About the collections
This collecting area is covered by the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana, which houses the vast majority of the University Library's collections in the field of Jewish culture and history. The basis of the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana was the library of Leeser Rosenthal (1794-1868), who left a collection of some 6,000 volumes on his death. His collection was donated to the city of Amsterdam by his heirs in 1880.
Until World War I, the library was expanded using funds provided by the family, after which the university took on the financial responsibility. Since then, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana has evolved from a German Enlightenment library into a general library on Jewish history and culture, containing works in all languages used among Jewish communities throughout the centuries. The library now includes about 120,000 manuscripts and printed materials from Jewish communities, associations, and individuals, among others, as well as visual materials (some of which have been digitised) and secondary literature. In 2023, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana was added to UNESCO's Dutch Memory of the World Register.
Priority areas / highlights
- Original library of Leeser Rosenthal (1794-1868)
- Jewish manuscripts from 1290 to the 20th century, mostly from the Netherlands and Western Europe
- Incunabula and early printed books, with an emphasis on Jewish book production in Amsterdam
- Archives of rabbis, Jewish organisations, associations and individuals from the 19th and 20th centuries
- Ephemera including broadsheets, programmes and regulations
- Prints and photographs
Searching the collections
The Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana has a dedicated room with reference works.
The printed works are accessible through the online Catalogue. Work is currently underway to make the manuscripts, the as yet undescribed archives, prints and photographs available through the online Catalogue and ArchivesSpace. The manuscripts are currently accessible through printed catalogues in the reading room and files available through the curators.
Contact person
- Rachel Boertjens
Curator Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana
Email: r.j.boertjens@uva.nl
UvA staff page: To the UvA staff page - Anna de Wilde
Interim-curator Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana
Email: a.e.dewilde@uva.nl
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