JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

(6 vols., 1960–61) with a supplementary volume (1966). The
most ambitious Jewish encyclopedia ever attempted is Ha-
Enẓiklopedyah ha-Ivrit (Encyclopaedia Hebraica; (1949–1981);
first supplementary volume, covering volumes 1–16, 1967;
second supplementary volume, 1983), a general, Jewish, and
Israel reference work.
The special needs of Israel require, in addition to general
and Jewish encyclopedias, specialized ones devoted to such
fields as the social sciences, agriculture, and education, as well
as Bible and Talmud. The young State of Israel has already met
the need to a considerable extent.
Jews and Judaism in General Encyclopedias
Until the 19th century the treatment of Jews and Judaism in
encyclopedias as well as in all other reference works was determined
by the Christian point of view. Primary attention was
paid to the biblical period as a background to Christianity, but
very little interest was shown in the period that followed.
Among the first general encyclopedias to depart from
this pattern was the Ersch-Gruber Allgemeine Enzyklopaedie
der Wissenschaften und Kuenste (1818–89), when it included
Moritz *Steinschneider among its contributors. His article on
Jewish literature in its volume in 1850 and published separately
in English translation in 1857 is considered a classic.
Since that time post-biblical Jewish history and Judaism
have generally received more comprehensive and fairer treatment.
It is now customary to assign such topics to recognized
Jewish scholars. Notable among such encyclopedias are Hastings’
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (1908–26), Religion
in Geschichte und Gegenwart (1927–312, 1957–653), Encyclopedia
of the Social Sciences (1930–35; repr. 1948–49), and New
Catholic Encyclopedia (1967).
Quite striking is the difference between the earlier and
more recent editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. In
its third edition of 1797 the detailed history of the Jews ended
with the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70.
The laws of rabbinic Judaism that followed are dismissed
as mere “absurdities” deserving no consideration. In a concluding
paragraph the history of the following 16 centuries
is summarized with persecutions and massacres duly noted,
the more tolerant attitude of the present day emphasized, and
mentioning the recent emancipation of the Jews in France
in 1791.
In the ninth edition of 1881 the history is divided into
two articles, “Israel,” dealing with antiquity and the medieval
period, until the emancipation, written by the German
Protestant Bible scholar Julius *Wellhausen, who gave a fair
presentation, also referring to Jewish scholars, such as Jost,
Graetz, and Herzfeld, in his bibliography, and “Jews,” the period
beginning with Mendelssohn, written by Israel Davis, a
Jewish lay leader in England. More recent editions have had
contributions by Isidore *Epstein, Norman *Bentwich, Jacob
R. *Marcus, and other well known Jewish scholars.
Jewish Encyclopedias
ENGLISH. Major works: Jewish Encyclopedia, 12 vols. (1901–
encyclopedias
06; 19252; repr., 1963); Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, 10 vols.
(1939–43); Encyclopaedia Judaica (1971, 20062).
Other works: J. De Haas (ed.), Encyclopedia of Jewish
Knowledge (1934); A.M. Hyamson and A.M. Silbermann
(eds.), Vallentine’s Jewish Encyclopedia (1938); American Jewish
Cyclopedia (1943); D.D. Runes, Concise Dictionary of Judaism
(1959); P. Birnbaum, A Book of Jewish Concepts (1964);
S. Glustrom, Language of Judaism (1966); Z. Werblowsky
and G. Wigoder, Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion (19902);
J. Neusner, Encyclopedia of Judaism, 3 vols. with supplements
(1999, 2003); G. Wigoder et al., New Encyclopedia of Judaism
(20022).
Special encyclopedias: Interpreter’s Dictionary of the
Bible, 4 vols. (1962); G. Wigoder, S. Paul, et al., Illustrated Dictionary
and Concordance of the Bible (2005 2 ); A. Negev and S.
Gibson, Archeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (2001); S.
Spector and G. Wigoder, Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and
During the Holocaust, 3 vols. (2001); R. Rozett and S. Spector,
Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (2000); Yad Vashem Encyclopedia
of the Righteous Among the Nations (vols. 1–6, 2003–5), in
progress; P. Hyman and D.D. Moore, Jewish Women in America:
An Historical Encyclopedia, 2 vols. (1997); M.D. Sherman,
Orthodox Judaism in America: A Bibliographical Dictionary
and Sourcebook (1996); P.S. Nadell, Conservative Judaism in
America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1988);
K.M. Olitzky, L.J. Sussman, and M.H. Stern, Reform Judaism
in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook (1993);
A. Steinberg, Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics, tr. F. Rosner
(2003); R. Slater, Great Jews in Sports (2000 2 ); R. Posner,
Junior Judaica (1994 2 ); G. Wigoder et al., Student’s Encyclopedia
of Judaism (2004).
DUTCH. J. Meijer, Encyclopaedia Sefardica Neerlandica (deals
with the Sephardi community in Holland).
GERMAN. Major works: Juedisches Lexikon, 5 vols. (1927–30),
Encyclopaedia Judaica, 10 vols. (1928–34), incomplete (Aachen
to Lyra only).
Other works: E.B. Cohn, Das juedische ABC (1935); E. Bin
Gorion, et al. (eds.), Philo-Lexikon; Handbuch des juedischen
Wissens (19374); Philo-Atlas; Handbuch fuer die juedische Auswanderung
(1938); J.F. Oppenheimer (ed.), Lexikon des Judentums
(1967; a revision and up-dating of the Philo-Lexikon).
Special encyclopedias: J.L. Hamburger, Real-Encyclopaediefuer
Bibel und Talmud, 2 vols. (1896–19013), Supplement
6 vols.
HEBREW. J.D. Eisenstein (ed.), Oẓar Yisrael, 10 vols. (1907–13);
Eshkol, Enẓiklopedyah Yisre’elit, 2 vols. (1929–32), incomplete
– A-Antipas only (Hebrew edition of Encyclopaedia Judaica);
I. Press, Ereẓ Yisrael, Enẓiklopedyah Topografit Historit, 4 vols.
(1951–552); S.Z. Ariel, Enẓiklopedyah Me’ir Nativ le-Halakhot,
Minhagim, Darkhei Musar u-Ma’asim Tovim (1960); J. Pevsner,
Enẓiklopedyah Yehudit (1966); idem, Enẓiklopedyah Yuda’ikah
(1961); C. Roth and G. Wigoder (eds.), Enẓiklopedyah shelha-
Yahadut, 2 vols. (1969; revised Hebrew edition of Standard
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6 401