From: Barry Dov Walfish Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2022 6:38 PM To: hasafran@lists.osu.edu<mailto:hasafran@lists.osu.edu> Subject: Reference Works on Judaism
ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd Dear Amanda, Safranim, I kind of suspect that Amanda is aware of the EJ and that this is not what she's looking for. The EJ is a wonderful resource in many ways, but it has serious shortcomings in terms of being up-to-date and inclusive, as I pointed out in my article in JL in 2012: “Encyclopedia Interrupta, or Gale’s Unfinished: the Scandal of the EJ2.” Judaica Librarianship 16(2012):195-209. The problem is that while many articles were updated from the 1972 edition, many that should have been were not. It is true that for some topics, for which there has not been much research, the old articles are still adequate, even very good. But for many, this is not the case. The classic example, which still boils my blood, is the disgraceful article on Homosexuality, which was written for the 1972 edition and, astonishingly, was not replaced for the 2007 edition (there's only a short update at the end, which hardly does justice to the tremendous changes that have occurred throughout the Jewish world in the last thirty years or so on this subject). This is a cardinal example of an article that has not stood the test of time. There are many other examples, some of which I discuss in my article. For any topic, which is being actively researched, it is important that a reference work discuss it according to the most up-to-date research, which is why encyclopedias are updated every few years. It is already 15 years since the 2nd edition of the EJ and 50 years since the first. There don't seem to be any plans to produce a new edition anytime soon. And there are no other Jewish-only encyclopedias that can compete. In light of this, allow me to promote a project I have been involved with for the last 14 years, and which unfortunately has not received much attention among Judaica librarians -- The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception (EBR). EBR is not an encyclopedia of Judaism, but it does include comprehensive Jewish coverage of hundreds of topics. Furthermore, it has the advantage of including coverage of Christianity, Islam, and other religions, as well as the arts--literature, music, visual arts, film, and dance. The articles are up-to-date (publishing began in 2009 and continues; vol. 20 (covering the last part of M and the beginning of N) appeared earlier this year and vol. 21 (N-O) should be published this winter. Thirty vols., plus a supplementary volume are projected. So, this should make it especially appealing to the NYPL, which would have readers from a variety of backgrounds interested in all these topics. Unfortunately, the cost is probably prohibitive for small synagogue and school libraries. Of course, the focus is biblical, which means that most of the articles begin with the Bible and then proceed to show how biblical themes, characters, places, and ideas, were treated over the centuries and developed or changed from their biblical origins. In many cases, the farther one gets from the biblical period, the less biblical influence one finds. EBR also includes articles on sages, medieval and modern philosophers, kabbalists, literary authors, musicians, filmmakers, and artists who were influenced by the Bible. Many Judaism articles are divided into periods -- Second Temple, Rabbinic, Medieval and Modern -- for more detailed coverage. I am attaching the articles on Homosexuality from the EJ and from EBR for comparison purposes. I hope you will agree that the differences in content, coverage, and tone, are stark. Best wishes to everyone for shanah tovah and gemar hatimah tovah, Barry
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