The University of Florida’s Price Library of Judaica has received an exciting new addition to its Latin American Jewish holdings: a library of Yiddish books primarily published in Buenos Aires, accompanied by related personal papers and documents. This remarkable collection honors Esther Rollansky’s legacy and enhances UF’s reputation as a vital center for the study of Latin American Jewish culture and diasporic history.
The donation comes from the estate of the late Esther Rollansky, a beloved Yiddish teacher in Buenos Aires who passed away in Israel in 2023. Esther was the daughter of Samuel (Shmuel) Rollansky, a leading Jewish-Argentine intellectual and editor of an influential Yiddish book series. Her collection reflects a lifetime devoted to preserving Yiddish language, literature and education in Latin America.
“We are deeply grateful to receive this outstanding collection of books. These materials, written in the primary language of Latin American Jews in the early 20th century and reflecting the vibrant educational and cultural landscape of Buenos Aires, will position our library as a leading destination for scholars of Jewish Latin American studies,” said Dr. Rebecca Jefferson, Curator of the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica.
