The Lost Library

The Legacy of Vilna's Strashun Library in the Aftermath of the Holocaust

Dan Rabinowitz

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English

Brandeis University Press
04 December 2018

History: specific events & topics; Jewish studies

Series: The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry

The Strashun Library was among the most important Jewish public institutions in Vilna, and indeed in Eastern Europe, prior to its destruction during World War II. Mattityahu Strashun, descended from a long and distinguished line of rabbis, bequeathed his extensive personal library of 5,753 volumes to the Vilna Jewish community on his death in 1885, with instructions that it remain open to all.

In the summer of 1941, the Nazis came to Vilna, plundered the library, and shipped many of its books to Germany for deposition at a future Institute for Research into the Jewish Question. When the war ended, the recovery effort began. Against all odds, a number of the greatest treasures of the library could be traced. However, owing to its diverse holdings and its many prewar patrons, a custody battle erupted over the remaining holdings. Who should be heir to the Strashun Library?

This book tells the story of the Strashun Library from its creation through the contentious battle for ownership following the war until present day. Pursuant to a settlement in 1958, the remnants of the greatest prewar library in Europe were split between two major institutions: the secular YIVO in the United States and the rabbinic library of Hechal Shlomo in Israel, a compromise that struck at the heart of the library's original unifying mission.

By: Dan Rabinowitz
Imprint: Brandeis University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 422g
ISBN: 9781512603095
ISBN 10: 1512603090
Series: The Tauber Institute Series for the Study of European Jewry
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 04 December 2018
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

DAN RABINOWITZ is an avid book collector and the founder and editor-in-chief of the Seforim Blog (seforim.blogspot.com), a website devoted to the study of the Hebrew book. His articles have also appeared in Alei Sefer, Hakirah, and Tradition. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and practices law in Washington, DC.