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Friday July 27, 2007

Flood damage to Judaica books reignites finger-pointing

by matt siegel
jta

moscow | One of Europe’s finest collections of classic Judaica was damaged by flooding in the basement of the new Jewish community center in St. Petersburg, built and operated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

What could have turned into yet another flashpoint in the ongoing conflict between local Jewish activists and officials at the center, called Yesod, instead became a rare instance of cooperation.

But it didn’t resolve the larger issue of finding a permanent home for the Judaica collection, which local activists say should rightly be housed in Yesod’s new library room — a contention Yesod officials do not accept.

The flooding occurred the night of July 13 following heavy rains in St. Petersburg.

According to an email sent by Dmitry Elyashevich, rector of the St. Petersburg Institute for Jewish Studies and manager of the collection, some of the books have been “lost irretrievably,” including “valuable 19th-century editions published in Medzhibozh, Vilno, Slavuta.”

Elyashevich called the flooding “a catastrophe,” and worried that more books would be destroyed by dampness and mold if they remained in the flooded basement.

Yesod director Menachem Lepkivker, who is also the JDC director in St. Petersburg, called the damage “minor,” and said he and his staff “responded immediately” once they learned of the situation.

Indeed, Elyashevich acknowledged Lepkivker’s help in a letter thanking him for stepping in “promptly” and providing two temporary rooms for the collection.

But Elyashevich and other local Jewish leaders affiliated with his institute say the problem would not have occurred if the Judaica collection hadn’t been stored in the Yesod basement, where it was moved 18 months ago.

They say they agreed to move the collection of rare and historical tomes, widely considered the finest in all of the former Soviet Union, into the community center under an agreement that they would be housed in a specially designed library in the new building.

JDC officials disagreed. “The books were stored in the Yesod building as a free service to the library while the director of the library is contemplating the future of his venture,” Lepkivker said.

The multimillion-dollar Yesod center, built by the JDC two years ago in an effort to consolidate the Jewish community’s disparate groups under one roof, has long been the center of controversy.

Longtime local Jewish activists accuse the JDC of ignoring their input regarding the construction and management of the center. JDC leadership has responded with accusations of financial mismanagement on the part of these local groups. JDC further charges that the groups are unwilling or unable to understand the changing needs of a new, more modern Jewish community.

Lepkivker explained that a shift had taken place in the overall concept of the new community center since planning began years ago. “The vision of the library was also changed, not only as a place for housing books, but as a cultural and intellectual center for lectures, seminars, groups discussions and small concerts, which also meant that the portion previously designed for books was limited.”

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