ASK LOIS: Where can we donate my dad’s vintage books?

Q: When I donate books from my own stash of paperbacks, I usually look for a Little Free Library to support. But I have a new challenge on my hands. My father, David Freedman, a rabbi in Hollywood, has a collection of religious and historical texts that should perhaps be placed in a religious setting or educational library. Some are vintage, some are oversized, and they are printed in a variety of languages. How can I help him find a new home for his prized, sentimental, important collection, especially when I live out of town? — Raffi Darrow, St. Petersburg

A: Raffi, I too always look for ways to recycle books and try not to throw them out. And there’s no way you want to discard a Jewish religious text, as it is not only forbidden in Judaism but would break the hearts of everyone involved, especially those who learned from them joyously over the decades.

As People of the Book, Jews have a deep and abiding love for their written texts, which have guided them through the many tragedies that have befallen them over thousands of years. Jewish law bans the destruction of anything with God’s name on it, even if it is decaying or unusable; these items must be buried or placed in a special dedicated room.

A love for the written word has been passed down through the generations, and many Jews have amassed large collections of encyclopedias, biblical compilations, Talmudic analyses and commentaries on Jewish history, culture, holidays and languages. The problem is that many younger Jews are learning from these works on the internet, not from the yellowing tomes of their forebears.

“There is good news and bad news,” said Rabbi Arnold D. Samlan, chief Jewish education officer with the Jewish Federation of Broward County. “The good news is that, in today’s online world, more people have access to literature, both Jewish and general, than ever before.”

And the bad news? “With online literature available, libraries are rapidly increasing their digital offerings, and, at least in the Jewish world, many libraries have downsized or even closed,” he said. “I admit that my personal daily Talmud study is conducted on the Sefaria website (an online library of Jewish writings) rather than using the beautiful Talmud set that’s in my living room.”

Samlan suggested you reach out to local libraries, Jewish day schools and national Jewish seminaries where clergy are trained. If you want to put the collection up for sale, Facebook Marketplace has a site selling Jewish books, as does eBay.

I also reached out to Rabbi Moshe Parnes, dean of the Hollywood Community Kollel, a Jewish learning community, who had additional ideas.

“People contact us all the time to donate books,” Parnes said. “In general, we find most of the books offered are in poor condition or are outdated in that the new printing is so much better, rendering the old print useless. Sometimes the books are usable but we have a copy and don’t need them. Occasionally, we do find certain books useful and we add them to our library.”

Parnes said he is willing to come by your dad’s house to take a look at the collection. Otherwise, there is one more alternative: burial.

“Torah books are holy and must be disposed of in a proper fashion, through burial in a Jewish cemetery,” Parnes said. “I can connect him with someone who, for a small fee, will dispose of them properly.”

This is probably not the option your dad wants to choose. But as a last resort, the books would find a final, dignified resting place after a life of service to your family.

Got a question about life in South Florida? Send to AskLois@sunsentinel.com.

Originally Published: January 28, 2025 at 11:48 AM EST