The Mary and Harry Zimmerman Judaica Collection

Previously known simply as the Judaica Collection, this collection of books and journals covers thousands of years of Jewish research, culture, and history. The books may be checked out; most are listed in the library catalog. Already one of the best collections of Judaica in the mid-south region, a donation by the Zimmerman family has allowed for significant expansion and enrichment of this important collection.

The Zimmerman Judaica Collection, now numbering well over 20,000 titles, was begun in 1945 with the gift of the professional library of Professor Ismar Elbogen. A discerning acquisitions program has developed a collection impressive in breadth and depth. It includes (1) textually oriented study, i.e. Jewish works on the Hebrew Scriptures, Mishna, Talmud, Gaonic literature and liturgy; (2) tradition-oriented research, i.e. studies dealing with the religious and cultural dimensions of the Jewish tradition; and (3) historical study, i.e. works treating the history of the Jewish people from ancient times to the present.

The acquisition of the collection of Professor Nahum N. Glatzer in 1991 was a direct result of the Zimmerman gift. Professor Glatzer's collection, in addition to strengthening these three foci of the existing collection, broadens the scope of the collection, particularly with its focus on 19th and 20th century European Judaism. Included in the Glatzer purchase were manuscript and correspondence materials relating to Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Leopold Zunz.

In 2016, we celebrated 70 years of Vanderbilt's Judaica Collection.