Search

Hebrew and Judaic Studies

This selective guide to research in Judaic Studies is designed for undergraduate and beginning graduate students. The first section of the guide describes how to find books using BobCat. The following sections describe reference sources available at Bobst.

Keep in mind that Judaic Studies is an interdisciplinary field. For this reason, you should always use other subject specific sources in your research, including: indexes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and guides.

Librarian for Hebrew and Judaic Studies

Evelyn Ehrlich
New York University
Bobst Library, Mezzanine
70 Washington Square So.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 998-2568
E-mail: evelyn.ehrlich@nyu.edu

NYU Links

Related Research Guides

Research Assistance

Subject Guides and Resources


Using BobCat

How to find books using a Subject Search:
BobCat can be searched for books and other materials in Judaic Studies with a subject search. To find the appropriate subject heading, consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), a four-volume set which can be found in all three reference areas.

Subject headings usually consist of a main subject followed by various subdivisions. For example:

Main Subject -- Geographic subdivision -- Other subdivision
Main Subject Geographic Subdivision Other subdivision
Jews --
Hasidim --
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) --
Poland --
New York (N.Y.) --
Amsterdam --
Folklore
Social life & customs
Personal narratives
or
Main Subject -- Subdivision -- Chronological subdivision
Main Subject Subdivision Chronological
Zionism --
Israel --
History --
Politics & Government --
19th Century
1963-1977

You can also combine subject terms to find information. For example:

judaism AND philosophy
 will find results incorporating the following six subject lines (with 25 titles)

    judaism and philosophy
    judaism and philosophy -- congresses
    judaism -- customs and practices -- philosophy
    judaism -- history -- philosophy
    judaism -- philosophy
Searching for non-English language titles:
Many non-English language items have not yet been entered into BobCat. If you are looking for a book acquired before 1982, always check in the Card Catalog to see if Bobst has a copy. When searching for non-English language material in BobCat, refer to the transliteration guide at the First Floor Reference Desk.

Bibliographies

  • Shunami, Shlomo. Bibliography of Jewish Bibliographies. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1969. With supplement, 1975.
    Bobst Ref1 Z7070.A1 S52 1969; Ref1 Z7070.A1 S52 1975
      Lists over 6,000 entries of subject bibliographies for Judaic studies. Comprehensive coverage of many languages.

 

  • Kiryat Sefer: Bibliographical Quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library. Jerusalem: Bet ha-sefarim. 1924-.
    Bobst Z6367.K57
      Provides a bibliography of all publications in Israel and of Judaica from abroad. Contents are listed in Hebrew and English. Comprehensive coverage of many languages.

 

  • The Bibliography of the Hebrew Book 1473-1960. ha-Bibliyografyah shel ha-Sefer ha-Ivri. 1st ed. Jerusalem: PI, Institute for Hebrew Bibliography, 1994.
    Bobst Ref1 Z7070.B533 1994 CD-ROM
      A bibliography of all Hebrew language books printed before 1960.

 

  • Brisman, Shimeon. A History and Guide to Judaic Bibliography. Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1977.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6366.B8 1977
      Historical descriptions of bibliographic works. Comprehensive coverage up to 1975. Indexed.

 

  • Cutter, Charles and Mica Falk Oppenheim. Judaica Reference Sources: A Selective, Annotated Bibliographic Guide. Juneau, Alaska: Denali Press, 1993.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6366.C87 1993
      Emphasizes publications 1970-92. Reference sources on all aspects of Jewish history, religion, and culture. Arranged by subject, with author and title indexes.

 

  • Griffiths, David B. A Critical Bibliography of Writings on Judaism. 2 vols. Lewiston, New York: E. Mellen Press, 1989.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6370.G75 1989
      Includes works in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, French and German. Not indexed.

 

  • Singerman, Robert. Jewish Serials of the World: A Research Bibliography of Secondary Sources. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1986.
    Bobst Z6366.S526 1986
      Geographical arrangement of multi-lingual sources available in the United States. Author index.

  • Subject Specific Bibliographies

    By Geographic Location | By Topic

     

    By Geographic Location

    America

    • Kaganoff, Nathan. Judaica Americana: An Annotated bibliography of Publications from 1960-1990. 2 vols. Brooklyn: Carlson Pub., 1995.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.U5 K34 1995
        Covers multiple languages, including English, Spanish and Hebrew.

     

    • Gurock, Jeffrey S. American Jewish History, A Bibliographical Guide. New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1983.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.U5 G87 1983
        Bibliographic essays on periods and topics in American Jewish history to 1982. Mostly English-language materials.

     

    • Rosenbach, A.S.W. An American Jewish Bibliography. Baltimore: American Jewish Historical Society, 1926.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6366.R8 1926
        Provides a list of books and pamphlets by Jews or relating to Jews printed in the United States to 1850. Indexed.

    Africa

    • Attal, Robert. Yahadut Tsefon-Afrikah: Bibliyographyah. (Hebrew and French). Jerusalem: Institut Ben-Zvi, 1993.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.A32 A72 1993
        Most titles in Hebrew or French, but also includes Arabic, English, and German.

    Britain

    • Anglo-Jewish Bibliography 1971-1990. Compiled by Ruth Pauline Goldschmidt-Lehmann. London: Jewish Historical Society of England, 1992.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.G7 G642 1992
        This series of bibliographies includes titles in English and Hebrew.

     

    • Anglo-Jewish Bibliography 1937-1970. Lehmann, Ruth Pauline. London: Jewish Historical Society of England, 1973.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.G7 L39 1973

     

    • Roth, Cecil. Magna Bibliotheca Anglo-Judaica. London: Jewish Historical Society of London, 1937.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.G7 R4 1937
        This volume is largely based on the holdings of the Mocatta Library in University College, London.

    France

    • Blumenkranz, Bernhard. Bibliographie des Juifs en France. Toulouse: Edouard Privat, 1974.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.F7.B52
        Includes material in French, Hebrew, Yiddish and other European languages.

    Germany

    • Leo Baeck Institute. Year Book. New York: The Institute, 1956-.
      Bobst DS135.G33L3
        Each volume contains a comprehensive bibliography for the year's publications.

    Iberia

    • Singerman, Robert. Spanish and Portuguese Jewry: A Classified Bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1993.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.S7 S56 1993
        Contains material from 1975 through 1992 in many languages.

     

    • Singerman, Robert. The Jews in Spain and Portugal: A Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1975.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.S7 .S55 1975
        Includes material from antiquity through 1975.

    Russia

    • Luckert, Yelena. Soviet Jewish History, 1917-1991: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1992.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6373.R9 L83 1992
        Works in many different languages included, but cited in English where available.

     

  • To find additional bibliographies for a specific country, use the following subject search:
      jews -- COUNTRY -- bibliography
    For example:
      jews -- poland -- bibliography

    Subject Specific Bibliographies

     

    By Topic

    Antisemitism

    • Antisemitism: An Annotated Bibliography. The Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Edited by Susan Sarah Cohen. New York: Garland, 1987-.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6374.A56 A57 1987
        Contains books, dissertations, masters' theses, and articles from the ancient period through to the present.

    Law

    • Rakover, Nahum. The Multi-Language Bibliography of Jewish Law. Jerusalem: Jewish Legal Heritage Society, 1990.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6374.L4 R35 1990
        Comprehensive list of secondary sources in the field.

    Holocaust

    • Edelheit, Abraham J. Bibliography on Holocaust Literature. Boulder: Westview Press, 1986. Supplement, 1990.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6374.H6 B48 1986; Bobst Ref1 Z6374.H6 B48 suppl. 1990
        Partially annotated bibliography of non-fiction materials in English. Supplement contains glossary and indexes.

    Middle Ages

    • Bibliographical Essays in Medieval Jewish Studies. Lawrence Berman et al. New York: Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, 1976.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6368.B53 1976
        Cites major works in the field.

    Mysticism

    • Spector, Sheila. Jewish Mysticism: an Annotated Bibliography on the Kabbalah in English. New York: Garland, 1984.
      Bobst Ref1 Z6371.C2 S67 1984
        Includes only published materials.

     

  • To find additional bibliographies for other subject areas, use the following subject word combinations:
      bibliography and SUBJECT
    For example:
      bibliography and bible
      bibliography and talmud
      bibliogrpahy and zionism

Dictionaries

Hebrew-Hebrew

  • Alcalay, Reuben. Milon Ivri Shalem. 3 vols. Ramat-Gan: Masadah, 1969-1971.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4830.A4 1971

 

  • Even-Shoshan, Avraham. Milon Hadash. 4 vols. Jerusalem: Kiryat Sefer, 1951.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4830.E933 1988

English-Hebrew

  • Alcalay, Reuben. The Complete English-Hebrew Dictionary. 2 vols. Ramat-Gan, Israel: Masadah, 1975.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4833.A42 1981

 

  • Alcalay, Reuben. The Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary. Ramat-Gan, Israel: Masadah, 1975.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4833.A422 1981

Historical

  • Ben Yehuda, Eliezer. Milon ha-Lashon ha-'Ivrit. 17 vols. New York: T. Yseloff, 1980.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4830.B38 1980
      Complete, scholarly, historical reprint of ancient, medieval, and modern Hebrew. Equivalents are given in German, French and English, but explanations are in Hebrew.

 

  • Jastrow, Marcus. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature. 2 vols. Tel Aviv, 1972.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ5205.J3 1972
      Provides information for translating literature of the Talmudic era, with both Hebrew and Aramaic terms.

 

  • Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
    Bobst Ref1 PJ4833.K54 1987
      Includes transliteration charts for Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek, and a bibliography of references.

Encyclopedias

  • Encyclopaedia Judaica. New York: Macmillan, 1972.
    Bobst Ref1 DS102.8.E39 1972
      Includes signed scholarly articles pertaining to all aspects of Jewish history and culture. It will not, however, contain information on events after 1972.

 

  • Encyclopedia Talmudica. 5 vols. Edited by Shlomo Josef Zevin. Translated by Isidore Epstein and Harry Freedman. Jerusalem: Talmudic Encyclopedia Institute, 1969-.
    Bobst Ref1 BM500.5.E613
      Alphabetic Hebrew arrangement with an English table of contents and subject index in each volume. The work is in progress; the fifth volume ends with the term Gagin Va'aliyoth. Fourteen volumes of the original Hebrew (Entsiklopedyah Talmudit) are located: Bobst BM500.5.E6

 

  • Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Edited by R.J. Zwi Werblowsky, Geoffrey Wigoder. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
    Bobst Ref1 BM50.O94 1997
      Single volume encyclopedia. Entries include bibliographies and cross references.

 

  • Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles. 4 vols. Menachem Elon. Translated by Bernard Auerbach and Melvin J. Sykes. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1994.
    Bobst Ref1 BM520.5.E4313 1994
      Comprehensive overview of the field of Jewish law. Includes index, bibliography, and glossary.

 

  • Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer. Macy Nulman. Northvale: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1993.
    Bobst Ref1 BM660.N85 1993
      Provides information on prayers from a traditional perspective. Organized alphabetically by Hebrew name of prayer.

Indexes and Abstracts

  • Reshimat Ma'amarim be-Madae ha-Yahadut [RAMBI] - Index of Articles in Jewish Studies. Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1966-.
    Bobst Ref1 Index Z6367.I45
      Comprehensive coverage, including materials in Hebrew, Yiddish, and major European languages. Book reviews are also indexed.

 

  • Index to Jewish Periodicals of General and Scholarly Interest. Cleveland Heights, OH: College of Jewish Studies Press, 1963-.
    Bobst Ref1 Index Z76367.I5
      Provides author and subject access to articles in selected American and Anglo-Jewish journals. Book reviews are also indexed.

 

  • Schwab, Moïse. Index of Articles Relative to Jewish History and Literature Published in Periodicals, from 1665 to 1900. New York: Ktav, 1971.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6366.S413 1971
      Comprehensive coverage in many languages.

 

  • Berlin, Charles. Index to Festschriften in Jewish Studies. New York: Ktav, 1971. Bobst Ref1 Z6366.B45 1971
      Emphasizes publications after 1937. Includes titles in Hebrew and other languages. Indexed.

Biographies

  • Jewish Biographical Archive. Edited by Pinchas Lapide. New Providence: KG Saur, 1994.
    Bobst Microforms MF 664 with manual
      Alphabetical compilation of biographical articles from over 100 source works published between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

 

  • Who's Who in World Jewry: A Biographical Dictionary of Outstanding Jews. New York: Who's Who in World Jewry, Inc., 1955-.
    Bobst Ref1 DS125.3.A2 (1955, 1965, 1978, 1981, 1987)
      Biographical sketches of noteworthy, living Jews from over 70 countries, in all fields of endeavor.

 

  • Who's Who in Israel and Jewish Personalities from all over the World. Tel-Aviv: Bronfman, 1985-.
    Bobst Ref1 DS125.3.A2W53 (1986-1993)
      Brief biographical information for living Israelis and other prominent Jews. Also provides information on Jewish and Israeli organizations.

 

  • Wigoder, Geoffrey. Dictionary of Jewish Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.
    Bobst Ref1 DS115.W49 1991
      Sketches of approximately 1,000 Jews from biblical to modern times. Those living at time of publication are not included. Contains brief bibliographies.

Atlases

  • Atlas of Israel: Cartography, Physical and Human Geography, third edition. Tel-Aviv: Survey of Israel; New York: Macmillan, 1985.
    Bobst G2235.K3.1985 /+/ (Oversize)
      Bilingual atlas includes information on such subjects as physical geography, demography, economics, etc. from Biblical times to 1985.

 

  • Gilbert, Martin. Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization: 4,000 years of Jewish History. New York: Macmillan, 1990.
    Bobst Ref1 G1030.G48 1990
      Includes 100 colored annotated maps, illustrations of archaeological sites, paintings and other artistic reproductions, photographs of the past century, and information on individuals through the centuries. Indexed.

Directories

  • Directory / Association of Holocaust Organizations. Bayside, NY: Queensborough Community College.
    Bobst Ref1 Desk D804.3.A87 1997
      Library keeps most recent edition only.

 

  • Directory of Jewish Archival Institutions. Philip P. Mason, ed. Detroit: National Foundation for Jewish Culture, 1975.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6366.D57 1975

 

  • Green, Irving. Judaism on the Web. New York: MIS: Press, 1997.
  • Bobst Ref1 Desk BM67.G74 1997
  • Lists websites and descriptions for many organizations. Indexed.

Film Sources

  • Gellert, Charles Lawrence. The Holocaust, Israel and the Jews: Motion Pictures in the National Archives. Washington, DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1989.
    Bobst Ref1 DS115.95.Z9 G45 1989
      Lists available newsreels through 1961 and documentary evidence submitted at warcrimes trials.

 

  • National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting. An Annotated Catalogue of Selected Holdings of the Jewish Museum's National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting. New York: The Archive, 1989.
    Bobst Ref1 DS115.95.Z9 N37 1989
      Not a complete list, but supplies useful information on over 900 titles held at the Jewish Museum.

 

To locate videos held by Bobst, simply enter your search terms and select the Audio/Video limiter from the drop-down menus in Bobcat.

Other Library Catalogs

  • New York Public Library. Reference Department. Dictionary Catalog of the Jewish Collection. 14 vols. Boston: GK Hall, 1960. With Supplement 8 vols.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6375.N6; Ref1 Z6375.N6 Suppl.

 

  • New York Public Library. Research Libraries. Hebrew-Character Title Catalog of the Jewish Collection. 4 vols. Boston: GK Hall, 1981.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6375.N62

Also visit: The Jewish Division at The New York Public Library Center For the Humanities and search CATNYP, New York Public's Research Libraries' catalog.

 

  • Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Library. Dictionary Catalog of the Klau Library, Cincinnati. 32 vols. Boston: GK Hall, 1964.
    Bobst Ref1 Z6375.H4

 

  • Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. American Jewish Archives. Manuscript Catalog of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati. 4 vols. Boston: GK Hall, 1971.
    Bobst Ref1 Z881.C49

Also visit the Libraries of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion

 

  • Harvard University. Library. Catalogue of Hebrew Books. 6 vols. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1968. With Supplement, 3 vols.
    Bobst Ref1 Z7070.H27; Ref1 Z7070.H27 suppl. 1.

See also:

  • Hebrew books from the Harvard College Library: Microfiche collection and index. Charles Berlin, ed. New Providence: K. G. Saur, 1996.
    Bobst REF1 Z6621.H343 H442 1996 Index
    Bobst Microform MF 572 (fiche HL1-HL170, KH1-KH306)
      Includes scarce or rare imprints, primarily from the eighteenth through early twentieth centuries.

Also visit the Library Resources at Harvard University.

The National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints also lists the following published Library Catalog (not owned by Bobst):

  • Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Library. The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. New York: JTSA, 1924-31.

Also visit the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Resources in Other Disciplines

Depending on your particular subject area, you should use other indexes and abstracts, including:

Please also consult the following Research Guides and Library Pages::
Log In to OmniUpdate