TORONTO, October 31, 2008 -- Internationally renowned religious scholar Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut has donated his extensive library to York University. A ceremony will be held on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008 to acknowledge this exceptional gift to the school.
The Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut and Elizabeth S. Plaut Library, which includes more than 4,000 books that Rabbi Plaut used for his writings and sermons, has been donated to York’s Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections. The library has been certified as cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance by an independent tribunal of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The event will also celebrate the donation of the Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut Intellectual Property Collection to York’s Centre for Jewish Studies. The donation includes copyright to Plaut’s published works.
A launch of the book, “Eight Decades –The Selected Writings of W. Gunther Plaut,” edited by Plaut himself, will also take place at the event.
Rabbi Plaut wrote more than 25 books and published more than 1,000 articles on philosophy, religion and other topics. His magnum opus, The Torah: A Modern Commentary, has been described as essential reading for Jews and religious scholars of all faiths.
Born in Germany, Rabbi Plaut fled the Nazi regime in 1935 to the U.S. where he became a rabbi. He moved to Canada in 1961, and has been recognized as a leading scholar and a passionate supporter of human rights. He is a companion of the Order of Canada and has received an honorary doctorate from York University.
What: Donation of the Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut and Elizabeth S. Plaut Library and the Intellectual Property Collection, followed by book launch.
Where: Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, 305 Scott Library, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto
When: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2:00 p.m.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as more than 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 26 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
-30-
Media contact:
Killeen Kelly, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22938 / killeenk@yorku.ca
