Library Guides: Religious Studies: Judaism &nbsp

Reference Resources

Encyclopedia Judaica
Call Number: MU Ellis Reference DS102.8 .E496 2007
Providing an exhaustive and organized overview of Jewish life and knowledge from the Second Temple period to the contemporary State of Israel, from Rabbinic to modern Yiddish literature, from Kabbalah to "Americana" and from Zionism to the contribution of Jews to world cultures, Encyclopaedia Judaica, Second Edition is important to scholars, general readers and students.
The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions
Call Number: ONLINE
This is a comprehensive and authoritative resource with ready answers to questions about almost all aspects of Jewish life and practice: life-cycle events, holidays, ritual and prayer, Jewish traditions and customs, and more.
Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion
Call Number: ONLINE
This book brings comprehension and understanding to the many complex and important issues of Judaism. From Maimonides to Methuselah, from Kabbalah to Kibbutz, Jacobs provides an invaluable source of information for anyone wanting to learn more about the rich heritage of the Jewish religion.

Finding Books

Here are some hints for finding books on or about Judaism in the MU Libraries. When searching MERLIN use strong kewords and be careful with * placement.

To browse books try using subject headings. Some popular ones for this area:

Judaism
Jews
Jewish Literature
A list of subject headings beginning with Jewish literature
Jewish
A list of subject headings beginning with Jewish

Free Online Reference Resources

Jewish Encyclopedia
This website contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, which was originally published between 1901-1906. This online version contains the unedited contents of the original encyclopedia. Since the original work was completed over 100 years ago, it does not cover a significant portion of modern Jewish History, but still contains much historical information that is relevant today.
The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe
This encyclopedia provides the most complete picture of the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe from the beginnings of their settlement in the region to the present. This website makes accurate, reliable, scholarly information about East European Jewish life accessible to everyone.
Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
Freely available online encyclopedia from the Jewish Women's Archive, including thousands of entries and bibliographies.

Jewish Studies Journals

Here is a short list of some of the Online Journals provided by the MU Libraries. Check MERLIN for others. Some useful Subject Searches include:

Jews Periodicals
Judaism Periodicals
AJS Review
AJS Review publishes scholarly articles and book reviews covering the field of Jewish Studies. From biblical and rabbinic textual and historical studies to modern history, the journal welcomes articles of interest to both academic and lay audiences around the world.
Jewish History
Jewish History publishes contributions in the field of history, plus in the ancillary fields of art, literature, sociology, and anthropology, where these fields and history cross paths.
American Jewish History
This is the official publication of the American Jewish Historical Society. The most widely recognized journal in its field, AJH focuses on every aspect of the American Jewish experience.
Modern Judaism
Modern Judaism provides a distinctive, interdisciplinary forum for discussion of the modern Jewish experience since the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment. Its contributors address topics pertinent to the understanding of Jewish life today and the forces that have shaped that experience.

Other free online sources

Center for Jewish History Digital Collections
The Center Digital Collections feature a variety of digital objects, including rare books, children’s books, personal letters, official decrees, maps, memoirs, posters, photographs, scrapbooks, oral histories, finding aids, dissertations, and much more.
American Jewish Committee Archives
Filled with more than a million documents and hundreds of movies and radio shows, the New York-based American Jewish Committee Archives house an extraordinary range of resources on the past century of American Jewish history.