Jerry and Laura Miller.
Laura and Jerry Miller’s vision of a library, filled with books and learning resources, where anyone in the Tidewater Jewish community can come to learn and study, will begin another chapter in its storied history on October 6.
The Laura & Jerry Miller Family Library, located in the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater/Konikoff Center of Learning on the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community, will soon welcome scholars to begin using its Judaic Research Center.
Containing a variety of material useful in research of Jewish history or for study of Jewish texts, the library will be open every Sunday (beginning Oct. 6), 3–6 pm, and on Thursdays, 5–8 pm.
Although the Library is nearly 10 years old—the first floor is used exclusively by children who attend HAT—the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater held a dedication ceremony to officially announce the opening of the Center, and to thank the Millers for their generosity, at a reception on September 10.
More than 120 guests attended. HAT president Burle Stromberg, Campus president Alvin Wall, and UJFT president Miles Leon were among those who made brief presentations. “The Miller family has long been generous supporters of so many different aspects of our community, and this evening is just another indication of that varied generosity,” said Leon.
“The Miller Library Judaic Research Center holds out great promise for our community to have a site where people of all ages can come and explore the great ideas of the Jewish people. The library will not be just a destination on one’s Jewish journey, but a rich oasis of learning, reflection and inspiration as one moves forward in their lifetime quest for Jewish knowledge.”
A variety of volumes, in both Hebrew and English, were selected for the library by Temple Israel’s Rabbi Michael Panitz, Congregation Beth El Cantor Gordon Pilch, Laura Miller, and Harry Graber, executive vice-president of the UJFT.
Opening the Miller Library to all members of the Jewish community is being viewed as an example, and as a catalyst, for other Jewish libraries in the area, says Graber. He adds that an immediate goal is to share the richness of resources available locally, and to create a database of Jewish scholarly material housed in Tidewater.
To see a complete listing of available volumes, visit www.jewishva.org/millerlibrary. “Like” the Jewish News on Facebook to see more photos from the reception.
by Laine M. Rutherford