Classes were resumed here today at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where a devastating fire damaged many of the 200, 000 volumes in the institution’s library and caused heavy damage to three floors of the 12-story main building.
Aided by Christian students from the nearby Union Theological Seminary, 800 of the Jewish Seminary students formed a human chain to pass down by hand from the library tower to the basement gymnasium, many thousands of books, some charred, some water-logged and soggy. The books were taken then to a special laboratory for careful treatment and drying. The Seminary’s rare books and manuscripts, housed in vaults, escaped damage.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.