Erika Dreifus

• “For more than a century, the Library of Congress has built up an impressive collection of Hebrew-language manuscripts that are hundreds or even thousands of years old. Now, for the first time, amateur researchers and serious scholars alike can access 230 items from the library’s Hebraic section online, thanks to a digitization effort that began during the pandemic with a $50,000 grant from the David Berg Foundation.” (Gabby Deutch reports for Jewish Insider.)
• I will never cease to be overwhelmed by the work of those who left us the Oyneg Shabbes Archive; I am grateful to Ezra Glinter for featuring it in the latest “Weekly Reader” from the Yiddish Book Center.
• I have been similarly moved by the bravery of the “Paper Brigade” in Vilna. So I took note when “the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research welcomed Lithuania’s president to its Manhattan headquarters Monday to honor the Jews who rescued rare books and documents from the Vilna Ghetto and the non-Jewish Lithuanian librarian who protected the same material from destruction by the Soviets.” (Andrew Silow-Carroll reports for NY Jewish Week.)
• Now available: the September Jewish Book Carnival, hosted for the month by Marie Cloutier/BostonBibliophile.com. (NB: We’ll be hosting the October Carnival right here on My Machberet. Please consult Carnival HQ for info/instructions.)
• “Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine, an online publication by and for self-identifying Jewish girls, young women and nonbinary teens, are excited to announce our fourth annual teen essay contest, which this year asks: How have the adapted films Barbie and/or Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret impacted you? What are your thoughts about both the messages they convey and the phenomena surrounding them?….The contest is open to self-identifying Jewish girls, young women and nonbinary teens between the ages of 13 and 19 who reside in the United States, the District of Columbia and the State of Israel, except where prohibited by law. Deadline for submission is October 18, 2023. The winner will receive a $300 educational scholarship, the winning essay will be published in Hadassah Magazine, both in print and online, and in jGirls+ Magazine. The prize also includes a one-year subscription to Hadassah Magazine.” (In related news: Literally just yesterday I received a highly encouraging “This came close!” rejection for a mini-essay of my own that’s inspired by AYTGIMM; while a few other literary journals are considering it, I’d welcome additional editorial interest. Because in case you’re not aware, I’m somewhat past the eligibility window for this particular contest!)

With warm wishes for a peaceful, meaningful Shabbat Shuvah and Yom Kippur.