A fine art book from The National Library of Israel has won the visual arts category of the Jewish Book Council’s 74th National Jewish Book Awards.
‘101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel’, platforms images of the most precious items in the Library’s collections, from 5th century Babylonia to modern day Tel Aviv, and shares stories and anecdotes about the works and the people behind them.
It includes manuscripts, books, periodicals, archives, maps, posters, photographs, music, and digital acquisitions.
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Highlights include a copy of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah with margin notes in the Rambam’s own handwriting; a 10th century Hebrew Bible codex known as the “Damascus Crowns”; theological ruminations of Isaac Newton; love poetry by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent; 10-13th century documents from the Afghan Geniza; the Offenbach archives of retrieved books looted by the Nazis and Hannah Szenes’ last poem.
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Dr. Raquel Ukeles, head of collections at the Library said: “On behalf of our authors, I want to thank the Jewish Book Council for recognition of what was, for all of us, a labour of love. Our decision to present these pieces thematically, not chronologically, was deeply intentional. We strove to convey the fascinating stories that these items carry. Understood in context, we see that there has always been a thriving dialogue with the cultures around us.”
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Book designer David Haliva said, “Working on this book was a unique opportunity to showcase, in a contemporary way, an institution that embodies Jewish and Israeli history and culture. The medium of print itself is not modern, certainly, but this award is living proof that visual media still holds the power to breathe life into these narratives, for which I’m very gratified.”
Oren Weinberg, chief executive, the National Library of Israel, said: “We are delighted by this recognition from the Jewish Book Council for what marks the dawning of a new era for the Library, as this book was released in tandem with the opening of our new building.”
The first edition of 101 Treasures from the National Library of Israel is available for purchase, in both English and Hebrew versions, here. A second edition will be issued shortly.
