Speaker: David Kraemer

The JGSNY will initiate its 2022-2023 season with a visit to the new Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The Library of JTS is home to one of the finest collections of rare Judaica in the world, housing the world’s largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts, the second-largest collection of fragments from the Cairo Genizah, the most complete collection of Hebrew incunables (early printed books), an unsurpassed collection of Ketubbot, and much more. With its new Rare Book Room and exhibition gallery, it offers access to these collections not only to scholars, but also to students, to visitors from all parts of the world, and to the intellectually curious from any background. David Kraemer, the Library's Director, will give our members a tour of the new facility and prepare a selection of materials of special interest to genealogists.

Because there is a restriction on the number of people who can be accommodated, this special visit will be available to a limited number of members. Attendance will be open to those who respond to a future announcement on a first-come, first served basis. The library will be accessed through the main front gate of JTS, on the corner of Broadway and 122^nd Street.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

David Kraemer is Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian (i.e., Director of The Library) at The Jewish Theological Seminary, where he has also served as Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics for many years. As Librarian, Professor Kraemer is at the helm of the most extensive collection of Judaica—rare and contemporary—in the Western hemisphere.  On account of the size and importance of the collection, Professor Kraemer is instrumental in setting policy and establishing vision for projects of international importance.

Professor Kraemer is a prolific author and commentator.  His books include The Mind of the Talmud (1990), Responses to Suffering in Classical Rabbinic Literature (1995), The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism (2000), and Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages (Routledge, 2007, 2009), among others. His most recently published book is A History of the Talmud (Cambridge U. Press, 2019), and his new work, Defending Diaspora, will appear in early 2023.