The Archives of the World Centre for Jewish Music in Palestine, 1936-1940, at the Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem

The World Centre for Jewish Music was established in 1936 by German and Austrian immigrants wanting to create a place in the land of Israel where Jewish compositions from different periods and genres would be collected learned and performed. The Centre developed quickly after its establishment, it initiated concerts and started publishing a journal (Musica Hebraica) edited by Dr Salli Levi and Herman Sweet. Many Jews dedicated time and effort to the Centre out of a belief in the renaissance of Israeli culture and also out of fears of the future of Jewish culture after the Nazis rise to power. However the Centre was doomed to failure since World War II severed all connections between Jews in the land of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The present article includes a historic description of the work of the World Centre for Jewish Music, an appreciation of its efforts and a bibliography of the archive documents.