Our Library
Books, Films, and More about Jewish Art, Culture, and History
Library
Ours is a scholarly reference library holding about 65,000 items. Alongside primary sources and research literature on Jewish history, culture, art, religion, and philosophy, our library also includes historical magazines, current periodicals, and audiovisual media. You can search our holdings online in our library catalog (OPAC) and view the items in the reading room. (More information and opening hours on our website.)
From the First Acquisitions to the Public Museum Library
The library's beginnings date back to 1975, when the Society for a Jewish Museum in Berlin was founded as a non-profit organization. The Society exhibited its First Acquisitions and Donations for the Future Jewish Museum in Berlin in 1978. These included first editions of the translation of the Psalms (1783) and of Morning Hours (1785) by Moses Mendelssohn. One of the first major gifts to the Jewish section of the Berlin Museum came from John F. and Hertha Oppenheimer, who donated publications by the Central Association for German Citizens of Jewish Faith.
The books from the Berlin Museum's Jewish section were transferred to the Jewish Museum Berlin Library in 1999. When the permanent exhibition was opened in 2001, we were able to set up a reading room for visitors and publicize our holdings in an online catalog. Since the Library moved to the Academy building in July 2013, visitors have direct access to extensive public stacks.
