Some people collect comic books, while others seek out first-edition Harry Potter novels. One man looks for an entirely different type of rare book.
From left, Ron Benson with Holocaust survivor Erwin Schild, rabbi emeritus at Adath Israel.
Ron Benson has been collecting rare Jewish books, some dating back as far as the 1400s, for 10 years. His collection to date consists of 100 books, and some of them are on exhibit at Adath Israel Congregation.
Benson’s collection began when he wanted to buy a unique wedding gift and settled on a Haggadah. However, he didn’t actually end up giving it away.
“It was a really good idea, so good that I decided to keep it for myself,” Benson said, laughing.
From there, he went on a mission to find more Haggadahs. His contact in Israel who helped him find the first Haggadah said finding an original was very difficult because of the large number of counterfeits and reprints in circulation. Benson then started to look into collecting other rare Jewish books, with one specific qualification.
“The criteria for me was to get things that were of museum quality,” he said. “Resource wise, I didn’t want to buy things for the sake of buying it.
“I may be lucky and get 10 books in one year, or only get two books. Today my collection consists of 100 books. They’re all incredible. I don’t have one bad book that I’ve acquired.”
Benson’s favourites in his burgeoning collection include a 1695 Haggadah from Amsterdam – “one of the first Haggadahs to be illustrated by copperplates,” he said – and a mini Bible that is currently featured in the Adath Israel exhibit.
Benson approached the synagogue with the idea to display the books. “I was keeping the books in boxes… [and] wanted to share them with people,” he said.
The books will be displayed for a year, but Benson hopes to make the exhibit more permanent.
“I’ve had an incredible response,” he said. “The enjoyment comes from sharing it with the Jewish community and the congregation. Close to 2,000 people have been through the exhibit.
“The printing process only started in the mid-1400s,” he added. “Some of these books are the only editions… It would take maybe five or six months to print and put [the books] together, so there weren’t that many done – [it was a] pretty crude process. The fact that they’ve survived all these years is pretty amazing.”
