The Ohio attorney general is seeking to prevent Hebrew Union College from selling its ancient book collection. If his temporary restraining order is granted, the school will be required to retain thousands of texts dating from before 1500, per The Associated Press.
What is Hebrew Union College?
Hebrew Union College is the nation’s oldest Jewish seminary, according to The Associated Press.
“The school was founded in Cincinnati in 1875 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the founder of the American Jewish Reform movement,” the article said. “It has campuses in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New York and Jerusalem.”
The college’s Klau Library houses a variety of items with deep religious and academic importance. It holds 14,000 books, including biblical codices, manuscripts, community records, legal papers, science tracts and pamphlets.
Significant assets include a 500-year-old Talmud, according to Inside Higher Ed, and other philosophical, historical and religious texts in over a dozen languages, per The Jerusalem Post.
The collection is considered one of the most valuable of its kind and distinguishes Hebrew Union College among other Jewish seminaries.
But rising financial problems and drops in enrollment have sparked rumors that the college must slash its library budget by $1.5 million in the next fiscal year. This has prompted reports that the college plans to sell its rare book collection to offset costs, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Why are Ohio leaders interfering?
David Yost, the Ohio attorney general, has sought a temporary restraining order against the school to ensure that it cannot sell the collection.
“These sacred texts are invaluable artifacts — religious and cultural treasures,” Yost said, per the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Their sale would not only betray donor trust but also may violate legal restrictions placed on the gifts. We are committed to ensuring that these irreplaceable items remain available to the public and are cared for as their donors intended.”
For their part, Hebrew Union College administrators deny that they have formal plans to sell the collection.
Nevertheless, Patrica Keim, the college’s assistant vice president of marketing and communications, told media outlets that she feels a restraining order would be irresponsible in light of the college’s dire financial straits, according to The Associated Press.
Cincy Jewfolk, a Cincinnati-based Jewish news outlet, reported that representatives from Sotheby’s, a prominent auction house, had evaluated the worth of the collection back in March.
A hearing concerning the restraining order will be held on July 12, according to The Associated Press.