In 1972, the Encyclopaedia Judaica fulfilled the longstanding dream of capturing the full richness of Jewish culture in a single authoritative publication, heralded in the scholarly community as one of the best reference works ever compiled. Nearly 35 years in the making, and the work of the same U.S.-Israeli collaboration that produced the original, the second edition presents the latest scholarship on historic topics as well as extensive new treatments of contemporary Jewish life, including added emphasis of the role of women and explorations of the full global scope of the Diaspora.

In 1928, Nahum Goldman’s Eshkol Publishing Society in Berlin began publication of a comprehensive reference work on the history and culture of the Jewish people. The German-language Encyclopaedia Judaica was never finished due to the Nazi takeover of power.

The original, pre-war ten volumes (Aach to Lyra) of the first Encyclopaedia Judaica stand today as an evocative and tragic reminder of the barbarism of Hitler's Germany, enduring as a testament to the intellect and spirit of European Jewry. Read More »

Michael Berenbaum is an American scholar, professor, author and filmmaker who specializes in the memorialization of the Holocaust. Best known for his work overseeing the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and serving as its Project Director, Berenbaum has also held teaching posts at Florida State University, the University of Judaism (Los Angeles), Yale University, Georgetown University, Wesleyan University, George Washington University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and American University. He is the author and editor of 12 books, including After Tragedy and Triumph, a study of the state of American Jewry in the early 1990s.

Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Fred Skolnik, who served as a co-editor on the original edition, an editorial board of more than 50 divisional editors – world-renowned scholars representing nations, world regions or areas of expertise (Jewish law, science, sports) – undertook the task of bringing the Encyclopaedia’s editorial content up to date for the 2nd edition. They supervised the contributions of nearly 1,200 scholars and editors. Five members of this group are recipients of the prestigious Israel Prize. Complete Editorial Board »

The second edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica is published by Thomson Gale’s Macmillan Reference USA imprint under license from Keter Publishing House. Read More »