Association of Jewish Libraries Publishing

Baker, Zachary M.

Problem Patrons and Problem Librarians: A Personal Confession

Greenbaum, Avraham

Review of Antisemitism: An Annotated Bibliography

Association of Jewish Libraries

FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF JUDAICA AND ISRAELI LIBRARIANS 
Editor's Note: The special section of this issue devoted to the First International Conference of Judaica and Israeli Librarians 
contains seven papers presented in the "Judaica Research Libraries" track of the conference. Papers from the First International 
Symposium on Jewish Children's Literature are scheduled to be published in the forthcoming issue. 
To put the seven papers in context, we have excerpted from the Conference Program information on all of the sessions in the 
research track. Abstracts - in Hebrew or English - of the majority of papers were included in the program, which was distributed 
to registrants. Bracketed notes within the listing below indicate which papers are represented in this issue. 
The First International Conference of 
Judaica and Israeli Librarians 
Program: 
Judaica Research Libraries and AJL-R&S 
[Association of Jewish Libraries - Research & Special Libraries Division) 
LUBETSKI and ZIPIN 
(Continued) 
All R&S programs were held in one 
room, with an average of 150 attendees. 
There was excellent interaction between 
R&S members and Israelis, as well as 
registrants from other countries. It did 
help that many R&S members speak 
Hebrew and had been acquainted with 
some of their counterparts in Israel 
before the conference. The conference 
generated great excitement about possi-
bilities of shared projects and ongoing 
cooperation. Contacts were made, 
friendships forged, and a direction estab-
lished. We look forward to the continuity 
and strengthening of those ties. 
Prof. Edith Lubetski is Librarian of Stern 
Tuesday, July 3, 1990 
08:00-08:45 - Chairwoman: Libby Kahana, Jewish National and University Library 
The Index of Jewish Art 
Ruth Jacoby, Hebrew University 
08:45-09:30 - Chairman:Yitzhak Yudelov, Jewish National and University Library 
Israeli Indexes to Hebrew Periodicals 
Michael Rigler, Jewish National and University Library 
10:30 Opening Ceremony 
Chairman: Dr. Dan Ronan, Director, Division of Culture and Arts, 
Ministry of Education and Culture 
Guest of Honor. Zevulun Hammer, Minister of Education and 
Culture 
Greetings: Prof. Malachi Beit Arie, Director, Jewish National and 
University Library 
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Ezra Fleisher, Chairman, World Union of 
Jewish Studies - "Safer, Sofer, Safran" (Book, Author and 
Librarian) In a Technological Age. [Published as a pamphlet. 
Summary by Donna Kutnick in this issue.] 
College of Yeshiva University in New 14:00-15:30 -
York City. Prof. Amnon Zipin is Jewish 
Chairman: Zion Shorer, Jewish National and University Library 
Judaica Cataloging: The Hebrew Bibliographic and Israeli Traditions 
[Full paper in this issue.] Studies Bibliographer at Ohio State 
University in Columbus. Elhanan Adler, University of Haifa Library. 
Judaica and Hebraica Cataloging: Anglo-American Traditions 
[Full paper in this issue.] 
Prof. Bella Hass Weinberg, St. John's University, USA 
16:00-17:30 - Chairwoman: Linda Lerman, Yale University, USA 
_Acquiring Privately Printed Hebrew Rabbinic Literature 
Meir Wunder, Jewish National and University Library 
Non-Traditional Judaic Research Collections 
Dr. Michael W. Grunberger, Library of Congress, USA 
Wednesday, July 4, 1990 
08:00-09:30 - Chairman: Dr. Herbert Zafren, Hebrew Union College, USA 
The Codicological Data-Base of the Hebrew Palaeographical Project 
as a Tool for Palaeographical Typology and Identification 
Prof. Malachi Bait Arie, Jewish National and University Library 
Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 5 
Cataloging Hebrew Manuscripts at the Institute of Microfilmed 
Hebrew Manuscripts 
Benjamin Richler, Jewish National and University Library 
10:30-12:00 - Panel Discussion: Education For Library and Information Science in 
the '90s 
Chairwoman: Dr. Bluma Peritz, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 
Participants: Esther Amie!, Outgoing ISLIC Chairwoman; Dr. Carol 
Hoffman-Pfeffer, Information Consultant; Prof. Shmuel Sever, 
Haifa University; Dr. Moshe Yitzhaki, Bar-llan University 
14:00-15:30 - Chairman: Dr. Charles Cutter, Brandeis University, USA 
Jewish Archives in the USA [Full paper in this issue.] 
Dr. Nathan Kaganoff, American Jewish Historical Society, USA 
Archives in Israel 
Dr. Moshe Mussek, Israel State Archives 
16:00-17:30 - Chairman: Pinhas Ziv, Ben-Gurion University 
Resources and Issues tor Genealogical Research in Jewish Studies 
[Full paper in this issue] 
Zachary M. Baker, YIVO, USA 
The Kresse/ Archive as a Genealogical Resource 
Dr. Noah Lucas, Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew 
Studies, England 
What Does the Family Researcher Look for in Libraries and Other 
Israeli Sources 
Esther Ramon, Israel Genealogical Society 
Thursday, July 5, 1990 
08:00-09:30 - Chairman: Shmuel Salinger, School of Oriental and African Studies, 
University of London 
Hebrew Subject Headings [Full paper in this issue.] 
Gita Hoffman, Bar-llan University 
Chairman: Dr. Leonard Gold, New York Public Library 
The Beginning of Hebrew Printing - Rome or Mantova 
Dr. Mordechai Glatzer, Hebrew University 
10:30-12:00 - Chairman: Dr. Philip Miller, HUC-JIR, USA 
30 Years of the Hebrew Bibliography Project 
Dr. Jonathan Joel, Jewish National and University Library 
Chairman: Amnon Zipin, Ohio State University, USA 
Yeshiva Libraries in Israel [Full paper in this issue.] 
Ya'akov Aronson, Bar-llan University 
14:00-15:30 - Chairman: David Gilner, Hebrew Union College, USA 
Preservation Microfilming of Judaica: Projects, Plans, Possibilities 
[Full paper in this issue.] 
Pearl Berger, Yeshiva University, USA 
Preservation of Jewish and Israeli Periodicals at the Jewish National 
and University Library 
Dr. Jonathan Joel, Jewish National and University Library 
16:00-17:30 - Chairman: Brad Sabin Hill, British Library 
History of Private Jewish Libraries 
Dr. Zipora Baruchson, Bar-llan University 
The Far-Reaching Search for Rare Books: Hebrew Printing on the 
Island of Djerba 
Dr. Sara Frankel, Bar-llan University 
6 Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 
We 
gratefu I ly 
acknowledge 
the 
continuing 
support 
of the 
I. Edward 
Kiev 
Foundation 
for the 
publication 
of 
Judaica 
Librarianship. 
~toms, Culture and 
Conventions-The Richness of the 
World of Judaism Revealed in 
these Key Resources ... 
Completely revised and updated! 
1HE NEW STANDARD JEWISH ENCYCWPEDIA 
(Seventh Edition) • 
By Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder. Judaica Book Club Alternate 
Selection. 1,036 pp. 7x10. October 1992. 
ISBN 0-8160-26904. $59.95 hardbound. 
THE JEWISH PRIMER: Questions and Answers on 
Jewish Faith and Culture 
By Rabbi Dr. Shmuel Himelstein. Judaica and Jewish 
Book Club Alternate Selection. More than 25 
photographs and line drawings. Index. 256 pp. 6x9. 
September 1992. ISBN 0-8160-2849-4. 
$12.95 paperbound. 
ATLAS OF THE JEWISH WORLD 
By Nicholas de Lange. 175 full-color photographs. 
140 photographs in black-and-white. 59 maps. 
Glossary. Gazetteer. Bibliography. Chronology. 
Index. 240 pp. 9 ½ x 12. ISBN 0-87196-043-5. 
$45.00 hardbound. 
JUDAISM 
By Martha Morrison and Stephen F. Brown. 
For young adults. 30 black-and-white photographs. 
128 pp. 6x9. ISBN 0-8160-2444-8. $17.95 hardbound. 
THE JEWISH COMMUNITIES OF THE WORLD 
(Fourth Edition) 
By Antony Lerman. 224 pp. 6 ¼ x 9 ¼. 
ISBN 0-8160-2072-8. $40.00 hardbound. 
THE JEWISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE 
By David M. Brownstone. For young adults. 
Over 40 black-and-white illustrations. 128 pp. 
73A!x9¼. ISBN 0-8160-1628-3. $16.95 hardbound. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH HISTORY 
Events and Eras of the Jewish People 
By Joseph Alpher. Selected by RASO/ ALA as one of 
the "Outstanding Reference Sources of 1986." More than 
500 full-color illustrations. 288 pp. 83/4 x 11 ½ . 
ISBN 0-8160-1220-2. $40.00 hardbound. 
THE 
JEWISH-
AMERICAN 
[!~mTAGE 
* 
The Jewish 
Communities 
of the World 
, ,, n," m I'•'',,• )' t" •) • 
Edited by 
Antony Lennan 
Rj ~ t On Fil ® 460 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016 
.l '"dC S e To order call: 1-800-322-8755 or FAX: 1-800-678-3633 In AK and HI 212-683-2244 (collect) 
Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 7 


English

Program: Judaica Research Libraries and AJL-R&S

Vol. 6:1–2 Front Matter

Blanc, Esther

Dixon, Tennessee

Lowry, Lois

Ganz, Yaffa

Sydney Taylor Book Awards Acceptance Speeches

Letters from Our Readers

Lazinger, Susan S.

Master's Theses on Topics in Judaica Librarianship in the Graduate School of Library and Archive Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1974-1991: An Annotated Bibliography

Davidoff, Donna J.

American Jewish Women: Two Biobibliographies

Kertesz, Yitzhak

Creating Judaica Research Collections: The Cost-Effective Way

Deitch, Sara S.

, 
SYNAGOGUE LIBRARIES 
Reading Programs in a Religious School Setting 
Sara 5. Deitch 
Introduction 
The publication of Judaic children's liter-
ature is booming. At the same time, our 
children are products of the video gener-
ation. How, then, can we encourage-
children to read more - and, in addition, 
get them to read and enjoy publications 
with Judaic content? This problem can 
be addressed directly in a Jewish day 
school curriculum on a day-to-day basis. 
In the one-day-a-week religious school 
setting, however, getting students to 
read "Jewish" books is much more diffi-
cult. Time is at a premium, as teachers 
cram as much instruction as possible 
into the short school day. And yet, litera-
ture is a nonconfrontational way to allow 
students to develop positive feelings 
about themselves and their Judaism. 
At Temple Sinai in Atlanta, Georgia, we 
have attempted to introduce our stu-
dents to Judaic literature through three 
different year-long reading programs. 
The congregation is twenty-four years 
old, with a membership of 520 families. 
The library became functional when the 
synagogue building was completed in 
1973. There are approximately 3,500 
volumes in the collection, including 
1,000 volumes for children or young 
adults. There is a part-time staff librarian 
during the week, plus a school librarian 
on Sunday mornings. Two hundred-plus 
students, from grades K-7, attend reli-
gious school for 2 and 3/4 hours on 
Sunday. Children preparing for their 
bar/bat mitzvah also attend Hebrew 
school one afternoon per week. (Older 
students are on a different track and 
meet another day.) 
The Programs 
1. Double Mitzvah Reading Program 1 
An eight-rung paper "ladder" is placed 
on the library wall. When a child reads a 
book, a paper ribbon with his/her name 
is hung on the bottom rung of the ladder. 
With each subsequent book read, 
Temple Sinai Library 
Atlanta, GA 
his/her name rises a rung on the ladder. 
Students are told that they are doing a 
double mitzvah, as when they reach the 
third and eighth rungs, a donation will be 
made in their honor to the Jewish Braille 
Institute. Thus the children help them-
selves by reading, and help others at the 
same time. Those who finish the pro-
gram have their names placed in the 
"clouds" above the ladder and receive a 
certificate (see Figure 1 ). (The same 
certificate is used for programs 2 and 3.) 
This year we recycled the Mitzvah 
Ladder as an "Ecological Jacob's 
Ladder," with birds, butterflies, owls, etc. 
for each grade level. Next year we plan 
to draw a kibbutz, with each grade rep-
resented by a different crop or animal. 
DATI'! 
2. People of the Book 
This program is more complicated than 
the first. Children in each grade level are 
'required to read a different number of 
books (more in lower grades, fewer in 
upper grades). In addition, lhe students 
are required to read a specific number of 
books in certain subject categories. Lists 
of recommended books are prepared, 
and the books are marked with color-
coded dots indicating grade level. When 
a student reads a book, a "gingerbread" 
figure with his/her name is placed on the 
library wall (see Figure 2). As additional 
books are read, parts of the body are 
colored in. When the figure is complet-
ed, it is placed on the "People of the 
Book" scroll (similar to a Torah scroll) at 
the top of the wall. 
Figure 1 
Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 175 
, 
l 
3. Sinai Speedway - Reading Road 
Race 
A multilane speedway, with starting 
gates on the left and finish lanes on the 
right, is placed on the library wall. When 
a student reads a book, a race car with 
his/her name is placed on the track. 
With each subsequent book read, the 
car moves across the track. Once again, 
students at different grade levels are 
required to read different numbers of 
books. Cars finishing the program are 
lined up across the finish line in the win-
ners' area. The instruction sheet for this 
program is in Figure 3. 
Observations 
1. For a reading program to be success-
ful, library time must be incorporated 
into the Sunday curriculum. We allot 
twenty-minute periods, and classes are 
scheduled for library visits on a rotating 
basis. The library period includes a story 
and time for checking out books. The 
librarians are able to expose the stu-
dents to the library and its resources 
during these visits. Every effort is made 
for this to be an open, upbeat, and 
pleasant experience. Children are 
encouraged, but not required, to check 
out books. Bibliographic skill-building is 
not taught. 
2. Be prepared to expend time and ener-
gy to make a reading program work. In 
the first place, it takes a good deal of time 
to plan and set up the program. It must 
be well thought out in advance. Secondly, 
once the program has started, the book-
keeping takes time. The students expect 
records to be up-to-date, and they look 
for their names on the wall chart. 
3. Devise a system to validate that the 
student has indeed read what he/she 
says has been read. We do not require 
a conventional book report, but use a 
simple "book review" form for each pro-
gram. The forms used for the various 
programs are in Figures 4-6. Such fill-in-
the-blank forms provide us with enough 
information to confirm that a book has 
been read and that the student has 
thought about its content. Although we 
want this to be an easy program for the 
students to deal with, we monitor what 
they read so that they do not select 
books below their grade level. In fact, 
we challenge them to stretch them-
selves and read at a higher level. 
Figure 2. "Gingerbread" figures used in People of the Book Reading Program. 
TEMPLE SINAI LIBRARY 
SINAI SPEEDWAY 
READING ROAD RACE 
"Drivers start your engines!" The 1990-1991 Temple Sinai Reading Program is 
ready to begin" Zoom your way through a year of good reading as you speed 
along the Sinai Speedway in the great Reading Road Race ! ! ! Follow your 
progress and that of your classmates and friends as you drive to the checkered 
flag. 
1. To enter the race you must read a book from the Temple Sinai Library and 
return a completed book review form. The forms are available in the Library. 
We require that the book be on your reading level and of Judaic content. 
Completed book review forms are required for all books read during the race. 
2. Students at each grade level are required to read a certain number of books. 
As you complete books during the year, your progress in the race will be 
shown on the Speedway which is located in the Library. Cars are color coded 
as to grade. 
K = 8 books (yellow) 
1 = 7 books (purple) 
2 = 6 books (green) 
3 = 5 books (red) 
4 = 5 books (blue) 
5 = 4 books (orange) 
6 = 3 books (brown) 
7 = 3 books (peach) 
3. When you have read the required number of books and returned book review 
forms for them all, you will cross the Finish Line and be a Sinai Speedway -
Reading Road Race WINNER ! ! ! All winners will be invited to a special party 
at the end of the school year. 
Figure 3 
176 Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 
4. Progress in the reading program 
should be presented in a visual manner. 
This allows a student to follow his/her 
progress and to see how he/she is doing 
in relation to other students. We use an 
eight-foot-wide section of wall in the 
library for this purpose. Such creative 
charting catches the attention of the stu-
dents, as well as that of parents and 
other library patrons. 
5. Entry into the reading program should 
be voluntary. Compulsory participation 
may be self-defeating and negate the 
stated purpose of developing positive 
feelings towards the library and reading. 
We recognize all who enter the program_ 
at the end of the school year with a cer-
tificate; those who finish the program are 
rewarded with a party. 
6. Do not expect as much response from 
the older children as from the younger 
students. Those older students who are 
11readers" will read, but do so for their 
own purposes. If we have done our job, 
these students will have acquired a posi-
tive feeling regarding the library as well 
as basic knowledge of what it contains. 
We encourage our older students to use 
the library for researching term papers 
and preparing projects for their day-
school classes. 
7. Statistics indicate our programs have 
been successful. In our second year, 
46% of the student body participated in 
the program, and 35% of those partici-
pating finished the program. The third 
year, 51 % of the student body participat-
ed, 33% of those participating finishing. 
We consider these percentages indica-
tors of success because (a) without the 
programs the students would read far 
fewer books, and (b) not all books read 
are reported to the librarian. 
Temple Sinai Library 
READ A BOOK/ DO A MITZVAH PROGRAM 
Book Report Form 
Name of Student: --------,---------------
Grade: __________ Teacher: ___________ _ 
Title of Book: 
Author: _______________________ _ 
Rate the Book: Fantastic! 
__ A Good Read 
__ Just So-So 
__ The Pits 
Why: _____________________ _ 
OPTIONAL: 
Pick ONE of the following to complete your report. Use the back of this sheet or 
additional paper, as necessary: 
1. Write a letter to the main character commenting on events that occur in the 
book. 
2. Draw a comic strip depicting the story told in the book. 
3. Write about the reaction of a space traveler who in the year 3001 found this 
book and read it. 
4. Write a brief account of the story to replace the one found on the flyleaf of the 
cover. 
5. Draw an ad that would entice others to read the book. 
6. Interview a character in the book and either turn in an audio tape of that inter-
view or write up the interview as it would appear in the newspaper. 
Figure 4 
Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 177 
, 
! 
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK 
BOOK REVIEW FORM 
Fill in all blanks possible & return to the library. 
1) YOUR NAME: __________________ _ 
2) GRADE: ____________________ _ 
3) AUTHOR: ____________________ _ 
4) TITLE: _____________________ _ 
5) TIME OF STORY: ___________ ~------
6) PLACE: _____________________ _ 
7) MAIN CHARACTER(S): _______________ _ 
8) WHAT YOU REMEMBER BEST ABOUT THE BOOK: 
9) RATE THE BOOK: _INCREDIBLY GREAT 
_A GOOD READ 
---------
_NOTHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT 
10) SUBJECT AREA: ________________ _ 
Figure 5 
178 Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 
Teachers have been cooperative and 
bring their students to the library at 
unscheduled times to check out books. 
Parents have been supportive of the 
library's involvement in the school pro-
gram. In evaluating the three programs, 
we found the first one too unfocused 
and the second one too complicated to 
administer. Profiting from our experi-
ence, the third program was the best 
balanced in terms of its attractiveness to 
the students and its ease of administra-
tion. We plan to continue the three pro-
grams, with modifications to make them 
as attractive as possible to the children 
and as easy as possible to administer. 
Conclusion 
Catching the attention of children attend-
ing a once-a-week religious school in a 
noncompulsory program takes creativity 
and ingenuity. Plans must be thoroughly 
thought out, realistic, and flexible. In the 
case of a library reading program where 
the intent is to support and supplement 
the curriculum, this is a true challenge. 
We at Temple Sinai have endeavored to 
do this, keeping in mind our goal: to 
enhance in a positive and pleasant man-
ner the breadth and depth of the stu-
dent's Jewish knowledge, and in the 
process stimulate his/her interest in 
Judaic literature and literature in general. 
Note 
1. Adapted from "Read a Book; Do a 
Mitzvah," by Lillian N. Schwartz, Judaica 
Librarianship vol. 4, no. 1, (Fall 1987 -
Winter 1988), p. 100-101. 
SINAI SPEEDWAY 
READING ROAD RACE 
BOOK REVIEW FORM 
NAME: _______________________ _ 
TEACHER: _____________ GRADE: ___ _ 
TITLE: 
AUTHOR: ____________________ _ 
What was most important that you learned from the book? ______ _ 
What did you like the most about the book? ____________ _ 
What did you like least about the book? _____________ _ 
Would you recommend the book to a friend? Yes_ No_ 
Why? _______________________ _ 
Figure 6 
Sara S. Deitch holds an M. Ln. degree 
from Emory University. Since 1988, she 
has been staff librarian at Temple Sinai 
Library (Atlanta), with which she has 
been associated since starting there as 
a volunteer in 1968. Ms. Deitch invites 
librarians interested in starting a reading 
program to write her in care of Temple 
Sinai, 5645 Dupree Drive, Atlanta, GA 
30327. 
Judaica Librarianship Vol. 6 No. 1-2 Spring 1991-Winter 1992 179 


Reading Programs in a Religious School Setting

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