In dialogue with the traveling version of the Americans and the Holocaust exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Eberly Family Special Collections Library presents primary sources and artists’ books that document and preserve Jewish history, religion, and culture.
Book of Esther, handwritten in Hebrew, on vellum scroll. The date is unknown but is presumed to be in the mid-15th century.
Primary sources are the documents, books, and creative works that capture history as it is unfolding, that is, works created during the historical time period under consideration. They are the foundations of research for many historians and others who study the past. One powerful example on view is the Kirschner Family Papers, a collection of personal letters from Jewish individuals and families desperately seeking assistance to immigrate to the United States during the late 1930s and early 1940s to escape Nazi persecution and genocide.
The exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Sandra K. Stelts and Ronald L. Filippelli Exhibitions Program Endowment for Special Collections.
Questions and requests for tours can be directed to Clara Drummond, Lead Curator and Exhibitions Coordinator, cjd86@psu.edu.