Deal reached to protect rare Jewish artifacts in Cincinnati library

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(The Center Square) – Rare Jewish artifacts housed at a Cincinnati university are now under the protection of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Yost announced a settlement with Hebrew Union College on Friday that establishes rules for the management and potential removal of the artifacts from the Klau Library in Cincinnati.

Hebrew Union, the first Jewish institution of higher learning in the United States, had reportedly considered selling some of its ancient texts to pay off the school’s debts.

The collection includes 14,000 items in the library’s rare book room, with some potentially worth millions of dollars. Yost said the texts were given to the library with the understanding they would be preserved and maintained for use by scholars and researchers worldwide.

“These sacred texts were entrusted to Hebrew Union with the promise that they would be preserved for the benefit of scholars and researchers worldwide,” Yost said in a statement. “I commend the college’s leaders for renewing that pledge with this agreement.”

Yost sued in June 2024 to stop any potential sale.

The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas approved a settlement Friday that requires the school to provide Yost with a complete list of things in the library’s Special Collections and Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, including all donor restrictions.

The settlement requires the school to notify the AG’s office at least 45 days before attempting to sell or remove things from its collection. Also, proceeds from any sale can only be used to get new items for the collection unless the college’s board declares an acute financial need by a two-thirds vote.

Existing donor restrictions on the collection remain in effect.

Hebrew Union College was founded in Cincinnati in 1875. In 1950, it merged with the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. A Los Angeles campus was opened in 1954, and a Jerusalem campus opened in 1963.

According to the school’s website, the Klau Library in Cincinnati includes rare incunabula, illuminated manuscripts, biblical codices, communal records, legal documents and scientific tracts.