An Up-Close Look at Columbia University’s Judaica Treasures

Like some of America’s other oldest colleges, Columbia University originally put a high premium on the study of biblical Hebrew. Later on, it would acquire one of America’s most important collections of Jewish books. David Bashevkin speaks with Michelle Margolis, the school’s Jewish studies librarian, about the history of the collection and some of its rare treasures—including a code of Jewish law used by a leading 18th-century talmudist—in a three-video series. The first video can be viewed below, the second by clicking here, and third here.