Northern Hills Synagogue HaZak participants will have the opportunity to examine beautiful illuminated and illustrated Megillat Esther scrolls from the Klau Library Rare Book collection on March 13. Laurel and Chana Wolfson will make the presentation following a luncheon which begins at noon.
Esther Scrolls, in contrast to Torah scrolls, may contain illuminations and additional text. The Klau Library collection at Hebrew Union College Cincinnati includes some seventy scrolls dating from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. Chana and Laurel Wolfson will take us on a virtual tour of the fascinating collection, featuring works from Jewish communities including Italy, Germany, and Morocco.
Laurel Wolfson Library Director of the Klau Library, Cincinnati of HUC-JIR, said she is delighted to share the particularly beautiful Megillat Esther scroll collection with the Northern Hills Synagogue Hazak community through a virtual tour. "Digitizing the Library's collection has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my career at the library," she said, "culminating with a new website of manuscripts and rare books at mss.huc.edu." She said she is extremely proud and happy to be making this presentation with her daughter, Chana Wolfson.
Chana Wolfson is proud to be a lifelong member of Northern Hills Synagogue. She currently works full time at the Klau Library, HUC-JIR and is enrolled full time in the Master of Library and Information Science program at Kent State University. She said, "My favorite aspects of librarianship are user experience and interaction, including exhibits and lectures, and so I'm particularly excited to share highlights from the Library's 2016 Megillat Esther exhibit.
HaZak, which stands for Hokma (wisdom), Zikna (maturity), and Kadima (forward), is a monthly program for people 55+ from September through June. Northern Hills Synagogue is an accessible facility that strives to make all events inclusive of people with disabilities. The lunch and program is free for all, but a suggested donation of $5-10 is suggested. RSVPs to admin@nhs-cba.org are requested.
