Montreal’s Jewish Public Library reversed its decision to move books by local children’s author Elise Gravel to closed stacks in response to her series of illustrated messages criticizing Israel
UPDATE 2/15/24: The JPL announced its reversal of the decision with a statement about how it “recognizes that everyone has a fundamental right to access the full range of knowledge, creativity, ideas and opinions, and to formulate and express their thoughts in public. “This includes those deemed unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable, whether in the content […]
The CJN’s book columnist Hannah Srour-Zackon reports on a tribute to the Soviet Jewish poets who were murdered 70 years ago
The lives of the Yiddish writers murdered by the Soviet state 70 years ago were honoured by Montreal’s Jewish Public Library (JPL)’s Yiddish Café this week through performances of poetry and music. “On the night of August 12, 1952, some of the most prominent Yiddish poets in the Soviet Union were executed by the state,” […]
A small, small library is donated to Montreal’s Jewish Public Library by a Holocaust survivor with a big heart
Montreal Holocaust survivor Lilly Toth was a very private person, who lived quietly alone until her passing in May 2021 at age 95. Few would have guessed that her modest apartment housed an extraordinary collection: 1,119 miniature books. By definition, these marvels of printing and binding are less than 3 inches in length and width. […]
Montreal’s Jewish Public Library is going ahead with the March 15 screening of a film financed by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich
Montreal’s Jewish Public Library (JPL) is going ahead with screening a film that was financially backed by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich who is now sanctioned by Canada, despite some critics saying the event should be cancelled. JPL executive director Michael Crelinsten confirmed that the online screening of Song Searcher: The Times and Toils of Moyshe […]
JPL’s rare Judaica book collection has a road show
Some 1,800 volumes and manuscripts of Judaica, the oldest from 1481, are located at the Jewish Public Library.
