Welcome to the New Posen Library
Now Available!
Jewish Studies Curriculum Initiative
Ready-to-use undergraduate teaching modules, curated by leading scholars. Each unit includes primary sources, expert interpretation, and supplementary resources for both students and instructors.
Featured Sources
Text and image sources now available on the site cover the biblical, rabbinic, and early medieval periods (through the year 1200) and the early modern to contemporary periods (1500–present).
Inscribed Offering Pot
Though discovered in a private home in Beersheba, this pot, or its contents, was probably dedicated to the sanctuary.
I'll sing a song of a battle array
This medieval Hebrew poem about a game of chess paints a detailed picture of the rules of the game.
The Essence of Baseball Explained for Non-Sportsmen
This short primer on baseball appeared in the Yiddish-daily Forward, along with a diagram of a baseball diamond.
A Syrian Jewish Thanksgiving: Ham and kibbeh
In this fictional narrative, a Syrian Jewish family outside the close-knit Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn evaluates their relationship to tradition through food.
Just Published!
Volume 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam, 600–1200, edited by Arnold E. Franklin, covers the religious, political, economic, and geographic transformations of Jewish life through the early Middle Ages.
Our Curated Collections
On this site you can explore our curated collections, which demonstrate how our text and image sources can be used to illuminate, inspire, and engage, providing unique opportunities to create conversations about Jewish history and culture across time and geography. Register for free access to the sources in these collections.
Migration and Mobility in the Early Medieval Period
Medieval societies can sometimes be seen as static and isolated. Yet medieval people of all sorts moved from one place to another, for a variety of reasons: for economic opportunity and trade, driven by wars and forced displacement, and more. Western Europe and the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and even the Far East were connected by the migration of people, merchandise, and ideas.
Jewish Resistance and the Holocaust
From armed confrontation to religious defiance, Jews fought back against the perpetrators of the Holocaust.
Jewish Gauchos in South America’s Pampas
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the help of philanthropic organizations, many Jews escaping persecution in Russia made new lives for themselves in the South American pampas.
Passover across Jewish Time and Space
Passover is the most celebrated holiday for American Jews. Yet, few appreciate the historical evolution and diversity of its key themes and messages.
Jewish Perspectives on Reproductive Rights
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022, abortion’s political, religious, and social impact has been at the forefront of political debate in the United States.
Gender Roles
Engage with the gendered dimensions of Jewish life and discover lost voices of Jewish women.