eretz

Preserving

Holtzman’s defi nitive
Israeli literature collection
goes to the National
Library of Israel.

History

LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

HOLTZMAN COLLECTION AT MSU
The Irwin T. and Shirley Holtzman
Collection of Israeli Literature at
Michigan State University contains
works published from the early 20th
century through the early 21st cen-
tury, with a focus on belles-lettres.
The archival portion of the collection
contains a wealth of primary resources,
including manuscripts of poetry and
drama; posters advertising literary
events; political cartoons and other
original artwork; and Irwin “Toby”
Holtzman’s extensive correspondence
with many important Israeli literary
figures, including Amalia Kahana-
Carmon, Yoram Kaniuk, Amos Oz and
A.B. Yehoshua.
The Holtzman Collection is accessi-
ble to scholars and the public alike at
the MSU Libraries’ Special Collections.
For more information, contact librari-
an Deborah Margolis deborahm@msu.
edu, or see https://libguides.lib.msu.
edu/jewishstudies/holtzman.

T

he new National Library of Israel Complex under
those visits:
construction next to the Knesset in Jerusalem will
“The first time I met Holtzman, I was working in a book-
have a room named for Irwin and Shirley Holtzman of
store,” Weissblei said. “We did not have many customers like
Bloomfield Hills. The room will house an
him; actually, we did not have any. He would come
ABOVE: An architectural rendering of
irreplaceable special collection known as
once per year, accompanied by his wife, Shirley.
“the greatest single collection in the world the National Library of Israel being She was a very nice lady, cordial, warm. Price had
built in Jerusalem near the Knesset;
of Israeli literature.”
no interest for him. If it was a first edition, in mint
a special room designed by the late
The collection started in 1973, when
condition, he would say, ‘I just want it.’”
Irwin “Toby” Holtzman of Bloomfield
Irwin (known as “Toby”) Hills will hold his massive collection
Eventually, the Holtzmans donated the collec-
and Shirley Holtzman
tion
to the Jewish National and University Library
of Israeli literature.
first traveled to Israel.
on the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew University.
Impressed by the
Galia Richler, reference librarian for Judaica at the
“founding Israeli authors,” the Holtzmans
National Library, notes that before the collection could move
began collecting first editions of works
(in August 1999), Irwin Holtzman designed the room to house
by famous Hebrew writers, first editions
the collection and chose all the furnishings. “He wanted every-
of literary works in Arabic and the many
thing just so. In the dedicated room displaying the collection,
other languages of Israel, including English, for example, he chose the blond wood decor and each piece of
Irwin Holtzman
Ethiopic, French, German, Hungarian,
furniture.”
Ladino, Lithuanian, Polish, Rumanian,
Russian, Spanish and Yiddish. They also
BUILDING THE COLLECTION
snapped up translations of Israeli works in other languages.
In the ensuing years, Holtzman continued to add to the collec-
For years, they kept this collection in their home in
tion. According to Richler, “Holtzman was proud of the col-
Bloomfield Hills.
lecting he did for the library. He personally kept a catalogue of
Each time they returned to Israel, Irwin Holtzman would
the collection — inserting slips of paper with the information
visit bookstores looking to add to the collection. Gil Weissblei,
about each item into slots on pages, which he kept in oversize
now archivist at the National Library of Israel, remembers
loose-leaf binders, eventually four of these huge binders.”

continued on page 48

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October 25 • 2018

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