Jewish Studies @ CU Libraries: "Old Books, New Bindings"

In a new post by Michelle Margolis (July 15, 2026) Jewish Studies @ CU Libraries highlights recent conservation work—supported by donor generosity and the Gottschalk Foundation—focused on restoring and stabilizing book bindings so materials can be used safely and prepared for a fall 2027 exhibition on the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa.

Items from Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Read the full blog post: “Old Books, New Bindings”

The Institute Welcomes Alumni Back to Campus for Reunion 2023

On Friday, June 2, the Institute hosted Columbia alumni for a special event at the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. Elisheva Carlebach, Co-Director of the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and Michelle Margolis, the Norman E. Alexander Librarian for Jewish Studies, discussed the history of Jewish Studies at Columbia and walked guests through centuries-old selections from the Alexander Library of Jewish Studies.

Dr. Margolis brought out an exciting array of treasures from the Library’s collections, sorted into the following categories:

• New Acquisitions

• Columbia History

• Jews in the East (Near and Far)

• Women

• Yiddish

• Early Printing

Columbia alumni and families from all backgrounds had the opportunity to directly explore and interact with manuscripts as old as the fifteenth century that represented the diversity of Jewish history and culture throughout time and across the world.

Passover on the Page: A History of Haggadot from Medieval to Modern Times

In 2020, Michelle Margolis Chesner, the Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Librarian, presented a history of haggadot for Congregation Ramath Orah in Manhattan.

Utilizing the Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Collection

Earlier this semester, Michelle Chesner, the Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies librarian led a workshop on utilizing the collection while we continue with remote learning. Chesner has been going into the library to digitize primary sources for students and faculty alike, and as usual, is a tremendous resource for all Columbia affiliates conducting research.

Spring 2020 Course: Topics in Jewish Studies

A group of IIJS M.A., Ph.D., and advanced undergraduate students took part in our new course this semester on the history, theory, and methodology of Jewish Studies. Topics in Jewish Studies was taught by Dr. Isabelle Levy and will be taught again in Fall 2020. Despite the unprecedented circumstances they had an extremely productive semester. Students engaged in weekly discussions of various topics in Jewish Studies—ranging from historiography in the medieval Jewish world to Jewish Studies amid Gender Studies. Institute faculty members generously agreed to visit the class to share insights into the field of Jewish Studies, and Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Librarian Michelle Chesner presented treasures of the Jewish Studies book collection to the class at The Rare Book and Manuscript Library in early March.

Students designed original syllabi on fascinating topics, including a seminar by Arielle Rivera Korman (Ph.D. candidate in History) on Jews of Color and a course by Hailey Dobin (Barnard ’21) for high school students that takes a nuanced approach to Jewish cultures. Students also wrote grant proposals, one of which has secured funding: Jewish Studies M.A. student Solomon Mengesha has begun founding a non-profit devoted to mapping the oral and material culture of the Beta Israel, the Jews of Ethiopia. Students also reflected on ways in which course materials will inform their research going forward: Yakov Ellenbogen (Ph.D. candidate in History) reflected on the place of post-colonial and gender theory in his work on Disability Studies/Jewish Studies and, inspired by Professor Rebecca Kobrin’s visit to class, Adam Gelman (Jewish Studies, M.A. student) is considering the place of Women and Gender Studies in his work on Jewish immigration to the United States.

From the Stacks: Passover Haggadahs

Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Librarian Michelle Chesner shares Passover Haggadahs from the collection.

From the Stacks: Purim Beyond the Book of Esther

Michelle Chesner, the Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Librarian, shared Purim related literature, including scrolls and parodies in Italian, Judeo-Greek, and Hebrew.