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1. Hebrew Manuscripts in Switzerland
Swiss public and private collections contain approximately eight hundred Hebrew manuscripts. These works were produced between the twelfth and nineteenth century and come from, among other places, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Near East. A large selection of literary genres is represented, such as various Biblical texts and liturgical manuscripts. Also included are texts on the Kabbalah, on philosophy, medicine, and grammar. Many of these manuscripts belonged to collections of Christian Hebraists such as Johannes Buxtorf (1564-1629), Professor of Hebrew Studies at the University of Basel, or Louis Bourguet (1678-1742) from Neuchâtel, and thus represent the interests of their previous owners. The largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts in Switzerland, however, comes from the scholar and bibliophile Moritz Heidenheim (1824-1898), who on his death, bequeathed the Zentralbibliothek Zürich with 211 codices.
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2. Virtual Hebrew Manuscript Library of Switzerland
The new digital project “Hebrew Manuscript Library of Switzerland” is dedicated to Hebrew manuscripts, both medieval, from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries, and early modern, up to the end of the eighteenth century. It publishes these manuscripts with complete digital images and scientific descriptions. An initial selection of the most precious and outstanding manuscripts can now be consulted free of charge on the digital library e-codices –Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland. The project is generously supported by the René & Susanne Braginsky Stiftung in Zurich.
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3. The Berner Kleine Arukh of the Berner Burgerbibliothek
The Berner Kleine Arukh (Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 200, f. 112v-255v) is among the treasures recently published on e-codices. It forms part of a collection of lexicographical and scientific works compiled in 1290 in Germany by an Ashkenazi Jew. Only one other copy of this work is known to have survived.
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4. The Sefer Moreh Nevukhim of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich
Another document with exceptional historical significance is an illuminated manuscript of the Sefer Moreh Nevukhim (The Guide for the Perplexed) of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich (Ms Car C 126). The manuscript was copied in 1292, and thus was produced less than a century after the famous philosopher and doctor Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, 1135-1204) wrote this major work of world literature.
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5. Justine Isserles
Dr. Justine Isserles (EPHE-Saprat, Paris) is a specialist in the study of Hebrew manuscripts, focusing on codicology and paleography, as well as the cultural and intellectual history of medieval Jewry in western Europe. This passionate researcher has been collaborating with e-codices since the end of 2018 and is responsible for the project “Hebrew Manuscript Library of Switzerland”. She has already spent several hundred hours describing the material aspects and contents of over 35 medieval and post-medieval Hebrew manuscripts in Swiss public collections, especially those in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich. Her descriptions are not only technical but also manage to communicate a comprehensive understanding of the manuscripts and their tribulations through the centuries. Justine Isserles is passionately dedicated to studying these manuscripts with the patience and determination required, thus ensuring the preservation of these precious witnesses of Jewish culture in Switzerland.
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