WISSENSCHAFT DES JUDENTUMS

The nineteenth century saw the emergence of a more systematic scholarly interest in Jewish history and culture thanks to an intellectual movement known as Wissenshaft des Judentums, or Jewish studies. The followers of this radically new method of approaching tradition and Judaism by applying secular research methods to the study of religious texts. Elements of theology, literary studies, and history with cultural and social research were merged to create an entirely new field. With its well-educated Jewish community, Breslau became a key center of Wissenschaft des Judentums, offering ideal working conditions for many illustrious rabbis and scholars of Jewish studies.

This rendering of a cleric’s attire in a 15th-century manuscript of a commentary on the Torah by Shlomo Yitzhak (Rashi) is a fascinating research object for religious students and historians

THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar (the Jewish Theological Seminary) opened in 1854 thanks to an endowment from the Breslau philanthropist Jonas Fraenkel. It was Central Europe’s first modern rabbinic school, and a hybrid of traditional Jewish yeshiva (higher Talmud school) and a modern university-level theological department. The school was to foster scholarly research and educate rabbis and teachers, with a carefully selected professional staff ensuring top educational standards.

The building of Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar (the Jewish Theological Seminary) on Wallstrasse – today’s Włodkowica Street – was destroyed after World War II [source: The City Museum of Wrocław]
Heinrich Graetz (1817–1891) a Jewish historian, authored a monumental work entitled <i>A History of the Jews</i> [source: The City Museum of Wrocław]

FROM TRIESTE TO BRESLAU

The eminent historian Heinrich Graetz purchased the Saraval collection of books and manuscripts on behalf of the Theological Seminary from the owner’s son, who had catalogued and then put it up for sale. Acquired at a cost of 8,331 marks and 31 pfennig after lengthy negotiations, the collection formed the cornerstone of the Seminary’s library and for Jewish intellectual life, as Zacharias Frankel, director of the Seminary, noted in a letter on 25 November, 1853.

Zacharias Frankel (1801–1875) a noted biblical scholar and Talmudist, was the first director of Das Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar (the Jewish Theological Seminary) [source: The City Museum of Wrocław]
A photograph of the library rooms at the Jewish Theological Seminary taken in 1925 [source: AKG/East News]

A LIBRARY IS BORN

“We must provide books for students who cannot afford to purchase them,” wrote Zacharias Frankel, the director of the Seminary. Frankel wanted to ensure that the library continued to grow, and that it was not confined to publications related to Jewish studies, but included classical philology, physical sciences, and other areas as well. Scholars, students, and graduates of the Seminary had to be provided with a broad secular education. The library’s collection fully reflected the Seminary’s academic mission and shaped the research interests of lecturers and alumni.

Benedict Zuckerman (1818–1891), lecturer at the Jewish Theological Seminary and first head of the library (left). Marcus Brann (1849–1920), a historian who succeeded Benedict Zuckerman as the head of the Jewish Theological Seminary library (right) [source: The City Museum of Wrocław]
A copy of Maimonides’s <i>Moreh Nevuchim</i> (A Guide for the Perplexed) is one of the most ornately decorated works in the Wrocław collection.

PRICELESS JUDAICA

The library of the Jewish Theological Seminary expanded to become over time the largest collection of Judaica in Germany, attracting scholars from all over Europe. The collection grew from purchases, legacies bequeathed by Seminary lecturers, and donations from all over Europe. By the late 1930s, the library had a total of 433 manuscripts, 53 books from the 15th century, and 40,000 volumes of later-printed volumes.

Destroyed decorations may be a result of frequent use of a book. The Five Scrolls (Song of Songs, the Book of Ruth, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Book of Kohelet, the Book of Esther), a 15th-century codex
A copy of Maimonides’s <i>Moreh Nevuchim</i> (A Guide for the Perplexed) is one of the most ornately decorated works in the Wrocław collection.

THE STATE OF RESEARCH

The Saraval Collection could have very well served as an inspiration for countless scholars. Heinrich Graetz, for example, often reached for Hebrew grammars from the collection in order to clarify ambiguities in texts; these same grammars were also frequently used in philological research. Zacharias Frankel researched Bible translations. Abraham Geiger, a Breslau rabbi, delved into the collection to write on the works of Maimonides, an early medieval philosopher. Abraham Berliner conducted research on maps of the land of Israel in texts by Rashi. Marcus Brann, an eminent historian, catalogued the collection’s incunabula. Rabbi David Kaufmann of Budapest carried out studies on illuminations in Jewish manuscripts.

The medieval dictionary <i>Sefer ha-Shorashim</i> authored by David Kimhi, together with other resources, has greatly facilitated philological research
Abraham Geiger (1810–1874), was among those who founded a rabbinic school in Breslau [source: The City Museum of Wrocław]

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The War and Post-War Years