THE RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE JEWISH BOOKSHELF PROJECT

Background

The last two decades have witnessed a tremendous revival of Jewish learning among Russian-speaking Jews in Israel, the former Soviet Union, The United States, and Germany. In addition to private study on the part of individuals, Jewish day schools, Jewish academic and popular universities, and other formal and informsl educational flameworks for Russian speakers have opened up in the FSU and around the world.

Gishrei Tarbut (Cultural Bridges), a non-profit association registered in both Russia and Israel, was founded in 1990 by Dr. Michael Greenberg to help facilitate this renaissance among Russian-speaking Jews, particularly through the publication of high-quality Jewish books in the Russian language. Gishrei Tarbut also assembled an extensive archives for the History and Culture of Russian Jewry in its Jerusalem office, organized Jewish book exhibitions and lecture series throughout the FSU and Israel, and initiated numerous scholarly and popular conferences, all with the aim of helping former Soviet Jews gain knowledge of Jewish civilization in all its many aspects.

Gishrei Tarbut works in close cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Moscow State University, the Pushkin House in St.Petersburg, the Harvard University, the Krymsky Institute in Kiev, the Russian Jewish Congress, and many other academic public, and philanthropic institutions. To date, Gishrei Tarbut has mad available over one hundred high-level publications on Jewish topics in the Russian language (catalogue attached), including popular titles such as Jewish Literacy, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, and How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household, by Blu Greenberg. In addition to its own publishing enterprises, Gishrei Tarbut has done much to increase general awareness of all the quality Jewish books available in the Russian language.

The Challenge

Despite the intense interest of many former Soviet Jews in acquiring Jewish knowledge and corresponding efforts to disseminate Jewish books in the Russian language, only a tiny percentage of Russian-speaking Jews, in all the countries where they reside, know that such books exist. Even in Israel, over 250 Russian-language bookstores do not carry books of Jewish interest on their shelves because they doubt the marketability of such books. This is often due to the bookstore owners insufficient exposure to Jewish learning and literature, but it is also due to bad prior experience with poor-quality Jewish publications.

The consequences of the inadequate marketing of high-level Russian-language Jewish literature are clear. Especially in Russian culture, where prime importance is attributed to the written word, lack of exposure to high-quality publications on Jewish topics has sent many a spiritually-hungry Russian-speaking Jew in the direction of foreign cultures, including missionaries. At best, it has left them feeling completely disconnected from the Jewish community. In addition to authentic, positive Jewish experiences, such individuals will need contact with high-level Jewish literature in order to insure a Jewish future for themselves and for their families.

The Plan

Gishrei Tarbut is committed to meeting the above challenges through a number of strategic programs, all aimed at increasing the exposure of Russian Jewish readers to their history and heritage. The programs are specifically geared towards those populations which, to date, have had almost no contact with high-quality Jewish literature. While building on past successful programs, including publishing and book fairs, the plan also includes new ventures into the North American and German markets and the establishment of a Russian-Language Jewish Book Center with locations in Russia and Israel.

PUBLICATIONS

Bibliotheca Judaica - Jewish Academic Library in the Russian Language

In cooperation with the Center for Jewish Studies in Russian of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, sixty works by top experts in different fields of Jewish studies are to be published over the next five years in the Russian language. The publications are intended to encourage original writing on the part of Russian-speaking students of Jewish studies in Israel and cover the following disciplines: Bible, Second Temple and Talmudic Period, Jews in the Middle Ages, Modern Jewish History, the State of Israel, Jewish Philosophy, Jewish Literature, and Hebrew. The project also includes works in progress by a new generation of young, FSU-born, Israeli Jewish studies experts.

Catalogue of Russian Jewish Books

Close to two thousand quality books on Jewish topics in the Russian language have been published in recent times, although no data base exist of all the books available. Though its Jerusalem and Moscow offices, Gishrei Tarbut is currently assembling a list of these books, which include independently published books and journals from remote cities across the former Soviet Union. The goal is twoford: 1) to make available a comprehensive catalogue of Russian language Jewish books to the Russian-speaking public and 2) to collect copies of as many of these books as possible for Gishrei Tarbut's planned Russian-Language Jewish Book Center (see description below) for subsequent lending or selling of the booiks to Russian-speaking readers.

General publications

Gihrei Tarbut plans to continue its publishing efforts in the fields of classical, pop[ular and children's Jewish literature. Examples of specific projects are a Russian translation of Back to the Sources, by Barry Holtz an original book about the Israeli army for current and potential Russian immigrants and their families, and more high-quality Jewish books for children.

BOOK EXHIBITIONS AND LECTURE SERIES

Over the past several years, Russian-language Jewish Book Fairs were held with tremendous success in cities across the former Soviet Union and in Israel. The fairs included exhibitions of books and Jewish archival collections, lectures by authors and translators, cultural programs by local Jewish artists, study seminars, and meeting with publishers, book illustrators, etc. In the FSU, the fairs drew Jewish readers who previously had little connection to the Jewish community. In Israel, a series of lectures and exhibitions exposed considerable numbers of Russian-speaking olim for the first time to the world of the Jewish book.

Gishrei Tarbut hopes to continue the above activities in cities throughout Israel and in the FSU, given their tremendous impact and importance. However, a whole other vast segment of Russian-speaking Jewry also begs immediate attention: the contacts with Jewish communities in Canada, the United States and Germany indicate almost no exposure to high-quality books by their Russian-speaking residents.

To begin to rectify this situation, Gishrei Tarbut is planning a traveling exhibition, which could cover approximately four major cities per circuit. Around the exhibition of approximately 200 high-quality Russian language Jewish books could be planned a Jewish Book Week or lecture series including all the elements described above. Such an exhibition/book fair would constitude a wonderful outreach tool for local Jewish communities in North America and Germany to their Russian-speaking residents, and be a catalyst for continuing local programs designed to expose the latter to Jewish communal life and learning. Local Jewish booksellers would also witness the depth and breadth of this "new" market and ideally decide to begin stocking Russian-language Judaica on their shelves.

RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE JEWISH BOOK CENTER

Gishrei Tarbut Russian-Language Jewish Book Center would be a one-stop resource center for Russian-speaking scholars and laypeople alike. The groundwork has already been laid to open the Center in Moscow and in Jerusalem, with additional branches to be opened in Kiev and St.Petersburg.

The Center would feature a comprehensive catalogue of all books on Jewish topics published in the Russian language and hold copies of these books for on-sight reference, borrowing, or purchase, depending upon the quantities for gathering Jewish publications from all cities of the FSU and Israel and provide networking tools (Internet, fax, and telephone information) to Russian-language Jewish book publishers, scholars and laypeople across the globe.

The Center would also be a cultural focal point for the local Russian-speaking Jewish community, sponsoring rare book and archival exhibitions, lectures by authors and intellectuals, and cultural events for readers of all ages. Finally, the Center would serve as an invaluable resource for the librarians of the various Russian-language Jewish libraries situated in universities, schools, and community centers across the FSU, Israel, and other locations in the Jewish world.

Support of the above projects will help insure the continued spiritual and intellectual evolution of Russian-speaking Jews as they assume their rightful place within the world Jewish community. The time is ripe for making the Jewish bookshelf - and basic Jewish literacy - accessible to Russian-speaking Jews in every community where they reside, whether it be North America, Europe, Israel, the FSU, or elsewhere in the Jewish world.

For more information on the Russian-Language Bookshelf Project, please contact Dr. Michael Greenberg, Director, Geshrei Tarbut.

PROJECT THE WEEK OF JEWISH BOOK IN RUSSIAN

Preface

The Jewish book was exhibited frequently on different exhibitions and fairs (International Book Fair, Moscow; Book Week, Israel). Mostly these events reflected single publishing houses activities. Now increases the need in wide and deepening acquaintance with Jewish literature heritage in spite of culture in general and Jewish history. The general picture of different literature genres and flows, the rich world of Jewish illustration of different times, the general cultural worth of Jewish literature heritage - these are the factors that are supposed to attract the attention of Jewish intelligentsia of the former Soviet Union, new immigrants, education people in Israel and CIS countries, youth and also wide audience of readers.

Project goals

• development of interest in Jewish literature heritage;
• creating reading audience and book market;
• acquaintance with different fields of Jewish culture: book, theater, art, philosophy, Jewish religion etc.
• acquaintance with the book in historic perspective.

Project description

In spite of all the mentioned above, we plan to conduct the "Jewish book week" project during two years:

• in different cities of Israel
• in countries, in which there are large Jewish Russian-speaking communities.

  Presentation

• Books by all of the major Publishing Houses on Jewish topics: Jewish philosophy, Jewish history, children's books, dictionaries and textbooks in Hebrew, books on Jewish arts (in Russian, Hebrew and English) research literature on Judaica etc.
• Video- and audiotapes, siddurs, posters.
• Copies of authentic documents, connected with Eastern Europe Jews history, antic poligraphy samples, copies of journals of Jewish literature activists and writers.

  "Jewish Culture" programs

• This program would include participation of single artists or groups of artists connected to Jewish culture: choirs, dance groups, theater actors etc.
• Lectures and study days that will be accompanied by presentations on variety of topics, addressed to wide audience, such as "Illustration in Jewish books", "Jewish poetry", "Jewish arts" etc.
• Meetings with publishers, translators, book illustrators etc.
• Seminars for education poll and librarians from Jewish educational organizations.

Organizing activity

• The mobile program continues between 2 to 6 days in every place.
• Participation of the press.
• Preparation works in schools, Universities and other educational and cultural organizations.
• Participation of Jewish communities' artists and culture people.
• Participation of non-Jewish culture people, City Mayors.
• Public opinion poll for getting information on reader's needs in a field of publishing.

We consider it necessary to conduct such actions where are large Jewish Russian-speaking communities: Israel, CIS and other diaspora countries.