The Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the world. The collection is unique in its rich and diverse scope. Five secondary collections include a wealth of material in different formats: the Hebrew Book, Jewish Journals, Jewish manuscripts, Jewish Archives, and Jewish Music.
The Judaica Collection is comprised of materials associated with three main fields:
Judaism and Jewish Commentary
The National Library comprehensively collects all studies and publications written by Jews and non-Jews alike on the subjects of Biblical literature, Talmudic literature, Midrash, rabbinic literature and non-rabbinic Halachic literature, Jewish philosophy, Jewish mysticism, prayer and so forth. These books arrive at the Library as a result of the legal deposit law as well as through acquisitions of books, whether in their original languages or in translated form.
The Jewish People
The National Library collects books, journals, magazines, newspapers, audio materials and photographs relating to the history of the Jewish people. This field is supplemented by additional subjects such as Jewish education, Hebrew law, Jewish art, Judaism and ecology, as well as Jews in various professions, such as medicine and the sciences.
Jewish Literature
The National Library comprehensively collects Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and similar literature, in both original and translated form. The collection is cultivated selectively according to criteria for Jewish literature in various languages, with a preference given to authors recognized for their influence and use of Jewish themes and motifs.
The comprehensive collection of Judaica materials includes many different formats, among them manuscripts, books, journals, archives, ephemera and more. Much of the collection is digitally accessible online through the Library catalogue.
