COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hebrew Union College has agreed to new restrictions on the sale or removal of rare books and manuscripts from its Klau Library in Cincinnati under a settlement with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
The agreement requires the college to provide greater transparency and gives the attorney general’s office oversight of the collection, according to a statement from Yost’s office.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit Yost filed in June 2024 after reports that the college was considering selling some of its rare texts to address budget deficits, Yost’s statement said. Yost argued such sales could violate the college’s fiduciary duties.
A Hamilton County Common Pleas judge approved the agreement on Friday.
The five-story Klau Library contains a rare book and manuscript collection that includes Biblical codices, illuminated manuscripts, communal records, legal documents, scientific tracts and incunabula — printed books and pamphlets from before 1500. The library began in 1875 with 130 donated items and now has over 600,000. It’s considered a premier collection of Hebraica in the country and world.
College officials had talked to Sotheby’s auction house about potentially selling items from the collection, which includes materials that could be worth millions, according to Yost’s lawsuit. The college’s director of libraries resigned in February 2024, claiming pressure to sell rare books, WCPO reported.
“These sacred texts were entrusted to Hebrew Union with the promise that they would be preserved for the benefit of scholars and researchers worldwide,” Yost said. “I commend the college’s leaders for renewing that pledge with this agreement.”
A judge granted a preliminary injunction in July 2024 preventing any sales, Yost’s statement said.
In a letter to the college community, Hebrew Union College President Andrew Rehfeld said the institution never intended to sell the materials and has always managed them according to donor intent.
He said concerns arose after a routine assessment and valuation of the rare book collection in January 2024. The college periodically assesses its assets, with the previous assessment conducted in 2019, he said.
“While this litigation has posed challenges and incurred significant costs for the college, it will have been worthwhile if it leads to the restoration of trust,” Rehfeld wrote.
The settlement affirms the college’s right to share books, including rare materials, within its four-campus library system and to continue interlibrary loans globally, Rehfeld said. The college has campuses in New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem in addition to Cincinnati.
Hebrew Union College, one of the country’s leading Reform Jewish schools, has cut and phased out programs, including discontinuing its full-time rabbinical program, at its flagship Cincinnati campus to adjust for declining enrollment.
Cincinnati is the birthplace of Reform Judaism in North America.
Under the settlement, Hebrew Union College must provide the attorney general’s office with a complete inventory of items in the library’s Special Collections and Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, noting any donor restrictions, Yost’s statement said. The college must notify the office at least 45 days before attempting to sell or remove items from the collection.
Proceeds from any sales can only be used to acquire new collection items unless the college’s board declares an acute financial need with a two-thirds majority vote, Yost’s statement said.
The agreement also requires the college to maintain donor restrictions on collection items and follow a collection-management policy consistent with American Library Association recommendations, Yost’s statement said. The college can continue routine movement of items within its library system and interlibrary loans.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.