Dr David Weinberg's reflections on his time as a Hartley Fellow

"A wonderful resource..."

I am a professor of history and director of the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. My present research is focused on European Jewry in the immediate post-war era, with special emphasis on the development of a distinctive European Jewish identity.

In May-June 2001, I was invited to be a Hartley Fellow at the University of Southampton. While there, I had a rare opportunity to examine the marvellous Anglo-Jewish archives at the Hartley Library, around which the Parkes Institute was founded. The collection, which includes a vast array of documents from the Institute for Jewish Affairs as well as material from the Anglo-Jewish Association, proved invaluable for my research. I was also delighted to find the correspondence of a number of noted British rabbis and communal leaders of the post-war era, including J.H. Hertz, Israel Brodie, Selig Brodetsky, and Solomon Schonfeld.

Part of the excitement of archival work is linked to those experiences of serendipity, many of which are only incidentally related to one's research. While examining the archives at the Hartley Library, I stumbled across several documents that may provide insight into a number of burning issues surrounding the study of the Holocaust. Of special note is a carbon copy of one of the last reports written by Raoul Wallenberg, and a memorandum from the United States Chief of Staff concerning the bombing of Auschwitz. I have no idea whether this material is duplicated in any other archive. The archivist informs me that much of the Institute for Jewish Affairs material has yet to be fully examined for content. If the material I uncovered while engaging in my own research and the documents relating to the Holocaust are any indication, however, the Judaica collection at Southampton is filled with 'hidden treasures'.

In closing, let me express my deep appreciation to the marvellous archivists at the Hartley Library and to the faculty, staff, and students of the Parkes Institute. To my knowledge, the relationship between the Institute, the Parkes Library and special collections is unique in the field of Jewish studies. The library and archives are not only a wonderful resource for students enrolled in the Parkes Institute programme; they also serve to attract scholars in the field of Jewish Studies from around the world who come to Southampton and who enrich the intellectual life of the University. I am well aware that both the archives and the Institute face important challenges in the years ahead as they continue to grow. As a scholar who has benefited immensely from both institutions, it is my fervent hope that both the Jewish studies programme and archival collection go from 'strength to strength'.

Dr David Weinberg
Wayne State University
July 2001