101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel

• Published to celebrate the opening of the Library’s new building in autumn 2023 in Jerusalem, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron.
• The library holds more than 5 million volumes of books, manuscripts, and periodicals, as well as archives, maps, music, ephemera, and photographs, and is dedicated to building comprehensive collections of Judaica and Israeliana, and world-class research collections in Islam & the Middle East and the Humanities.
• The Library’s digital channels receive approximately 12 million visitors every year.

This fascinating and inspirational new volume provides a thematic journey through the rich and diverse collections of the National Library of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide. Selected by the Library’s curators and collections experts, this fine-art volume presents 101 of the most precious items in the Library’s collections, from 5th century Babylonia to modern-day Tel Aviv, and shares illuminating stories and anecdotes about these significant works and the intriguing people behind them. Highlights include Maimonides’ autograph copy of his Commentary on the Mishna; the “Damascus Crowns,” including a vitally important 10th century Hebrew Bible codex; theological ruminations of Isaac Newton; love poetry by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent; manuscripts from leading Jewish and Israeli writers, such as Martin Buber, Stefan Zweig, Franz Kafka, Naomi Shemer, and Shai Agnon; and rare materials documenting Israeli history. High-quality photographs illustrate the stories, and the introduction sets these collections within their cultural and historical context.

Raquel Ukeles, PhD, Head of Collections.

Hezi Amiur, PhD, Israel Collection Curator.

Yoel Finkelman, PhD, Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection Curator.

Stefan Litt, PhD, Humanities Collection Curato.

Samuel Thrope, PhD, Islam and Middle East
Collection Curator.