The Society for the Preservation of Hebrew Books HebrewBooks.org
Volume 3 - A Collection of 1,117 Seforim and 766 Journals on 7 CDs
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - December 4, 2003
The Society for the Preservation of Hebrew Books (HebrewBooks.org) is an organization that offers a unique and vital service. They are dedicated to preserving old, out-of-print Hebrew books that were written by American Rabbis and scholars during the early yeas of the 20th century.
To date, they have over 2,000 American Seforim, articles, and Jewish Newspapers achieved on their website, going back to 1860. All of these books and articles can be freely accessed by anyone with a computer and internet access. Scanned images of these Hebrew titles can be read using the Adobe Acrobat reader, which can be downloaded for free.
In addition to accessing these texts online, readers also have the option of purchasing a collection of CDs that contain almost all of the texts that are available online. Currently, this CD collection consists of 7 CDs, that are shipped in a handy box. The Cd's are organized in sleeves that are attached to binder rings, allowing you to flip through the sleeves in order to find the CD you are seeking. Volume 3 of this collection consists of 1117 Seforim and 766 Journals. Texts are constantly being added to the website, so the CD collection may not be as up to date as the website is.
This society is filling a vital role in helping to preserve an important aspect of modern Judaica, that might otherwise 'disappear'. The text will interest not only students, historians, and religious scholars, but also the average reader seeking a vast new library of worthwhile reading material.
Samples of the Journals included in this collection are:
HaPardes
HaMesiloh
HaTevunah
HaYehudi
Kol Yerushalayim
Hakriah Vehakedusha
Hakochav
Kerem
Asefat Chachamim
Bet Yitzchak
Degel Israel
RCA Manuals
The following are a few examples of the books and articles found in this collection, and which serve to illustrate the breadthe of this collection:
Coca Cola Shaila & Teshuvah by Rabbi Tobias Geffen (Atlanta, GA 1935)
Titanic Shaila and Teshuvah by Rabbi Jacob Meskin (Burlington, VT 1930)
Ha'adam Al Hayarach by Rabbi Menachem Kasher (New York, NY 1970)
Avnei Yehoshua by Rabbi Yehoshua Falk (New York, NY 1860)
A Drasha by Rabbi Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik (New York, NY 1962)
If you happen to have any old Hebrew books that you would like preserved for prosperity, the society is actively seeking donations of American Hebrew texts, which they will then scan and disseminate freely to readers.
Please note, all these texts are in Hebrew only, and most are unvoweled. In general I have found that the quality of the scanned images of these texts to be excellent. However, there is some variation in quality due to the quality and type used in the original texts. As an additional service, the society also sends out Yartzeit reminders for the many of the authors of these texts. The The Society for the Preservation of Hebrew Books is performing an invaluble service, and I highly commend them and encourge you to give them what every support you can.
In addition to their webiste, located at: HebrewBooks.org, you can also contact the society via the following methods:
Telephone U.S. (718) 930-3402
Fax: (718) 504-5090
Email: oldhebrewbooks@aol.com
Postal Address:
The Society for the Preservation of Hebrew Books
1472 President St.
Brooklyn, NY 11213-9801
Related Reviews:
Modern English - Hebrew Dictionary, by Avraham Zilkha.
This dictionary contains 30,000 entries that provide direct translations of American English words into Contemporary Hebrew.
Hebrew for Dummies, by Jill Suzanne Jacobs.
An easy-to-use guidebook that teaches you how to speak Hebrew, so that you sound just like an Israeli. Includes an audio CD with sample conversations read by native speakers.
