It used to be that when browsing the shelves of the Jewish Community Library, visitors would find that only Jewish authors or books about Jews were represented.
No longer.
With the San Francisco library’s move to the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, it will now include works of American and English literature, science, math and world history.
“We’ll be integrating all the secular studies into the collection,” said Jonathan Schwartz, the library’s director. “What’s going to grow here is a library that mixes a rich Judaica collection with a constantly growing non-Judaica collection. For example, now in the American literature section, Richard A. Wright is right up there with Philip Roth.”
The library was able to move to the high school because of a grant from the New York and Jerusalem-based Keren Keshet Foundation.
The foundation, which mainly supports Jewish day schools and high schools, was behind the founding of the high school, putting up most of the money for its campus.
“The new school doesn’t have the funds or time to develop a library, and we’ve been in existence for quite some time,” said Schwartz. When the foundation approached both the library and the high school, “there was obviously a long discussion about how it would all work.”
The library’s last location was adjacent to that of its sponsor, the Bureau of Jewish Education, on Geary Street in the Richmond District.
At the high school, at 1835 Ellis St., the new BJE library is larger and more spacious than at the old two-story building, “with a fantastic amount of light,” said Schwartz. “We also have more space and room for expansion.”
Additionally, “we’re all on one floor now, which is another convenience for our patrons.”
As in the old library, display cases are mounted on the walls, so the library can continue to host exhibits. It currently has one on the Jews of Monastir, a Sephardic community in the Balkans, that existed in pre-World War II Yugoslavia.
The funding from the foundation also allows the library to expand its programming, which a new staff person has been hired to oversee. Lisa Bernstein is the library’s new program coordinator. She has worked in the marketing field and is a published poet.
The third Sunday of each month will be devoted to family programming. The first such event is coming up at 1 p.m. Dec. 14, when families will be able to make Chanukah banners, with a kosher snack and storytime included. A family history clinic is offered on the first Sunday of the month, from 12 to 2 p.m., where visitors can get guidance on how to research their family tree.
The second Sunday of the month will be devoted to the study of Yiddish, with a Yiddish sing-along.
Bernstein is currently working on putting together a storytellers series, and another with spoken word performers and actors.
A writers series has also been offered, featuring Bay Area authors, and an upcoming series will be on “Green Judaism,” featuring different speakers on Judaism and the environment. For information, call (415) 567-3327.
While the library is not meant to compete with the new Jewish community center, Bernstein said she hopes to be able to offer in-depth programming on particular topics. “The library has been a bit more of a hidden gem than we want it to be,” she said.
She hopes that when people come for the programs, they will also take advantage of the resources offered.
“When people come, they can explore our collections, CDs, books, etc.” Meant to appeal to all Jews, whether secular or Orthodox, the library “can be a place where people can explore any number of ideas, culture and expressions of Judaism,” she said.