Hebrew manuscripts and old prints

The Saraval Collection consists of 34 priceless Hebrew manuscripts and 6 incunabula that currently belong to the Jewish Community in Wrocław. It differs, however, from the historical collection of the well-known bibliophile to whom it owes its name. The collection, a testament to the intellectual prowess of the Jewish community of Wrocław/Breslau, is seldom made available for viewing by the general public.
List of manuscripts and prints for the Saraval Collection: download PDF

Zakład Studiów Żydowskich Uniwersytetu WrocławskiegoZwiązek Gmin Wyznaniowych ŻydowskichCentrum Kultury i Edukacji Żydowskiej w Synagodze pod Białmym BocianemFundacja Bente KahanWrocław miasto spotkań

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RESCUED TREASURES

War, persecution, fire, and natural disasters all contributed to the destruction of Jewish books, rendering extant copies all the more valuable. Today, the Saraval Collection consists of 34 manuscripts and six incunabula (books printed before 1501). Of these, 29 manuscripts and all the printed books actually belonged to Leon Vita Saraval; the remaining volumes were later acquisitions made by the Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar (Jewish Theological Seminary) in Breslau. The collection was returned to the Jewish community of Wrocław, its rightful owner, sixty years after it was confiscated by the nazis. Breslau was part of Germany until 1945 but is now located in south-western Poland, and was renamed Wrocław after the war.

The Saraval collection
Decorative elements in an illuminated manuscript, Abraham ibn Ezra’s Commentary to the Pentateuch (14th-15th centuries)
Decorative elements in an illuminated manuscript, Abraham ibn Ezra’s Commentary to the Pentateuch (14th-15th centuries)
A fragment of the binding of <i>Arba’a turim</i> (The Four Orders) by Ya’akov ben Asher, printed circa 1490 by Shlomo ben Moishe, a member of a famous printing clan from Soncino
What is now known as the Saraval Collection also contains volumes that were obtained by the Jewish Theological Seminary (Jüdisch-Theologische Seminar) in Breslau/Wrocław such as, for example, the 18th century manuscript that contains the Sefer Evronot, a commentary on the Jewish calendar
Metal buckles on the leather binding of a copy of <i>Moreh Nevuchim</i> by Maimonides, 14th century
Decorative embossments on a leather-bound copy of <i>Moreh Nevuchim</i> by Maimonides, 14th century

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Leon Vita Saraval