Pittsburgh Jewish Library opens, seeks expansion
Space features books promoting 'community values'
A new library is catering to local readers. The Pittsburgh Jewish Library, created in memory of Rabbi Yosef Grossman, opened last month. Designed by Grossman’s sister-in-law Squirrel Hill resident Chedva Jaffa, the library, which is located at 5831 Bartlett Street in the basement of Young Israel of Pittsburgh, features more than 400 titles from popular publishing houses including ArtScroll, Feldheim and Israel Bookshop Publications.
The works, which include fiction, nonfiction, history and short stories, provide access to insights largely unavailable in the city, Jaffa explained.
Pittsburgh has a wonderful public library system, she said, but many of the books within its collections aren’t necessarily “geared to our community.” Additionally, in lieu of having to “filter” books at the public library, parents of younger readers, or teens themselves, can choose works at the Pittsburgh Jewish Library that parents already “approve of.”
Curating content suitable for patrons is a familiar practice at libraries nationwide.
According to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, which is frequented by more than 2.9 million people annually, its collections “support the educational, leisure and general information needs of the community.”
The Brooklyn Public Library, which serves 620,000 active cardholders, acquires titles while striving to “meet the current requirements of the community and to anticipate future needs.”
The Pittsburgh Jewish Library reflects desires espoused by several members of Pittsburgh’s Orthodox Jewish community, Jaffa explained.
Among Pittsburgh’s nearly 50,000 Jewish residents, nearly 9% are Orthodox, according to the 2017 Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Community Study.
By eschewing materials deemed prurient or violent, the Pittsburgh Jewish Library follows a model already existent in other cities.
The Zichron Yosef and Geula Library in Lakewood, New Jersey, provides its community with “Jewish books of all kinds without compromising on Torah values.”
Similarly, the Sonnenwirth Family Jewish Library in St. Louis, provides children in the “St. Louis community ages 8-18 with reading material that reflects Orthodox Jewish values.”
As a parent, Grossman did his best to restrict “non-Jewish influences” within the home, Jaffa said. Despite his concern, he was an avid proponent of literacy. “He was always buying books for his kids that reflected community values, that were about living a frum (observant) lifestyle. He was very into that.”
Grossman, Jaffa continued, was also a firm believer in lending books to others and ensuring finances did not preclude Pittsburghers from obtaining meaningful titles.
The Pittsburgh Jewish Library, which officially opened March 21, relies on donations and tiered affiliations.
An individual membership is $20 per year, while a family membership costs $50.
The facility is open Fridays 2:30-3:30 p.m. Members may only check out four books at a time, but much is subject to change, Jaffa said. “We hope to expand and serve even more of the community.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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