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The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a multi-volume English-language
encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...
of the
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish people,
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
, and
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including
Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...
of all eras, culture,
holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
,
language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
, scripture, and religious teachings. First published in 1971–1972, by 2010 it had been published in two editions accompanied by a few revisions. The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' was also published on
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
. The CD-ROM version has been enhanced by at least 100,000 hyperlinks and several other features, including videos, slide shows, maps, music and
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
pronunciations. While the CD-ROM version is still available, the publisher has discontinued producing new copies for sale. The encyclopedia was written by Israeli, American and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an professional subject specialists.


History


Preceding attempts

Between 1901 and 1906 '' The Jewish Encyclopedia'' had been published in 12 volumes, and was heavily used as a source by the 16-volume ''Jewish Encyclopedia'', published by Brockhaus and Efron in Saint Petersburg (1906–1913, in Russian). It was followed by the ''Jüdisches Lexikon I–II'' (1927–28, in German), ''Encyclopaedia Judaica I–II'' (1927–28) and '' Zsidó Lexikon'' (1929, edited by Újvári Péter, in Hungarian). An unfinished German-language ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' was published by Nahum Goldmann's Eshkol Publishing Society in Berlin 1928–1934. The chief editors were Jakob Klatzkin and Ismar Elbogen. Ten volumes from ''Aach'' to ''Lyra'' appeared before the project halted due to
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
persecutions. Two Hebrew-language volumes ''A-Antipas'', were also published under the title ''Eshkol'' (Hebrew: ''אשכול''). A few of the articles from the German ''Judaica'' and even some of the reparations payments to Goldmann were used in making the English-language ''Judaica''.


First edition

The English-language ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' was first published from 1971 to 1972 in sixteen volumes, in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
by Keter Publishing House, and in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
by the Macmillan Company. Between 1973 and 1991 eight "Year Books" were published (dated 1973, 1974, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1983–85, 1986–87, 1988–89, and 1990–91) along with two "Decennial" volumes dated 1973–1982 (also published as "Volume 17") and 1983–1992. Together these volumes contained more than 15 million words in over 25,000 articles. Its general editors were, successively, Cecil Roth and Geoffrey Wigoder. Advertisers describe it as the result of about three decades of study and research by about 2,200 contributors and 250 editors around the world. Contributors included Gershom Scholem. A '' Shorter Jewish Encyclopedia'' in Russian, launched in the early 1970s as an abridged translation of the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'', evolved into a largely independent publication that by late 2005 included eleven volumes and three supplements. A number of editions of a version of the English Encyclopaedia for youth were also published. Because of its comprehensive scope, authority, and widespread availability, the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' has been recommended by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
and by the Association of Jewish Libraries for use in determining the authoritative
romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...
of names of Jewish authors. Its guidelines for transliterating Hebrew into English are followed by many academic books and journals. The first edition generated both positive and negative reviews.Levy, David B. (2002)
"The Making of the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' and the ''Jewish Encyclopedia''"
. ''Proceedings of the 37th Annual Convention of the Association of Jewish Libraries''.
The word Judaica is commonly used to refer to objects of Jewish art and Jewish ceremonial objects.


Second edition

In July 2003, Thomson Gale announced that it had acquired the rights to publish a second edition of ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'', expecting to publish in December 2006 under one of its imprints, Macmillan Reference US. The 22-volume work was published on December 30, 2006 and released in January 2007. Together with original publishers Keter Publishing House, Gale made major updates to many sections of ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' for the new edition, including the entries on the Holocaust, American Jewry,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. Fred Skolnik, who served as a co-editor on the original edition of ''Judaica'', was retained as Editor-in-Chief for the second edition. American Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, adjunct professor of theology at the American Jewish University as well as director of its Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, serves as the editor for the Holocaust and Americana sections of the encyclopedia and executive editor for the work at large. Judith Baskin, University of Oregon Judaic Studies department head, was brought on to supervise improvement of women's studies and gender issues coverage. In total, more than 50 divisional editors, including five winners of the
Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...
, oversaw contributions from nearly 1,200 scholars and editors. This edition contains more than 21,000 signed entries, including 2,600 brand-new entries and 12,000 changed entries."Updated Judaica", ''Dateline World Jewry'', World Jewish Congress Foundation, December 2006/January 2007


Online access

All volumes of the first edition, some year books and the Decennial Book 1983 - 1992: events of 1982 - 1993 are at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
separately. All volumes of the second edition are at the Internet Archive together. Most entries of the second edition are accessible via th
Encyclopedia.com search engine
At the head of some entries "updated" appears.


Critical reception and awards

Reviews from library literature have been positive. Donald Altschiller of Boston University, writing in ''Choice'', states that the second edition of ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' "has already attained a secure place in the reference pantheon...Essential." Barbara Bibel, writing in ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...
'', calls the set "a welcome addition to reference collections."


Dartmouth Medal

The second edition of the ''Encyclopaedia'' received a number of major awards for excellence, including the 2007 Dartmouth Medal from the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
, the most prestigious award in the field of reference publishing." In presenting the award, Edward Kownslar, the chairman of the Dartmouth Medal committee said: "This 22-volume set is an authoritative, interdisciplinary and comprehensive examination of all aspects of Jewish life, history and culture. This title is an extensive revision of the first edition, which was published in 1972, and has 2600 new entries. In addition to updating all world and political events affecting Jewish life and culture since the early 1970s, 'Judaica' has significantly enhanced biblical studies and the Holocaust from the first edition. This title has also expanded the area of women's studies."


Other awards

The ''Encyclopaedia'' was also named in the "Best Reference 2007" list by the ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'', and was added to the list of "Outstanding Reference Sources for Small and Medium-sized Libraries" by the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association in 2008.Outstanding Reference Sources
":
2008 List
". Reference and Users Services Association, Division of the American Library Association. Retrieved 2016-06-22.


References


Citations


Sources

* Biella, Joan.
Authority Work in Ruritania
".

'', 2001. In an instructive fantasy, a librarian establishes a work's author's name by using the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' according to accepted procedure. * Leiman, Shnayer

* Levy, David B.
The Making of the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' and the ''Jewish Encyclopedia''
." ''Proceedings of the 37th Annual Convention of the Association of Jewish Libraries'', 2002. A review and comparison of these two encyclopedias as works of scholarship and as library information resources. * Thomson Gale Publishing.
Gale Acquires a Cultural Treasure: Gale to publish the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' - first new edition in more than 30 years
, press release July 29, 2003, archived 18 May 2007, at Thomson Gale.


External links


''Encyclopaedia Judaica''
2nd ed. Vols. 1-22 at
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
to the ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' 2nd edition from EJ Vol. 1 pp. 15-32. At Encyclopedia.com * Ephross, Peter,
New Encyclopaedia Judaica Hits Shelves
, about the Second Edition. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 24 October 2006 {{Authority control Cengage books Jewish encyclopedias Keter Publishing House books Macmillan Publishers books