The Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca 30th Annversary Rededcaton March 6, 2011 Unversty of Florda George A. Smathers Lbrares
Thrty Years of The Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca Unversty of Florda George A. Smathers Lbrares 30th Annversary Rededcaton Sunday, March 6, 2011 2:00 p.m. Smathers Lbrary, Room 1A Musc by the Klezmer Katz GREETINGS Judth C. Russell, Dean, Unversty of Florda Lbrares Welcome to the guests; welcome and ntroducton to the UF Presdent INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Dr. J. Bernard Machen, Presdent, Unversty of Florda The Sgnfcance of the Prce Lbrary of Judaca to the Unversty of Florda SPEAKERS Dr. Harold P. Hanson, Professor Emertus, former UF Executve Vce Presdent Acqurng a Judaca Lbrary for the Unversty of Florda Robert Sngerman, Unversty Lbraran Emertus 30 Years of the Prce Lbrary: Some Remnscences Dr. Ralph Lowensten, Dean Emertus, Professor, College of Journalsm and Communcatons The Importance of the Prce Lbrary Resources for Scholarshp Today Jack Kugelmass, Professor, Drector, Center for Jewsh Studes A Prce Lbrary Treasure: Bay Unds Ydn (Among us Jews) CLOSING REMARKS Samuel T. Huang, Assocate Dean for Advancement and Development, Unversty of Florda Lbrares Lbrary West, Frst Floor REDEDICATION CEREMONY IN LIBRARY WEST Dr. Rebecca Jefferson and the Prce Famly EXHIBITION TOURS Hallelujah mage from the facsmle of the Rothschld Mscellany (copyrght www.facsmle-edtons.com)
THE ISSER AND RAE PRICE LIBRARY OF JUDAICA WIDELY CONSIDERED THE FOREMOST JEWISH STUDIES RESEARCH COLLECTION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES, the Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca boasts n excess of 90,000 fully cataloged volumes. In terms of many of ts scarce late 19th to early 20th century mprnts, the Prce Lbrary of Judaca ranks among the top 20 academc lbrares n the world; n the case of ts Hebrew and Yddsh resources, many thousand of ts holdngs are shared wth just ten other leadng US lbrares. The Prce Lbrary of Judaca was bult on a core collecton owned by Rabb Leonard C. Mshkn of Chcago whch, at the tme of ts acquston by the Unversty of Florda, was the largest personal lbrary of Judaca and Hebraca n the Unted States. The range and depth of Mshkn s collecton was descrbed by the Harvard Bblographer Charles Berln as superb. The UF Lbrares receved the frst Natonal Endowment for the Humantes Challenge Grant awarded to a Unted States research lbrary n order to partally underwrte Rabb Leonard C. Mshkn s 40,000 volume lbrary. The NEH Grant was matched by the frst State of Florda Qualty Improvement Funds. Formally dedcated n March 1981, the Unversty s Judaca lbrary was named for Isser and Rae Prce, whose sons Jack and Samuel Prce of Jacksonvlle, Florda, establshed a fund to support sustaned development of ts collectons. The Prce famly gft was the largest sngle gft ever made to the lbrares at that tme, and t was the frst tme that a specal collecton n the Unversty Lbrares had been endowed. Thrty years on, patrons wll fnd n the Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca a Jewsh studes collecton of notable depth, scope and sngularty. Its dversfed holdngs of uncommon research materals n Englsh, Hebrew and other languages support scholarshp n vrtually every aspect of the Jewsh experence. Whle the Prce Lbrary s prmary objectve s to support the research and nstructonal needs of the faculty and students workng wthn the Unversty of Florda s Center for Jewsh Studes, all researchers and readers are welcome to use the collecton.
THE PRICE LIBRARY OF JUDAICA BOOKPLATE The drawng n the Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca bookplate should be nterpreted allegorcally. The central concept s creaton, the movement from nothngness to completon, expressed through symbols whch have meanng on several levels smultaneously: the creaton of the world, the creaton of Judasm, the creaton of wsdom and knowledge n the ndvdual, and the creaton of the lbrary. A vrtual onlne bookplate s now avalable for acknowledgng donatons to the lbrary wthn the UF Lbrares catalog.
THE BEST MERCHANDISE A JEW IS ON A SHIP FILLED WITH MERCHANTS. They show off ther merchandse and ask the Jew, What do you have? He taps hs head and says, Everythng I own s n here. They laugh and call hm a fool. Then a storm hts. The shp snks, and everyone must swm to shore wth nothng but the clothes he s wearng. They reach a cty, but the merchants have nothng to sell. They have to beg n the street. A few days later, they see the Jew, well dressed and well fed. He drops some money n ther beggng cups, and they say to hm, We had so much merchandse, but now we have nothng. You had nothng, but now you have so much. How can t be? He taps hs head and says, I told you that everythng I own s n here. I have studed all my lfe, and I have knowledge. I am workng as a teacher. The merchants nod ther heads, and all agree, Knowledge s the best merchandse. Solomon and the Ant: and Other Jewsh Folktales retold by Sheldon Oberman, Honesdale, Pa., 2006 THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION IN JEWISH LIFE IS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE ACTIONS OF JACK AND SAMUEL PRICE WHO ESTABLISHED A LARGE ENDOWMENT FUND TO SUPPORT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA S JUDAICA LIBRARY IN 1981. THEIR GENEROUS GIFT HAS ENABLED THE ISSER AND RAE PRICE LIBRARY OF JUDAICA TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND RESEARCH BOTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA AND AROUND THE UNITED STATES FOR THE PAST THIRTY YEARS AND BEYOND.
Jack Prce (left) wth hs brother Samuel (rght) and ther mother Rae. The lbrary s somethng for everyone to use. It has long been needed and t wll lve on and on. Rae Prce, 1981 We hope our gft wll be a spark to get others to contrbute to the lbrary for perpetuaton of Jewsh learnng and Jewsh study, whch are so mportant to Judasm. Jack Prce, 1981
THE PRICE LIBRARY OF JUDAICA AND ITS PATRONS The Prce Lbrary of Judaca played a pvotal role when I was researchng my chldren s story, Mystery of the Mssng Candlestck. Its resources helped me to develop the hstorcal backdrop for my novel, whch s set n St. Augustne. I am very apprecatve of ths collecton and all those who have contrbuted to preservng t and makng t avalable to the publc. June Weltman, author of Mystery of the Mssng Candlestck, wnner of numerous awards, ncludng Mayhaven s Award for Fcton and the Junor Hstoran Book Award I dd not come to the Unversty of Florda n 1990 to study Jewsh hstory. That decson would not come untl after I was ntroduced to one the Southeast s great treasures the Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca. It was n and around ths outstandng lbrary that I wrote my dssertaton on Savannah Jewry. Dr. Mark Greenberg, Head of Specal Collectons, Unversty of South Florda, and author of Becomng Southern: The Jews of Savannah, Georga, 1830-70 Robert Sngerman, former lbraran at the Unversty of Florda s Judaca Lbrary (yes, there s such a lbrary, and t s an outstandng resource) ntroduced me to a book on Calcutta Jews whch he thought mght nterest me. Indeed t dd! My magnaton took over and, aded by further research at the lbrary, Flowers n the Blood was born. Gay Courter, bestsellng author of the hstorcal novel Flowers n the Blood, 1991
THE PRICE LIBRARY OF JUDAICA AND ITS PATRONS The Prce Lbrary s truly among the elte nsttutons of the Unted States. Its global resources were ndspensble to my bography of Moses Levy, and enabled me to trace hs career through dverse Jewsh communtes of the 19th century trans- Atlantc world. Dr. Chrs Monaco, author of Moses Levy of Florda: Jewsh Utopan and Antebellum Reformer, and wnner of the Florda Hstorcal Socety s 2006 Presdental Award of Dstncton It s sad that the Talmud s an ocean. Standng n the wngs of the Isser and Rae Prce Lbrary of Judaca at the Unversty of Florda, I was confronted by dozens of bookcases flled wth such oceans. My sncere grattude belongs to Mr. Robert Sngerman and hs staff whose patence and exctement enhanced my efforts and kept me close to the shores of proper understandng. Dale S. Recnella, J.D., M.T.S., Catholc Lay Chaplan, Florda Death Row, author of The Bblcal Truth about Amerca s Death Penalty, 2004 The Prce Lbrary s a treasure trove of Jewsh lterature and culture and a boon for students and scholars everywhere. Mazl tov on your Thrteth Annversary! Aaron Lansky, author of the bestseller Outwttng Hstory: the Amazng Adventures of a Man who Rescued a Mllon Yddsh Books, 2004, and Presdent of the Natonal Yddsh Book Center
WITH SPECIAL THANKS EVENT COMMITTEE Dean Judth C. Russell Assocate Dean Samuel T. Huang Dr. Rebecca J. W. Jefferson Barbara Hood Emly Madden Gabrela Galescu WITH SPECIAL THANKS Presdent J. Bernard Machen; the UF Presdent s House; the UF Foundaton; the Prce famly and frends; Beth Shalom Synagogue, Jacksonvlle; Professor Jack Kugelmass; Professor Harold P. Hanson; Professor Ralph Lowensten; Robert Sngerman; Bess Gal de Farber; Klezmer Katz; June Weltman; Dr. Mark Greenberg; Gay Courter; Dr. Chrs Monaco; Rev. Dale S. Recnella; Aaron Lansky; Dane Bruxvoort; Rachel Schpper; Rch Bennett; Patrck Reakes; Msty Swan; Lela Johnson; UF Lbrares facltes team; UF Dgtal Lbrary Center staff; UF Ccerones; Center for Jewsh Studes My pen s my harp and my lyre; my lbrary s my garden and my orchard. Judah Ha-Lev
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