Passover, a celebration of the Israelites freedom from Egyptian bondage, has universal themes of liberation that can touch the heart and minds of everyone. These themes are captured in the Haggadah, a Jewish guidebook with readings, rituals, and songs, which leads celebrants through a Passover Seder, the ritualized meal that marks the beginning of the holiday. The Haggdah contains some of the most familiar melodies of the Jewish tradition. Melodies which families sing together every year creating memories that last a lifetime.
The National Library of Israel, Israel’s national repository of the cultural legacy of the Jewish people, holds the world’s largest collection of Jewish music. The collection includes rare and unique recordings of the musical traditions of Jews and other communities in Israel, as well as related musical traditions from around the world. The Bella and Harry Wexner Libraries of Sound and Song at the National Library of Israel make these recordings available worldwide through their online portal. Anyone can listen to these recordings with just a click from their home computer.
The collection also includes materials from private collectors such as Jacob Michael of New York City. The Jacob Michael Collection contains 3000 records and 480 tapes, in Yiddish, English and Hebrew, including cantorial, sacred and secular music, and Yiddish radio recordings.
The National Library of Israel hopes you enjoy these holiday selections. Please explore our website, where you can access our music collection as well as all of the Library’s inspiring resources at your fingertips.
