Unpacking My Library: A Collection of Jewish Heritage

I’ve often felt that my library explained who I was, gave me a shifting self
that transformed itself constantly throughout the years.” Alberto Mangel –
Packing my Library
“Unpacking My Library: A Collection of Jewish Heritage” is an oral history
project designed by Wanessa Cardoso that investigates the role of personal
libraries in preserving Jewish culture, identity and heritage.
During World War II, tens of millions of books disappeared in the Nazi
plundering operations, which destroyed not only public libraries and archives
all over Europe but also personal libraries built up over generations to
depict the cultural and linguistic aspects of people as individuals and
communities.
In this event, the public will have the opportunity to watch part of the
interviews undertaken during this project and discuss with some of the
participants how preserving certain documents in personal libraries (newly
established or passed over generations) can contribute to safeguarding Jewish
culture. This event will be a space for bibliophiles to meet and exchange
personal experiences about the subject. Beverages will be available for
purchase at our bar (payable by card only).
Meet the interviewees that will participate in the event:
**Cesario Lavery** is an illustrator, comics-maker, writer, textile dabbler
and outdoor educator. Der Eydes (“The Witness”) is his ongoing serialized
comic about Dr. Chaim Shatan, Kafka, finding treasure, and family
history/mystery. Cesario’s interests include intergenerational and mixed-level
learning, emergent pedagogy, learning Yiddish and Judeo-Italian, crafts of all
kinds, and storytelling in its myriad forms.
**Claire Sigal** is a Master’s Student at McGill University in Library
Sciences, having completed her BFA in Art History at Concordia University.
When she is not researching the history of Jewish garment work in Montreal,
she is writing, reading Yiddish poetry, or Jewish folk dancing.
**daph** is a public school educator, community organizer, and performing
arts professional. They have been working on their home library/community
project for the past few years, to share access to books they couldn’t find in
Montreal’s libraries or bookstores. Part political education, part spiritual
sustenance, they read and share books about queer and trans-Jews, anti-
colonial Arab-Jewish histories, and Jewish sacred texts, among many other
things.

**Sarah Deshaies** is a lifelong reader and radio-maker based in Montreal.
She produced an audio documentary about Chrismukkah through the support of the
Museum’s micrograntee program.
Thank you to the Jewish Public Library for providing their space for the
filming of Unpacking My Library.
_Unpacking My Library was produced under the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s
Microgrants for Creative or Cultural Exploration program, with support from
the Community Innovation Fund and the Betty Averbach Family Foundation._

View event on Jlive: https://jlive.app/events/5000