Newsletter of AJL-MYMA Vol. 17, No. 2 / Winter-Spring 2006 Drawing the line Censorship Highlight This year started off with a very well-attended program, Conference @ Fall the Fall Conference, held September 19th at the New York by EUZABETH F. STABLER Public Library. The program was entitled ‘Censorship and Librarian, Ivan M. Stetterheim Library, Self-censorship: Drawing the Red Lines,“ and our featured Congregation Emana-El speakers were Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch on ’Intra-Jewish The Fall 2005 Conference “Censor- ship and Self-censorship: Drawing the Red Lines,” held Sept. 19th at the South Our CatalogingWorkshop was held November 21* at the Court Auditorium of the New York Jewish Theological Seminary and chaired by our able Public Library, launched NYMA’s Steven Bernstein. Both speakers, Sara Spiegel and programming year with an incisive look Matthew Beacom, encouraged comment and questions at a controversial and vital topic. from the audience, even to the point where time was Organized by NYMA’s new president, running out. We had to stop in order to attend the Marlene Schiffinan, the conference stimulating tour of the current JTS exhibit ‘First featured Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch on “Intra- Impressions: Hebrew Printing in the Fifteenth Century,” Jewish Dialogue: Problems and Per- given by the JTS staff. We are grateful fOi Steven for having spectives” and Professor Marc B. planned such an excellent and well-received program. Shapiro on “Orthodoxy and Censorship.” Steven has shown his talent in another way as well: he is After the congenial registration designing our website. The NYMA website will soon period, allowing attendees a chance to describe our mission, activities, and up-and-coming network with colleagues and greet old programs and be linked with other activities and/or chums, Marlene Schif€inan welcomed Websites of interest to our members. A prototype is already everyone. She began with a brief derash on the Web for our viewing. Steven would love to receive (homily), reminding us that Moshe comments and suggestions. Rabbenu was denied entrance into the The Day School/High School Workshop is being planned Promised Land because of lashon harah for April by Leslie Monchar and Roz Friedman, our capable (gossip). Custom has informed the Coordinators. It will feature two talks, ane on the re- writing of Jewish history because lationships between the librarian and the faculty and the sometimes unpleasant truths have been librarian and the school administration, and how to foster ignored in an effort to avoid doing harm. strong, positive relationships; and the other on orientation There is a dialectic between what we activities and programs. must tolerate and what we must guard The Spring Conference in May will feature a description against. In this context, Marlene con- of the Center for Online Judaic Studies, a program that cluded, it is important to understand seeks to ‘democratize” Jewish studies by putting many censorship, its causes and consequences. opportunities to learn on the Web. We will be treated to ’Digitizing History: The Future of the Past: A Multimedia Parallel Lines That Meet Presentation” that will be relevant to school libraries as well The first speaker was Rabbi Ammiel as research libraries, museums, and archives. Hirsch, Senior Rabbi of the Stephen We welcome you to our dynamic programs which have Wise Free Synagogue, and co-author, already attracted a diverse group of non-AJL members of with Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman, of the wider library community. May I express my gratitude to One People, Two Worlds: An Orthodox the members of the Board who have so helpfully suggested Rabbi and a Reform Rabbi Explore the truly creative programming qp$l $0 diligently carried it out. I Issues That Divide Them. Even 3 years hope to see you at the next eyqqf. after its publication, Hirsch remarked, “The hullabaloo is still simmering.” Marlene Schlffman (Cont’d on Pg. 5) President, AIL-NYMA mM MEW0 PUE 2 Ground Rules Training DO'S & Don'ts @ Fall Cataloging Workshop By RITA UFTOW Cataloger, Jewish Theological Seminary of America Library

In a world full of library catalogers, a uniform system might be essential. What are the standards and procedures of a library, and how can they be disseminated? This was the topic of NYMA's Fall Cataloging Workshop, "Rules and Documentation," held on November 21,2005, at the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary and coordinated by Steven Bernstein, Goldsmith Catalog Librarian, JTS. The fmt speaker, Sara Spiegel, Administrative Librarian for Technical Services, Jewish Theological Seminary, dis- cussed "Creating Documentation as a Tool for Training and Communication." Ms. Spiegel explained how a cataloging department should go about planning, collecting and dis- seminating material which could then be used to train new employees as well as inform other cataloging departments. The JTS Technical Services Wiki is a case in point. While still a work in progress, this documentation project, utilizing web technology software, was created as a means of making documentation relating to procedures and decisions of the JTS Cataloging Department available online. Ms. Spiegel's talk has wide application: the lessons learned are not limited to cataloging but can be implemented in all library departments as well as in non-library settings. The second half of the program, "After AACR2-RDA: Resource Description and Access," was presented by Matthew Beacom, Catalog Librarian for Networked Infor- mation, Yale University, and Chair, RDA Updates Forum Taskforce. Mr. Beacom began his presentation by asking - why not just keep revising AACR2 rather than develop a new standard? - thereby anticipating a question that was on the minds of many of the catalogers in attendance. One answer is that while AACR2 is print-based and retains many concepts and terminology from a card catalog environment, RDA was created for a world increasingly geared to the Internet and offers an opportunity to create a cataloging code compatible with new metadata initiatives. Mr. Beacom went on to give a complete overview of the RDA standard which is being developed by the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR (JSC), www.collectionscanada.ca/isc. The RDA is being published in sections, each with its own projected publication date. The tentative date for the final version is 2008. Following the workshop, attendees were invited to a tour of the exhibition "First Impressions: Hebrew Printing in the Fifteenth Century," led by curators Sharon Liberman Mintz and David Sclar. Selections from the exhibition can Announcing - Convention Stipends March 28: What IS It About Jews and Food? Look for announcementsfor the next national AIL April 25: The Jews of Sing-Sing Convention. The Association of Jewish Libraries will be May 17: Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk holding its 41* convention in Cambridge, MA, on June About Being Jewish 18-21. 2006. Librarians, archivists and scholars from All lectures take place at 6:30 p-m.. 1East 65m St, numerous disciplines will meet to share their interests (between 5th and Madison Avenues), New York, NY in Judaica librarianship and related areas. Hope to see 10021. RSVP: (212) 744-1400, x362. Free admission. you there! For those who are interested in attending and are finding it financially difficult, NYMA and JTS Exhibition National AIL offer stipends. Grant applications for AJL mePrato Haggadah: an Illuminated Medieval are due by March 31st. Consoft the AJL Website at Manuscript in the Making.” April 7 to July 7, 2006. www.iewishlibraries.org for applications. NYMA scholarships will be announced shortly. Happy IWth! Centenary of Henry Roth, author of Call it Sleep, was Coming Soon held Toes.. Feb. 7,2006, at the New York Public Day School Workshop, April 26th, at Ramaz. Library. Hosted by MICHAELTERRY, celebrations Reference Workshop, in March 21st, at JTS. included readings of selected passages, panel Topics: Rabbinic Reference; Electronic Resources. discussions by noted scholars, and Professor Steven Spring Conference, May 18m, at NYU. Kellman’s presentation of his Life of Henry Roth. The Centenary Celebration was cosponsored by City Up & Running (Almost) College of New York, the American Jewish Historical NYMA‘s website is nearly on its way. Designed by Society, the Dorot Jewish Division of the New York STEVEN BERNSTEIN. the site can be viewed at Public Library, and Lawrence I. Fox, Trustee, the Henry www.thebernsteinfanlilv.net/NYMA . Comments and Roth Literary Property Trust. feedback are welcome. Take a Bow Write Path MARUESCHIFFMAN, together with husband Once again, Jewish writers, editors, and illustrators Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, will be honored February whipped out their laptops and converged at the 26th with a Humanitarian Award at the Annual Dinner 92” St Y for the ninth annual Jewish Children’s Book of P’TACH, the yeshiva dedicated to children with Writers‘ Conference, held Sun., Nov. 20m, and cc- special needs. hosted by STEVE SlEGEl of the 92“ St Y’s LESUE MONCHAR, together with husband Philip, was Buttenwieser Library. Topics included the changing honored Feb. l3mat the Tu-B’Shvat dinner of Chabad landscape of American Jewry, Israeli juvenile literature, Center of Northwest New Jersey. and critiques of various manuscripts. HAWE (CHAYAH SARAH) CANTOR has edited book three of Rabbi Riddle series, Look Who Dropped in for Einstein Reappears Yom Tov!, published by Shazak Unlimited. Albert Einstein Exhibit on at the Mendel Gottesman Distributor: Israel Bookshop. Library, Yeshiva Dniversity, fourth floor. Compiled SHELLY FEIT was honored Feb. 11th with the Rabbi J. by YU archivist SHUU BERG- the exhibit features Shelley Applebaum Service Award at the Moriah materials highlighting Einstein’s special relationship School in Englewood, NJ. where she has served as the with YU. The Exhibit can also be accessed online at librarian/media specialist for the past 22 years. htto://www.vu.edu/libraries/di,gital library/einstein/oa nell.html. Maze1 Tovs To EDITH LUBETSKI, on the birth of her grandson Lecture Circuits Yaakov. Parents Uriel and Shani Lubetski. Temple Emanu-El’s “Meet the Author” series was To INA WHEN, on the engagement of her daughter launched Wed., NoV. 16&, through “An Evening of Rachel to Yoni Ratzersdorfer. Contemporary Israeli Literature with Savyon May they all schep nachas. Liebrecht,” sponsoredjointly by the Ivan M. Stettenheim Library and the Bernard Museum of Condolences Judaica and hosted by UU STABLER. To BlNA WAGNER, on the loss of her husband, Upcominglecture series include: Rabbi Feivel Wagner. May she be comforted among Feb. 22, 2006: Hebrew Printing in Poland: the mourners of Zion in Jerusalem. A Brief History. Speaker BRAD SABIN-HILL 11YM MEW0 PME 4 High Note C Winning Streak 44RollT’of Technology @ March 2005 Cataloging Workshop By STANLEY NACHAMIE

A lot happens in eleven However, one day in 1998, the In “EUIN21: Is it a Good years. Systems upgrade -- or fail. hard drive on the 286, self-des- Bet?“, Steven Bernstein, Gold- Technology changes -- or dies. tructed, and although back-up smith Catalog Librarian at the Holdings get added - or stuck in diskettes were found, all efforts Library of the Jewish Theo- limbo. All these can make or to recover the data on those logical Seminary of America, break a library. Does luck lie in diskettes failed. They decided it gave a Power Point overview of how you play it? was necessary to start the in- the Research Library Group’s This “chance” meeting of the putting all over again, doing development and implementation old and the new was the subject minimal level cataloging in ofRLIN21, beginning with a his- of the March 2005 Cataloging RLIN (the Research Libraries tory of previous versions of Workshop, held Tuesday mom- Information Network) and down- RLIN.Through a witty use of ing, March 15&, at Hebrew loading the records to VTLS poker metaphors, he explained Union College-Jewish Institute (Visionary Technology in Lib- the new features available in of Religion (€€UC-JJR). Panel- rary Solutions), but that job got RLM2 1, their pros and cons, and ists and audience discussed the put on the back burner. compared the features of “revival” of an old database, and Imagine their surprise when RLIN21 to those of the previous the “arrival” of a new service. in 2004 they discovered that after version of RLIN. the HUC system had migrated to Following his presentation, Striking the Right Chord Virtua (the new name for VTLS‘s Steven opened up the floor for Immediately following the integrated library system), ”a discussion, and many catalogers introduction, the workshop was vast quantity of the sheet music had a lot to say about their dedicated to the memory of in OUT collection was already in Eiustration and difficulties they Marcia Goldberg, who had [the] Cincinnati [HUC library], encountered migrating to passed away last February. This and hence [already] in Virtua.“ RLIN21. Five months later, was a fitting vehicle for a Phil’s library then began to add Steven wrote this reporter, memorial, since Marcia had their copy to the holdings, but saying: “RLIN21 has greatly formerly served as NYMA that too had to be placed on back improved. They really only had Cataloging Workshop Coordi- burner. Nevertheless, some of the problems during the first month nator, even after leaving the New information on the liturgical (March) of being online.” Yo& area to work at Gratz sheet music in the New York Certainly, the cost of staying College in Philadelphia. collection is now available up to date has “upped the ante” The fmt presentation, through HUCs online catalog. as far as knowledge and main- “Tehiyat ha-Metim: The Death But what of the music that has tenance of the latest equipment and Rebirth of a Music Data- yet to be entered into the new and cutting-edge retrieval. Head- base,” was given by Philip system? In conclusion, Phil said, aches result, and new challenges Miller, Head Librarian of the “Stay tuned for ‘Part 111‘ of this arise. Nevertheless, as both New York HUC-JIR. He actual- presentation, which will be given speakers attest, even when the ly introduced his presentation as by my successor, circa 20 15.“ chips are down, the libraries can “%rt 11,’ a continuation of one still succeed in holding all the given by Suzanne Stauffer, back Improving the Odds cards. A big todah rabah to Phil in 1994, or thereabouts.” He While some libraries make a and Steven for a double described how, at that time, his dramatic transition into more “winning” presentati0n.M library was in the process of modem systems, others deal with organizing its extensive collect- slight but significant changes Stanley Nachamie is currently on ion of liturgical sheet music and within the pre-existing. While leave porn his position as cataloging it into a Dataperfect the intent is improvement, the Authority Control Librarian for database, on an old 286 com- result might be hit or miss. the City University of New York puter dedicated to this database. (Crrrw). (Fall Conference, cont’d from Pg. 1) Hirsch began by elaborating on the obstacles to Jewish Book Award finalist, he is the author of open dialogue between the traditionally observant Between East and West: me L$e and Works of and modernist sects of Judaism. “The first ‘’prob- Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg and The Limits lem,” said Hirsch, “in interfacing with each other’s of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides ’ Thirteen movements is that people don’t like to be chal- Principles Reappraised. lenged about their core beliefs; dialogue is Shapiro, who identifies himself as Modem threatening,” even within Judaism. The next prob- Orthodox, has been studying instances of censor- lem, Hirsch contends, is that “in matters of truth ship in the Orthodox world. He also provided there is no compromise.” Although traditional and helphl handouts with examples of texts and images modernist sects share beliefs, they also disagree. before and after “improvement,” including the ln addition, Hirsch pointed out that many kippah added to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Orthodox believe that “convincing people of their Mendel Schneerson’s passport photograph. truth is as imperative as redeeming kidnapped “In the Orthodox world there is a self-appointed children-” This leaves little common ground for group of people who have decided what the masses those who believe in the literal truth of texts and should be exposed to,” Shapiro contends. “Not tradition and others who have a more metaphorical book banning so much as eliminating the un- or relativistic interpretation. “The assumption that pleasant.” This trend causes problems for serious one is absolutely right depresses dialogue,” and readers and scholars because “kosher books are “insistence on absolute truth has the tendency to being improved or altered without the reader’s promote intolerance,” Hirsch said. knowing it was done,” Shapiro explained. The third problem, Hirsch feels, is that the Of course, improving or altering books is not a Orthodox world is challenged by the success of new development. However, recent trends in the Judaism’s modernist branches. He quoted a poll observance of tznius, or modesty, towards the more showing that the Orthodox constitute a mere 10% rigorous have led to some interesting “im- of all Jews. Often citing the Orthodox fear that provements” as 19th and 20th century rebbetzim’ there is inevitable assimilation within four portraits are retouched to ad6 wigs or to button the generations, Reinman, Hirsch says, was eager to top buttons of their blouses. engage in dialogue in order to reach those who do Words or sections eliminated by Christian not live a halachic (observant) life or believe in censors in the medieval period have been replaced matrilineal descent. in some siddurim (prayerbooks) and Talmuds. Hirsch ended with a description of the ArtScroll has reinserted “laminin ule-malshinim” in censorship of the book the two rabbis wrote the 12th blessing in the Shmoneh Esrei, but this has together. Reinman, a member of the Lakewood actually made some quite uncomfortable. Art- Yeshiva world, was able to have the book published scroll’s explanation for the anti-Christian verses in only because his involvement in the project was not the closing prayer Alenu “has the history wrong,” known. After only two joint appearances, Reinman according to Shapiro; “it’s a white lie, apologetics bowed out of the contracted book tour, having been related to politics.” Shapiro pointed out variant strongly urged to do so by his community. texts of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s 19th Rabbi Hirsch expressed his admiration for century lgot Tsafon. This work originally included Orthodox Jews. “Deep learning and intellectual a section attacking what Hirsch felt to be the fervor characterize Orthodoxy,” he noted, as well as Rambam’s “compromise with Greek philosophy,” a “thirst for knowledge.” Interestingly, the highest but a 1969 edition simply cuts out the criticism. sales of the book were in Lakewood, Monsey, and Shapiro included two title pages in the handout. Teaneck. Indeed, Hirsch also said that there is In the reprint of the 1859 Sefer Melekhet “considerable potential in dialogue because the Mahashevet the engraving of the author now sports Orthodox world is wonderfdly diverse and open.” a kippah. And in the reprinted edition of Sefer Levush Malkhut the voluptuous, naked figures have Cover-up simply been whited out. Rav Kook’s controversial Professor Marc B. Shapiro, the second speaker, status has resulted in his being, as Shapiro says, holds the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at the “removed from the Haredi world,” as references to University of Scranton (Pennsylvania). A National him are eliminated from various works. (Cont’d on Pg. 6) (Fall Conference, cont’d from Pg. 5) When writing Rabbi Weinberg’s biography, Shapiro pointed out the conflict between views of Shapiro remarked, “People were afi-aid that some traditional Jews that ‘’truth is instrumental and Weinberg’s pro-Herzl views were problematic.” So can be used as needed versus the modem outlook, was the revelation of the Rabbi’s relationship with which insists on transparency and accuracy-” some at Hebrew Union College. ‘“Artscroll’ Anachronisms seem to be irrelevant, as past history equals hagiography if only the positive is behavior and views are harmonized with con- written about,” Shapiro pointed out. ternporky Orthodox trends. While the culture clash Jewish tradition can be contradictory on the between the religious ‘‘improvers” and the scholarly subject of objective truth, which is particularly “just-the-fkcts, Ma’am’’ school is hard to reconcile, problematic for scholars working in the Western librarians can be sure this will mean more and tradition. For example, the Steipler Rebbe of Bnei interesting work for catalogers and reference Barak advised not to write about the eighteenth librarians. Presentations stimulated quite a number century forgeries of medieval manuscripts. of questions and debates &om the audience which “Judaism doesn‘t canonize truth,” said Shapiro. would have continued ifnot for time constraints. “It’s okay to tell an ugly bride she’s beautiful. And, A big ymhm koach to,Marlene Schiffimn for the Magen Avraham says you can say anything in organizing a provocative pdinformative con- the name of a gudol (Torah leader].” ference, which will give librarians in all branches of Shapiro added, “The Chatam Sofer says we can the field much to think about. NYMA gratefully lie and tell people it’s a Torah law in any battle extends its thanks to Michael Terry and the staff of with Reform Jews.” It is allowed, Shapiro said, to the NYPL’s Dorot Division for so graciously giving simplify a makholef (dispute) by telling a white lie. NYMA the use of the South Court Auditorium.sl

Marlene Schiffman Mendel Gottesman Library Yeshiva University 500 W. 189’ Street New Yo&, NY 10033