The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York City, founded in 1886, has the greatest Judaica collection in the Western Hemisphere. Their library is famed for its rare printed book and manuscript holdings that span more than 10 centuries, dating as far back as the 800s. Encompassing religious texts, literature, philosophy, science, letters, and legal documents, these treasured objects represent global Jewish culture and history. Over 100 works are currently on display at Manhattan’s Grolier Club. Established in 1884, it is the country’s oldest society of bibliophiles.
“Jewish Worlds Illuminated: A Treasury of Hebrew Manuscripts from The JTS Library,” on view through Dec. 27, 2025, is the Grolier Club’s first exhibition dedicated solely to Jewish books. This luminous show is presented in 10 geographical sections: Iberia (Spain & Portugal), Italy, France, the Hapsburg Empire, German Lands, Yemen, Iran & Iraq, North Africa, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt. These diasporic areas have had longstanding Jewish populations, with some communities originating in antiquity after the early 6th-century B.C. Babylonian Exile—the forcible removal of Jews from the Kingdom of Judah.
