. Eric Chaim Kline of Santa Monica. AJL would also like to thank all the members of the Reference and Bibliography Awards committee for their diligent work: Rachel Ariel, Sharon Benamou, Daniel Kestenbaum, Konstanze Kunst, and Diane Mizrachi. We also extend thanks to Haim Gottschalk for his many suggestions of books to consider.
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