Bookstamp of Joseph Chasanowich

Bookstamp of Joseph Chasanowich

Chasanowich, Joseph, 1844-1919

This is the bookstamp of Joseph Chasanowich (also Chazanowicz) (1844-1919), a Russian physician and founder of the Jewish National Library in Jerusalem. As a physician, Chasanowich was dedicated to helping the poor, and would accept books as payments or waive medical fees altogether so that his patients could purchase necessary medications.

Chasanowich was a passionate Zionist and in 1890 he visited Erets Yisrael (Palestine) and decided to establish a library in Jerusalem. Six years later, he sent nearly 10,000 books to Jerusalem which became the basis of the Abarbanel Library (now known as the National Library of Israel). He dedicated himself to collecting funds for the library and enlarging its collection for the rest of his life.

Chasanowich's bookstamp is unusual--it does not include his last name. The bookstamp, which says in Hebrew “Ginze Yosef bi-Yerushalem,” translates to: "The Collections (also archives or treasures) of Joseph in Jerusalem." This is the stamp that Chasanowich placed in the books he donated to the library in Jerusalem, where he requested that a room under the same name (The Collections of Joseph in Jerusalem) house all of his books.

Chasanowich, Joseph, 1844-1919

Hebrew Wikipedia

Jewish Encyclopedia

Jewish Virtual Library

Digital Image: Washington University in Saint Louis

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