The Potsdam University Library was founded in 1991 with the University of Potsdam. It integrates holdings from predecessor institutions such as the Karl Liebknecht College of Education at Neues Palais and the Babelsberg Academy of State and Law at the Brandenburg State University of the GDR. The holdings of the university library have grown considerably in the meantime. Whereas the holdings of the predecessor institutions contained hardly any books indicating Nazi-looted property, the situation changed with the establishment of the "Jewish Studies" course of study in the winter semester of 1994. Since that time, the development of a corresponding library stock has been carried out primarily through donations, antiquarian book purchases and gifts. This is where most of the volumes of suspected Nazi-looted provenances can be found.

In 1995, with the acquisition of the collection of the Israeli librarian Dr. Israel Mehlmann, works of Kabbalah, Hasidism, Yiddish and Hebrew collections of folk tales and liturgical writings were added. In 1997, the University Library received the private library of the former chief dramaturge of the Bucharest Yiddish Theater, Israil Bercovici. The library of the Dutch rabbi Prof. Yehuda Aschkenasy, acquired in 2005, also contains a large number of volumes that indicate Nazi-looted property. These are parts of the Veitel Heine Ephraimschen Lehranstalt, rare Rabbinica from the 16th century, treatises on the philosophy of religion from the Middle Ages, Kabbalistic writings, and others.

Potsdam University Library
Dr. Andreas Kennecke
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam

https://www.ub.uni-potsdam.de/en/about-us/projects/provenance-research

Email: kennecke@uni-potsdam.de
Tel: +49(331) 977 2533-1289
Fax: +49(331) 977 2292