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Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi walking up a ramp in Burg Hohenzollern

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, among his many accomplishments,Ìýwas the founderÌýof Jewish Renewal.Ìý

Alan Lew's Writings

Writings by Zen Priest andÌýRabbi Alan Lew. Lew founded Maker Or, theÌýfirst Jewish meditation center attached to a synagogue, with Zen Master Zoketsu Norman Fischer.Ìý

Institute of Contemporary Midrash members in practice

The Institute for Contemporary Midrash was createdÌýto support the participation of contemporary midrash, a type of biblical interpretation, through visual, performing, and literary arts.Ìý

Arthur Waskow with a Torah Scroll

Rabbi Arthur Waskow is a scholar, author, and activist whoÌýpublished the groundbreaking work,ÌýThe Freedom Seder in 1969.Ìý

The Program in Jewish Studies at the ²ÊÃñ±¦µä, in conjunction with the UniversityÌýLibraries' Rare and Distinctive Collections, is building a collection of archival holdings focused on Judaism and the Jewish-American experienceÌýfrom roughly the late 1940s to the present. The material collected in the Innovations in Jewish LifeÌýCollections aims to shed light on the religious, cultural, and social movements of American Judaism as well as on the various philosophies of Judaism and Jewish organizations in the relevant period. Materials take the form of photographs, audio and video tapes, and written documents, which include correspondence, sermons, yearbooks and scrapbooks, memoirs, organizational records, and books in manuscript form, among other things.Ìý

The Innovations in Jewish Life Collections exist to document the work of the individuals and groups, who transformed and in many cases are still transforming the American Jewish experience in the post-World War II period, and to make that experience accessible to students, researchers, and interested parties of all kinds.Ìý

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The Innovations in Jewish Life Collections is a partnership between the Program in Jewish Studies and University Libraries'ÌýRare and Distinctive Collections atÌýthe ²ÊÃñ±¦µä.

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Make an appointment to visit the IJL Collections!

Serving the university’s mission to provide public education opportunities, the Innovations in Jewish Life Collections are open for viewing by appointment to researchers, students, donors, and the general public. Because our staff is small, individual, group, or class tours of the collections must be requested one week in advance of the requested visit date. Our team will call or email you to schedule and confirm your visit.ÌýPlease note that if you have not received a response from us, your visit is not confirmed.

Visit requests made with less than one week’s notice cannot be accomodated. Day-of requests also cannot be accomodated. We thank you for your understanding.

The University Libraries’ÌýRare and Distinctive Collections and the Program in Jewish Studies adhere to university operating hours and holidays. Please understand that tours requested during times when staff may be out of the office will need to be scheduled for a time when the staff is available. We will reach out to schedule with you.

When we can plan for your visit, our staff is better able to show you the collections based on standard archival practices. This will enhance your viewing of the collections; rather than showing rows of boxes, we can pull materials that may be of interest to you!

Further, we have a only a small number of qualified archivists who can show you collections. Without scheduled appointments, they may not be available to show you the collections due to their other obligations.

In preparation for your visit, please email us at least 48 hours prior to your visit to let us know which specific collection you would like to view and which materials you would like to see. Please use the finding aids for the collections, found on the right-hand side bar of each collection page on our website.

Because there are many linear feet in each collection, we will be unable to show you an entire collection. For the protection and preservation of the collections, we are prohibited from allowing visitors to dig through boxes.

Please note that due to processing, research, and preservation efforts, there is no guarantee that specific materials will be available for viewing.

Researchers may request specific materials to be pulled 48 hours in advance to be viewed in the Reading Room. Please select which materials you would like to view from the finding aids and contact sca@colorado.eduÌýto make a research appointment.