The IGdJ library currently has around 70,000 volumes. It is an academic reference and research library and one of the largest special collections on German-Jewish history of Germany. Its focus is on the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. In addition to its extensive collection of Judaica, the library has an important collection of Hebraica and over 900 national and international periodicals.
Around 150 journals are subscribed to a continuous basis. The entire journal collection is listed in the Journal Database (ZDB).
Important holdings from the IGdJ library are online for the first time!
Since 2018, holdings from academic libraries in Hamburg have been digitised with funding provided by the City of Hamburg. The holdings are notable for their significance to science and education, the Hamburg region and the history of the institutions that own them, and support measures to preserve the collections. Based on a needs assessment carried out in 2015/16, selected particularly relevant holdings from the Stabi and currently more than twenty other academic libraries in Hamburg are being digitised. The Stabi is responsible for project coordination, consulting, technical implementation and logistical organisation for all participating libraries.
479 selected publications published between 1880 - 1965 are available online here:
479 besonders wichtige Publikationen des IGdJ aus den Jahren 1880 - 1965 sind zum ersten Mal hier online verfügbar
On 15 August 2024, the project to secure and preserve the Hebraica I collection at the Institute for the History of German Jews was approved by the Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK). The project is financed by funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and by special funds from the state for the preservation of written cultural heritage in Hamburg. It is dedicated to the conservation of part of the Hebraica collection in the institute library.
The predominantly religious works in Hebrew are of great cultural and historical significance for the IGdJ, especially since they are rarely found in other libraries. The collection also reveals its provenance during the Nazi persecution in Europe and bears witness to former Jewish institutions and the private possessions of Jewish collectors. This makes it of significant value for research and teaching and of great public interest.
The measures taken as part of this project focus on small-format older works from the 16th century to the end of the 1940s. A total of 1,025 volumes are being treated. A company specialising in conservation measures is undertaking the following work: on the one hand, gentle dry cleaning, focusing primarily on the bindings; on the other hand, the inspection and documentation of the respective damage in order to be able to initiate further necessary conservation steps.