There is a huge difference between collecting literature for preservation and study and so-called looting in the midst of conflagration. In addition it should be noted that the Histadrut founded The Arab Writers' House for the dissemination of novels and other books in Arabic, including textbooks, in order to compensate readers in Israel for the shortage of books caused by the Arab embargo against Israel.
A better understanding (and leads for further research) re Israels treatment of Arab literature can be found in http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/2001/Pages/The%20Study%20of%20Arabic%20Lit erature%20in%20Israel.aspx where the <http://mfa.gov.il/mfa> Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs has written about The Study of Arabic Literature in Israel. Here is an extract Today Arabic is taught in about 600 Israeli schools. About 2,000 pupils take the matriculation examinations in Arabic each year. The curriculum comprises grammar, syntax, expression, reading and study of classical and modern Arabic literature, reading from newspapers, and learning about the Moslem world. Moreover, most teacher-training colleges have Arabic departments for the training of teachers; examples are the David Yellin Teachers Seminary in Jerusalem, Ahava College in Be'er Tuvia, Beit Berl College, Levinsky College, Oranim College, the Kaye Seminar in Beersheba, and the Kibbutz Movement Seminary. There are nearly 1,300 teachers of Arabic in Hebrew schools, most of them are Jews, some are Arabs. In the Arab schools, all subjects are taught in Arabic and most teachers are Arabs. The teachers of Arabic in Hebrew schools have a professional organ, Majallat al-Mu'allim ("The Teacher"), published by the Giv'at Haviva Institute of Arabic Studies. The Histadrut (Israel Federation of Trade Unions) attaches particular attention to Arabic culture and literature. It founded the Jewish-Arab Institute in Beit Berl which publishes Mifgash L'iqa ("Encounter"), a bilingual literary magazine containing articles, poems and short stories in the authors' original language, together with a translation into the other language, for the purpose of strengthening the ties between the two peoples and promoting the study of each other's language. The Histadrut also founded The Arab Writers' House for the dissemination of novels and other books, including textbooks, in order to compensate readers of Arabic for the shortage of books caused by the Arab embargo against Israel. Finally, various newspapers and monthly periodicals were published, such as Haqiqat al-Amr, al-Yawm, Al-Naba, etc. To quote Professor Menachem Milson, dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University: "For the founders of the Hebrew University there was yet another incentive for cultivating Arabic and Islamic studies: the desire to establish bridges of understanding with their Arab neighbours. A closer examination reveals a mixture of motives: on the one hand, lofty ideals of peace and brotherhood - there was even a naïve belief that Arabs and Moslems would be deeply moved when they saw Jews immersed in the study of their culture and would, in consequence, view them with confidence and sympathy - and on the other, a pragmatic desire to enable young Jews to study the languages of the surrounding countries and become familiar with their society, economy and culture." The approach adopted by scholars in Arabic literature at the Hebrew University, was that of the orientalists among German Jews who had immigrated to Palestine and founded the School of Oriental Studies of Jerusalem in 1926. These scholars advocated a thorough reading of Arabic texts in order to achieve a better understanding, rather than summarizing other scholars' research or entering into literary theories or the frequently changing criticism of modern literature. Israeli scholars are constantly trying to find rare and unpublished manuscripts and use them in their research. This has led the scholars of the Institute of Asian and African Studies of the Hebrew University, notably Profs. David Ayalon and M.J. Kister, to publish a classic series of publications which deals with the propagation and editing of Arabic manuscripts in a scientific and methodical manner. At Tel Aviv University, some of the scholars and lecturers who did not graduate from the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the Hebrew University, tend to rely more on theory. The most prominent scholar in modern Arabic literature at Tel Aviv University is Prof. Sasson Somekh. Prof. Joseph Sadan is particularly interested in mediaeval Arabic culture and devotes his time to discovering rare or lost Arabic manuscripts. Their Arabic Department publishes Israel Oriental Studies, which deals mainly with mediaeval Arabic literature and culture. There is great interest in Arabic literature in the Israeli media, notably in the Ha'aretz daily, the Voice of Israel radio, and Israel Television. These are the major media for the propagation of news, translations and the proceedings of conventions. The mass-circulation dailies Ma'ariv and Yediot Aharonot, publish stories and poems translated from Arabic into Hebrew, as well as critical reviews on books translated from Arabic and published by leading Israeli publishers, such as Kibbutz Hameuhad, Sifriat Poalim and Mifras. Most of these books tend to have a nationalist and leftist outlook. Keter Publishing House has published a series of novels and collected stories translated from Arabic, edited by Dr. Ami Elad-Buskila, head of the Arabic Department of Beit Berl College. Among Israeli quarterlies dealing with modern Arab literature is Mizrah Hadash ("New East"), published by the Israel Oriental Society and formerly edited by Prof. Jacob M. Landau, an expert in Arab theatre and Arabic shadow plays and cinema, as well as on minorities and politics in the Arab world and Turkey. This magazine publishes important articles in Hebrew on Arabic literature, society, politics and economics well as literary and scholarly reviews of books published in the Arab world. Special issues are devoted to modern Arabic literature in the Arab countries and Israel. The Association published a magazine entitled "Asian and African Studies," founded by the late Prof. G. Baer, which is now edited at Haifa University and contains important studies on modern Arab literature, as well as articles on Arab society, history, politics, culture and religion in the new Middle East. Ben-Gurion University publishes a periodical in Hebrew entitled Jama'a. Many Israeli academic institutions publish scientific journals on the history of Arab and Moslem literature and culture. The foremost of these is the journal of the Institute of Asian and African Studies. The Institute also publishes "The Max Schlesinger Memorial Series,"and "Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam," an international journal devoted to the study of classical Islam, Arabic language and literature, the origins of Islamic institutions and the interaction between Islam and other civilizations. The Institute organizes an international colloquium entitled "From Jahiliyya to Islam," which is held every few years at the Institute for Asian and African Studies and at the Institute for Advanced Studies of the Hebrew University. It is attended by specialists from all over the world who are interested in the religious, cultural, scientific and literary aspects of this period. The Institute for Asian and African Studies of the Hebrew University is engaged in a major project on the study of ancient Arabic literature - a bibliography of Arabic poetry, arranged according to the first letters of each poem, from pre-Islamic and Islamic times. Prof. Albert Arazi is in charge of this project; assisted by the poet Suleyman Masalha. Tel Aviv University publishes a periodical in English, "Israel Oriental Studies," which contains articles on ancient and modern Arab and Islamic culture, history, art, and the Semitic languages. The Arabic language department of Haifa University publishes al-Carmel, which deals with the study of ancient and modern Arabic. The current editors are George Qanazi, head of the Arabic department of Haifa University, Shimon Ballas and Reuven Snir. Arabic literature is taught in four universities: the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Haifa University Tel Aviv University and Bar Ilan University. These universities prepare their students for specialization in Arabic literature, and the various dialects of the language, toward first and advanced. degrees. Students can specialize in the field of Arab culture and also obtain a diploma that qualifies them to teach Arabic. Israeli scholars in Arabic literature usually publish their research in English, French or German, mostly because they regard themselves as an integral part of universal Oriental studies and in order to enable researchers world-wide to study their work. At the Haifa Technion, Arabic language and literature are taught as part of general studies. At the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Arabic is a subject supplementary to Oriental studies and to studies on the Beduin of the Negev. It is evident, therefore, that Arabic literature occupies an important place in Israeli society and academic life. Students can major in classical or modern Arabic literature starting from the BA degree. In Israel, teachers of Arabic literature teach both classical and modern literature in a very thorough and scientific manner. These teachers are guided by a striving to become more acquainted with the soul, thinking, literature and religion of Israel's Arab neighbours. Arabic literature is also taught at Tel Aviv University, within the framework of the College of Cultural Studies. At the Hebrew University, students are presumed to be unable to understand modern Arabic literature without a thorough study of ancient Arabic poetry, the Koran, Islamic history, and other religious writings. Several Arab lecturers teach Arabic language and literature alongside their Jewish colleagues, notably in Haifa University, where the Arabic Department is headed by Prof. George Qanazi. Ibrahim Gerries teaches Arabic prose of the 'Abbasi period. At Tel Aviv University, Dr. Suleyman Jabran, an expert in al-Shidyaq literature and the poems of Al-Jawahiri and Al-Bayati, teaches modern Arabic literature. Dr. Mahmoud Ghanaim teaches modern literary criticism, Nasser Bassal teaches the history of Hebrew literature written in Arabic in Hebrew letters in Andalusia and the Arab countries. In Israel, scholars devote great attention to modern Egyptian literature and especially to the works of Nobel laureate Najib Mahfuz, who described the life of Egyptian society and the interconnections between its layers, generational conflicts and religious, political and spiritual trends in Egyptian society. Another Egyptian writer highly regarded by Israeli scholars is the novelist and playwright Yusef Adris. Other scholars show a particular interest in the Arabic literature of Palestine since the onset of the British mandate in 1917. Some have studied the literature, poetry and folklore of Arab refugees, notably the works of Ghassan Kanfani, and Arabic writers in Israel, particularly Emil Habibi, whose novels have been translated into Hebrew. The poet Mahmud Darwish occupies a respected place among Arab writers in Israel. His poem "Passing Talk" aroused great interest and argument in the Israeli press and was widely translated. Among eminent Israeli Arab poets translated into Hebrew are Michel Haddad, Samih al-Qassim, Nazih Kahyhr, Siham Daoud and Nida Khuri. Anton Shamas, Naim 'Araide and Salman Masalha are prominent Arab poets who also write in Hebrew. Palestinian literature is discussed in Shimon Balas' book entitled "Arab Literature in the Shadow of War, " originally written in French and translated into Hebrew and Arabic. Works by literary scholars in Jordanian universities on the history of Arab literature and Islamic culture arouse great interest in Israel. This applies in particular to the works of Nasir al-Din al Assad, Dr. Yaghi al-Sawafiri, to name but a few. Arabic literature in Jordan and Saudia Arabia has yet to attract the interest of literary scholars here. This is mainly because of the unavailability of these works in Israel. We hope that proper initiatives will be taken so as to obtain this literary material so that it can be studied and taught here. Yoel Sheridan Israel <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] <http://www.tenterbooks.com/> www.tenterbooks.com From: Hasafran [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Patricia Givens Sent: 28 September 2015 22:24 To: [email protected] Subject: [ha-Safran] more info about palestine library query Here is more information about my earlier Palestine Library query: Im researching info about Libraries in Israel. I believe there is/was a Palestinian library in Israel at one time that was looted by Israelis. For my book I want to know if there might have been such a Palestinian Library in the 1970s or 1980s. Thanks! Pat Givens (541) 504-1160 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
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