New Books Network YIVO Archives and Library, "100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research" (YIVO, 2025)
Dec 10, 2025
Eddie Portnoy and Stephanie Halperin, both experts at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, explore the fascinating selection process behind their new book featuring 100 unique objects that illustrate modern Jewish history. They share surprising stories about items like Yossel Cutler's puppets and a butterfly-wing tray with contested provenance. The duo also discusses YIVO's ambitious digitization efforts, revealing how these artifacts are preserved and brought to light. Exciting future projects, including a Jews and magic exhibition, are on the horizon!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Book As Public Portal
- YIVO created a 100-object book to bring its collections to a broader audience as part of its centennial.
- The book pairs high-quality photography with short scholarly essays to showcase collecting history and meaning.
Curatorial Consensus Process
- Staff compiled individual lists and debated choices to select 100 items from millions of holdings.
- They organized the selections into ten thematic sections to make the set representative and meaningful.
Sections Reflect Collecting History
- The ten sections align with YIVO's historical collecting priorities rather than only chronological events.
- This structure lets the book tell both Jewish cultural history and YIVO's institutional story.
