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Fritz Lehr Library
Starting from an uncatalogued collection of donated books in the 1950's, our Library has grown to become one of the finest and most respected in the state. We are part of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries and are often asked to advise other synagogue libraries.
We have more than four thousand books, periodicals, and videos in our completely computerized catalog, as well as an extensive reference section of commentaries, dictionaries, Midrash, Talmud and classics.
Operating hours are:
| Sunday |
9A.M. to 1 P.M. |
| Monday |
10-11:30 A.M. |
| Tuesday |
11A.M.-12.00 noon |
| Wednesday and Thursday |
10-11.30 A.M. |
| Friday |
1:30-4:30 P.M. |
Congregants can borrow from our collection free of charge, and we welcome them to use our scholarly material for research. Religious School classes explore the library on a rotating basis, and we are currently expanding our juvenile section.
Our popular bulletin board keeps members up-to-date on current literature of Jewish interest. We are also proud of our special exhibits, which have included the100 best books of modern Jewish literature, a memorial exhibit of I.B.Singer's books, and a tribute to Philip Roth.
Several sets of Haggadot were purchased for Passover 2006 representing different philosophies and points-of-view, for our members to try at their own Seders. Thanks to the enthusiastic response, we will expand this program in future years. Contact the Library if you would like to borrow one of these sets for your seder.
The library at Temple Emanu-El is named for Fritz Lehr, a past president of the congregation. Also instrumental in the founding and progress of our library were nursery school director Liz Brodie who was our first part-time librarian beginning in the late 1960's, and Rabbi Howard Seldon- Sommers who led our first effort to catalog the collection in 1977. We became computerized in the late 1990's thanks to a bequest from a member.
Library tributes for all occasions help in the purchase of new materials. We have several ongoing and interest-earning funds including the Laura Leffler, Jack Rindner, Martin Shulman and Aline Lynn Siegel Funds that are directed towards specific Library needs. Please see the Funds section of the website for more information.
Our staff includes Gloria Bauer, Milford Blonsky, Howard Kessler, Alan Kamel, Rene Fertig, Julian Seltzer, Laura Silkowitz, Herb Ehrich and Dorothy Ehrich.
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