Italian Jewish communities look to digitize 35,000 Jewish texts
The Italya project is cataloging texts with historical and scholarly value that are held by several different institutions across Italy.
MANTUA, Italy (JTA) — A new initiative aims to digitize some 35,000 Jewish texts sitting in the hands of 14 different Jewish community organizations and 25 state institutions across Italy.
Around 10,000 volumes have already been digitized as part of the Italya Books project, an initiative of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, the National Central Library of Rome, the National Library of Israel and the Rothschild Hanadiv Europe Foundation.
Tens of thousands of uncatalogued printed Hebrew books dating back hundreds of years, are held in collections belonging to local Jewish communities, as well as in libraries owned by the state, Italian church institutions and the Vatican. Many are of significant historical importance.
One of the most important books is the Hebrew Bible printed in Soncino, in the province of Cremona, in 1488 by one of the most important Jewish families of printers, who took their name from the town.
Some of these collections have previously been partially cataloged, but there has never been one integrated and standardized listing of all of the holdings, making them often difficult if not impossible to find.
In addition to the main pages of the works, each entry contains photographs of the cover, the title page, the colophon and any records of censorship and marginal notes.
The goal is to finish all 35,000 reproductions in the next three years, said Union of Italian Jewish Communities spokesperson Gloria Arbib.
“Italya Books will allow us to discover, in the 40 libraries involved, volumes that represent important pieces of the history of Jewish culture in Italy,” she said.
—
The post Italian Jewish communities look to digitize 35,000 Jewish texts appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
