Bookstamp of Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Dublin Core
Title
Bookstamp of Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Subject
Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Description
This is the bookstamp of the Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (also simply ʻEts Ḥayim), a Beit Midrash (house of learning) created to educate rabbis in Amsterdam and all of Holland. It was established in 1740 after Rabbi Aryeh Leib, a famous Polish rabbi, successfully convinced the Ashkenazic community to support its establishment as a condition for his assuming the position as Rabbi of Amsterdam.
ʻEts Hayim had a large Torah library and study hall, additional smaller study halls, a lift to reach the books, several librarians, a modest but beautiful synagogue in the building, and a special room for the sages of the school later used exclusively by the rabbi and rabbinical judges.
In 1760 the society “Sa’adat Bahurim” was established to support students of poor financial standing. Eventually this society became the financial branch of the Beit Midrash and used some of the funds to purchase books for the library. The society’s stamp also appears in the Brisman collection.
In 1781, ʻEts Hayim underwent a series of changes and in 1810 it was converted from a Beit Midrash to a theological seminary. One of the reasons prompting the name change was to prevent the institution’s students from being drafted into Louis Napoleon’s army since individuals studying at a recognized theological seminary were exempt from military service. In 1836, the institution changed its name again to Nederlands Israelitisch Seminary (Dutch Israelite Seminary), whose stamp also appears in the Brisman collection.
The institution’s library was catalogued in 1825 under the title “Reshima misifre beth ha-midrash ʻEts Hayyim Ashkenazim.” It is believed that around 4,000 volumes were seized by the Nazis.
The institution’s bookstamp is in Hebrew and features “ʻEts Hayim” prominently in the center surrounded by “Beit HaMidrash DeAshkenazim BeAmsterdam,” meaning “The Beit Midrash of the Ashkenazim in Amsterdam.”
ʻEts Hayim had a large Torah library and study hall, additional smaller study halls, a lift to reach the books, several librarians, a modest but beautiful synagogue in the building, and a special room for the sages of the school later used exclusively by the rabbi and rabbinical judges.
In 1760 the society “Sa’adat Bahurim” was established to support students of poor financial standing. Eventually this society became the financial branch of the Beit Midrash and used some of the funds to purchase books for the library. The society’s stamp also appears in the Brisman collection.
In 1781, ʻEts Hayim underwent a series of changes and in 1810 it was converted from a Beit Midrash to a theological seminary. One of the reasons prompting the name change was to prevent the institution’s students from being drafted into Louis Napoleon’s army since individuals studying at a recognized theological seminary were exempt from military service. In 1836, the institution changed its name again to Nederlands Israelitisch Seminary (Dutch Israelite Seminary), whose stamp also appears in the Brisman collection.
The institution’s library was catalogued in 1825 under the title “Reshima misifre beth ha-midrash ʻEts Hayyim Ashkenazim.” It is believed that around 4,000 volumes were seized by the Nazis.
The institution’s bookstamp is in Hebrew and features “ʻEts Hayim” prominently in the center surrounded by “Beit HaMidrash DeAshkenazim BeAmsterdam,” meaning “The Beit Midrash of the Ashkenazim in Amsterdam.”
Creator
Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Source
Rights
Digital Image: Washington University in Saint Louis
Format
Ink
Language
Hebrew
Type
Bookstamp
Identifier
bri_stp_hamagid_etshayim_0200.jpg
bri_stp_hamagid_etshayim_0200.jpg
bri_stp_hamagid_etshayim_0200.jpg
cat:Brisman-2014-08-21T14_18_19
Collection
Citation
Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands), “Bookstamp of Bet ha-Midrash de Ashkenazim be-Amsterdam ʻEts Ḥayim (Amsterdam, Netherlands),” WUSTL Digital Gateway Image Collections & Exhibitions, accessed April 20, 2024, http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/items/show/8311.
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