Welcome
Welcome to the Dorot Jewish Division at The New York Public Library. We are located within the historic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, often referred to as the "Main Branch," of the New York Public Library. This Beaux-Arts landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street houses outstanding research collections in the humanities and social sciences.
The Dorot Jewish Division was established as a distinct collection with funding contributed by Jacob Schiff in 1897, just two years after the formation of The New York Public Library. Abraham S. Freidus, cataloger of the Astor Library's rich collection of Judaica, was appointed the Division's first chief and presided over its rapid growth for twenty five years.
The collection contains a comprehensive and balanced chronicle of the religious and secular history of the Jewish people in over a quarter of a million books, microforms, manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, and ephemera from all over the world. Primary source materials are especially rich in the following areas: Jews in the United States, especially in New York in the age of immigration; Yiddish theater; Jews in the land of Israel; Jews in early modern Europe, especially Jewish-Gentile relations; Christian Hebraism; antisemitism; and world Jewish newspapers and periodicals of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The Dorot Jewish Division welcomes requests for class and group visits. Please submit your request for your organization or class by filling out the Request Form
Questions? Email us at dorotjewish@nypl.org
Planning a Visit
1) Please plan ahead by contacting dorotjewish@nypl.org to request materials in advance of your visit.
2) A free Library card is required to use the reading room and to request materials. Apply online or in person.
3) This is a closed-stack library, so most items must be retrieved by staff. Some materials are not available on the same day. An appointment may be required to use some materials. Additional restrictions may apply.
4) Researchers are also welcome to book a virtual consultation with one of our librarians to discuss research plans and needs. You do not need to have a virtual consultation before your visit to the Dorot Jewish Division.
- Electronic Resources on Jewish Studies at the Dorot Jewish DivisionResearch guide to electronic Jewish Studies content at NYPL, including databases, ejournals, ebooks, historical newspapers, and free websites.
- Hebrew Language - Online Resources (NYPL)Research guide with books, databases and periodicals at NYPL and online, plus links for learning and online searching in Hebrew.
- Holocaust Research, Education, and Remembrance Online (NYPL)Online resources for Holocaust education and remembrance, including research, curriculum, and multimedia resources.
- Jewish CookbooksGuide to 2500+ global Jewish cookbooks in the Library's collection.
- LGBTQ+ JewishThis guide covers LGBTQ+ Jewish research from scholarly, communal, and personal perspectives.
- Reading Jewish Newspapers at the New York Public LibraryGuide to current and historical Jewish newspapers in the Library's collection.
- Synagogues and Jewish Communal InstitutionsGuide to information about Jewish communal institutions and synagogues at NYPL and online.
- Yizkor BooksGuide to 700 yizkor (Holocaust memorial) books, largely digitized by NYPL and the Yiddish Book Center.
Collection Guides/Finding Aids
- American Jewish Committee Oral History CollectionFinding aid to collection, with links to transcripts in NYPL Digital Collections.
- Books on Jewish Cookery in The New York Public LibraryJewish cookbooks in the Dorot Jewish Division, organized by topic, region, and place of publication.
- Index to Zalman Zylbercweig's Leksikon fun Yidishn TeaterAlphabetical name index to the Lexicon of Yiddish Theater by Zalmen Zylbercweig.
- World Jewish Newspapers & Periodicals on MicrofilmList of microfilmed Jewish periodicals from around the world, organized alphabetically, and by region, language, and date.
- Yiddish Theater Manuscript PlaysAlphabetical finding aid to Yiddish play manuscripts in the Dorot Jewish Division (PDF).
Digitized Collections
- American Jewish Committee Oral History Collection2,250 oral history interviews from the American Jewish Committee; 350 are online.
- Dorot Jewish Division - Digital CollectionsDigitized collections from the Dorot Jewish Division, New York Public Library.
- Yizkor BooksGuide to 700 yizkor (Holocaust memorial) books, largely digitized by NYPL and the Yiddish Book Center.
- Yiddish Theater CollectionTheater posters and placards from New York City and Buenos Aires, from the late 19th century onwards.
Reference Librarians
First Floor, Room 111
New York, NY 10018