Janine Lowy’s Work to Preserve Antique Jewish Texts to Enrich the Jewish Future

More than 3,000 years of Jewish thought, history, and tradition are preserved in text, written down in books and manuscripts that span centuries and languages. These texts are more than just books: they’re heirlooms, testaments to the Jewish past, manifestations of its physical history, and collections of its spiritual continuity.

They’re also in grave danger.

Historic Jewish books, like any ancient texts, are at risk of disappearing. The paper and binding used to assemble these books are fragile and prone to damage. Even gently turning the pages of an antique book can cause irreparable damage to the spine and parchment. Small changes in light and humidity can cause them to whiter and dry out. Specialized training and facilities are required to preserve these works.

Some Jewish leaders are working to broaden access to these technologies and preserve foundational Jewish texts for millennia to come.

In Los Angeles, local Jewish philanthropist Janine Winkler Lowy helped endow a rare books center at American Jewish University, one of the West Coast’s leading centers of Jewish knowledge. The Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Room at AJU’s Ostrow Library now houses several collections of historically and culturally significant Jewish works.

The Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Room’s primary acquisition is the Maslan Bible Collection, which includes about 4,000 rare bibles, some dating back to the 15th century. Books in the collection vary in language and national origin, including bibles from New Zealand and Western Africa written in Māori and Yoruba, respectively.

A second major collection of Italian Jewish texts and memorabilia is stored at the Lowy-Winkler Family Rare Book Room. These items were donated by the former chief rabbi of Florence, Italy, who later taught at AJU. Most historical records of Italy’s Jewish population disappeared during the Holocaust, making pieces in this collection especially rare and of unique value to scholars.

Janine Lowy said the book center is a core component of her mission to address challenges facing the Jewish community.

“It is imperative that we preserve texts that are foundational to our culture,” Janine Lowy said. “Books strengthen our connection to the past and give us the wisdom we need to chart the Jewish future.”

The book center also contains the collection of Rabbi Emil Klein, who gathered books from abandoned synagogues in France shortly after World War I. After he was forced out of his home and into a Nazi internment camp, Klein returned. He told the soldiers living there that he was gathering blankets for inmates, but before leaving, he rescued the books and buried them in a neighbor’s backyard, where they were later recovered.

Another piece of Holocaust history in the book center is a title page from The Survivor’s Talmud. The U.S. Army printed these talmuds for Holocaust survivors in displaced persons camps. One survivor created an engraving for the book that illustrates Jews’ transition from the Holocaust to reclaiming Israel. This page is framed and displayed next to the book room’s entrance.

The rare book room also holds the 1499 edition of Flavius Josephus’ complete works. Josephus was a Roman Jewish historian and military general who wrote The Jewish War, a history of the Jews’ battles against Rome. This book, along with Josephus’ other works, was published in type shortly after the invention of printing presses.

Although the Lowy Center primarily features historical texts, a few modern pieces are also on display. An Agam Rainbow Torah, published in a batch of only 750 copies in 1992, sits on the room’s central table. Its cover was designed by Yaakov Agam, an Israeli artist famous for his colorful, geometric art.

“These texts and objectives teach us so much about our people, our heritage and our tradition,” said Janine Winkler Lowy. “They’ve nourished Jewish thought and community for, in some cases, hundreds of years. We have a responsibility to ensure they are preserved to serve Jews for hundreds more.”

Joanie Moretti, California Business Journal