By Melissa Hunter
Assistant Editor
In an effort to ease concerns raised by Attorney General Yost’s restraining order against Hebrew Union College’s Klau Library regarding the sale of valuable items, HUC-JIR’s President Andrew Rehfeld sent an email to students, staff, faculty, and the public stating that, “our attorney negotiated an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office stipulating that HUC-JIR will not sell, transfer, or remove anything from the Klau Library through July 12, 2024, while the parties work towards a resolution.”
His email went on to state that HUC-JIR is focused on preserving their collections and increasing scholarly access to them. “We have no plans to sell or deaccession any rare books or manuscripts. We have complied with and will continue to comply with all laws, as well as with our mission and our fiduciary and ethical obligations to our donors. This includes the responsible management of the Klau Library collection and its critical role in the study of Judaism, Jewish history, and Jewish civilization.”
The order, which expires on July 12, prohibits HUC-JIR from the sale or transfer of any of the items in the Klau Library collections, and orders HUC-JIR to preserve all records related to the collections and management of the library, and (within seven days) to turn over many of those records — including planned budgets — to the attorney general. A hearing is scheduled at that time.
Recent media coverage has spiked as a result of this lawsuit, leading to greater public awareness. Rehfeld stated, “The rumors that we are planning to sell our rare books, and the subsequent lawsuit and press attention, are based on erroneous and misleading information. We are taking several steps to ensure we are responsibly stewarding our rare books, manuscripts, and cultural documents held throughout our four-campus library system.
These steps include formalizing our collections policy and engaging an independent consultant with expertise in collections assessment and management of rare Judaica and Hebrew books to better understand the value of our holdings. This type of collections management is standard practice for maintaining a relevant and vibrant library. The last such valuation was completed in June of 2019.”
Martha Sweterlitsch, HUC-JIR’s attorney, reiterated in emails with the attorney general’s office that HUC-JIR has no current plans to sell from the Klau, but “the college does need to manage its holdings despite outcry from the Cincinnati community.”
Referencing potential sales, Sweterlitsch wrote: “We are completely aware that, as soon as news of any such agreement, or instructions on how to implement it, leaks (as it inevitably will as past events demonstrate), the actors in Cincinnati who are stuck in the past and whose goal is to stop time with respect to HUC will raise a breach claim over any and every book that is discarded regardless of reason. Quite frankly, my client does not need, or have time for that kind of distraction.”
“We have no plans to sell … the collection,” Rehfeld’s email claimed. “At no point during the current administration has any staff member been asked to sell our rare books. Nor have any attempts to deaccession them been made. Any sale or deaccessioning of rare books would require the approval of the president and our board of governors, and in certain circumstances, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
We understand that seeing news reports can raise questions and potentially create alarm within our community.” His email also promised to share information and any further developments that would impact the community.
