Research guides: Jewish Studies: Starting points

Online reference materials

These resources provide basic information on a range of Jewish studies topics. For more specific resources, take a look at the individual pages within this guide.

Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd edition
Most comprehensive Jewish encyclopedia, now in its 2nd edition. It contains several thousand new articles and many updated ones, but, unfortunately, not all articles that needed updating were in fact updated for this edition, so it is deficient in a number of areas. If the bibliography does not go past 1972, the article was not updated. In many cases, supplementary bibliography was added, but the article left untouched. Contains very few illustrations and in this regard it is poorer than the 1st ed.
The Jewish Encyclopedia
Contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, originally published between 1901-1906. While much of the material is out of date, a lot of it is still valid; furthermore it contains articles on topics not covered by the Encyclopaedia Judaica.

YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe This link opens in a new window
Online encyclopedia about Jewish history and culture in Eastern Europe before World War II, includes links to maps, audio files, etc.

Arab-Israeli Relations 1917-1970, The Middle East Online: Series 1
Archive of political documents spanning over 60 years.
Holocaust Resource Centre
Produced by Yad Vashem.
Research Guide: Hebrew Bible/Tanakh
Prepared by Barry Walfish, University of Toronto.
The Dent Atlas of the Holocaust: the Complete History
My Jewish Learning
Popular website with short articles on many aspects of Judaism, Jewish history, life and culture.
Jewish Virtual Library
The Jewish Virtual Library is the most comprehensive online Jewish encyclopedia in the world, covering everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. There are more than 16,000 articles and 7,000 photographs and maps that have been integrated into the site. The Library has 13 wings: History, Women, The Holocaust, Travel, Israel & The States, Maps, Politics, Biography, Israel, Religion, Judaic Treasures of the Library of Congress, Vital Statistics and Reference. Each of these has numerous subcategories.
Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
A carefully researched, and well-written source on Jewish women from biblical times to the present day. It covers over 1,700 biographical entries, 300 thematic essays and 1,400 photographs and illustrations. It uses web 2.0 technologies to enhance access and to elicit discussion and suggestions for future articles, updates, further research, and additional links (including links to audio, video, and visual resources)- all of which will be carefully edited.
American Memory: Texts, Images, Sound, and Film
Search the Library of Congress's holdings of American-Jewish culture.
The Holocaust History Project
Includes links to many detailed articles.
Reference Universe
Reference Universe is an effective tool for gaining access to a range of authoritative encyclopedia articles. It provides fast access to over 20,000 print and online scholarly encyclopedias and similar reference works by indexing their contents. Search a topic e.g. "conversos", and discover a long list of encyclopedias with articles on that topic - useful for understanding the scope of your topic but also for building a core bibliography.

Fifty Key Jewish Thinkers by Dan Cohn-Sherbok
Publication Date: 2013
"This panoramic survey provides a first point of entry into the fascinating richness and complexity of the Jewish philosophical, theological, and Kabbalistic tradition. Beginning in the first century with the Hellennic philosopher Philo, this guide traces the major intellectual events of the last two thousand years, including the growth of Medieval Jewish philosophy, the early modern mystics, the radicals, the Hasidic leaders, the Enlightenment and secular and religious Zionism."

Dictionaries

The Cambridge Dictionary of Judaism & Jewish Culture by Judith R. Baskin (Editor)
Publication Date: 2011
The Cambridge Dictionary of Jewish History, Religion, and Culture is an authoritative and accessible reference work detailing the concepts and movements that distinguish Judaism and the Jewish experience.
The Blackwell Dictionary of Judaica by Dan Cohn-Sherbok
Publication Date: 1993-01-12
Dictionary of Jewish Usage by Sol Steinmetz
Publication Date: 2005-06-14
Historical Dictionary of Zionism by Chaim Waxman; Allan Medoff
Publication Date: 2008-06-13
Dictionary of the Holocaust by Philip E. Rosen; Eric Joseph Epstein
Publication Date: 1997-11-30

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia Judaica by Fred Skolnik; Michael Berenbaum
Publication Date: 2006-12-12
Note the e-version is available to students.
Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora by M. Avrum Ehrlich (Editor)
Call Number: D804.25 .E67 1997X
Publication Date: 2008-09-19
The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies by Martin Goodman (Editor); Jeremy Cohen (Editor); David Sorkin (Editor)
Call Number: BM70 .O95 2002
ISBN: 0198299966
Publication Date: 2003-02-20
Includes essays by noted scholars in the field, each with a short list of suggested readings and with more substantial bibliographies. The handbook provides a "snapshot of the current state of research in Jewish studies." It covers periods and topics such as the Second Temple; the Talmudic period; Medieval Jewry ... also in Christendom and the world of Islam; Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jewries since 1492; European Jewry; American Jewry; Israel; the Holocaust and Jewish women. It also covers topics such as Rabbinic literature; Karaism; mysticism; philosophy; archaeology and more.
Antisemitism by Richard S. Levy (Editor); Robert Levy (Editor); Dean Phillip Bell (Editor); William Collins Donahue (Editor); Kevin Madigan (Editor); Jonathan Morse (Editor); Amy Hill Shevitz (Editor); Norman A. Stillman (Editor)
Publication Date: 2005-05-24
Encyclopedia of American Jewish History by Stephen H. Norwood (Editor); Eunice G. Pollack (Editor)
Publication Date: 2007-08-28
Available online, via UTL catalogue
Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor); Priscilla Mary Roberts (Editor)
Publication Date: 2008-05-12
Available online, via UTL catalogue.
The Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe by Gershon David Hundert (Editor)
Call Number: DS135 .E8 Y578 2008
Publication Date: 2008-05-28
Available in print at Robarts

Covers the history and culture of Eastern European Jews from their first settlement in the region to the present day. Major topics include religion, folklore, politics, art, music, theater, language and literature, places, organizations, intellectual movements, and important figures. The two-volume set also features more than 1,000 illustrations and 55 maps.
Ha-Entsiklopedyah ha-'ivrit
Publication Date: [1949-1984]
"Probably the most outstanding accomplishment of modern Hebrew scholarship. The information [is] authoritative and complete and [covers] all areas of human knowledge [including information on Israel and Jews]. Some of the articles were written by the most outstanding authorities in their respective fields". (Brisman p.90)
Supplementary material is also located in print in the Reference collection.

Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls This link opens in a new window
"Featuring 450 articles by an international community of 100 distinguished scholars, the Encyclopedia is the definitive account of what we know about the scrolls—their history, relevance, meaning, and the controversies that surround them. The works are viewed in historical, linguistic, and religious contexts, with archaeological evidence providing a clear basis for dating and preservation of the manuscripts."

Biographies

Who's Who in Jewish History by Joan Comay; Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok
Publication Date: 2002
Provides a complete & thoroughly updated reference guide to over a thousand prominent men & women who have shaped Jewish culture over twenty centuries of Jewish history and provides:* detailed biographical information on each leading figure* analysis of their role & significance both in Jewish life & the wider culture* a comprehensive chronological table* an extremely accessible & easy-to-use A-Z layout
Dictionary of Jewish Biography by Dan Cohn-Sherbok
ISBN: 0826462502
Publication Date: 2005-06-30
Modelled on the highly acclaimed Dictionary of Christian Biography(Continuum 2001), the Dictionary of Jewish Biographyprovides a rapid reference to all those Jewish men and women who have, over the last four thousand years, contributed to the life, history and study of Judaism in all its facets. Each entry is followed by a short bibliography and an extended introduction which explains criteria for entry and technical details relating to transliteration. With over one thousand entries, this one volume source book will be indispensable for a wide range of people and will be an essential purchase for all libraries.
Jewish Women in America by Paula E. Hyman (Editor); Deborah Dash Moore (Editor)
Publication Date: 1997-11-05
Jüdisches Biographisches Archiv: Neue Folge by K.G. Saur
Publication Date: [2001]
Includes 121,000 individuals from all areas of Jewish culture and life from close to 200 biographical reference works. Focuses on biographies from the latter half of the 20th century.
Jüdisches Biographisches Archiv by K.G. Saur
Publication Date: [1994-]
The collection is an extensive cumulation of 300,000 biographical entries about 150,000 individuals, drawn from 134 varied sources", including encyclopedias, handbooks, yearbooks, biographies, who's whos and similar compilations, many in German. This is the first series and covers the period up to the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.
Supplemental material available via UTL catalogue.
Dictionnaire biographique du monde juif sépharade et méditérranéen by Joseph J. Levy, Josué Elkouby, Marc Éliany
Publication Date: [2001?]
Who's who in Israel and Jewish personalities from all over the world
Publication Date: [1969]