Mishkan Library

Mishkan Shalom's Library holds a collection of 4,000-plus books and multimedia material, lovingly tended by our Library Committee.

The committee's goal is to help meet the Judaic educational and informational needs of our congregation's adult and young-adult members. In addition to maintaining, enriching and circulating the collection, the committee plans the annual One Book Mishkan program series.

The library is open to the public, and all are welcome to checkout books and other materials, using our self-circulation system. The library is open whenever the building is open. To confirm building hours, contact the office at (215) 508-0226 or here. 

Where to Find Us

The library is on the third floor, across from the Chapel. Everything you need to checkout and return items is just inside the entrance. A guide to our self-circulation system is on the bulletin board and the deposit box for book cards is right below on the circulation table. Returning books? Just put them in the blue plastic return bin under the table and we’ll get them back on the shelves for others to enjoy.

A popular spot for meetings and classes, there are many hours each day when our library can provide a quiet haven for reading, browsing, working, writing or just contemplating. Come explore! Make visiting our library a regular part of your visits to Mishkan!

Recent Acquisitions

Ours is a vibrant, living library: We routinely add items to our collection and welcome suggestions for new works. We have created a browsing and finding tool: Click here to access our online database.

One Book, One Jewish Community

The Library Committee is pleased to continue our association with the citywide "One Book, One Jewish Community" program. A national model for community building and Jewish literacy, OBOJC has touched thousands of individuals throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. Synagogues, agencies and other Jewish communal organizations and institutions explore not only the book itself but also the values and issues raised within.

Prior Year Program Series

• "Waveland: One Woman's Story of Freedom One Summer," by Simone Zelitch.
• "A Guide for the Perplexed," by Dara Horn.
• "The Golem and the Jinni," by Helene Wecker.

Previous 'One Book Mishkan' Titles

• "Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods," by Michael Wex.
• "The Plot Against America," by Philip Roth.
• "Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity," by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein.
• "Who Wrote the Bible?" by Richard Elliott Friedman.
• "The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East," by Sandy Tolan.
• "Call It Sleep," by Henry Roth.
• "Sweet and Low: A Family Story," by Rich Cohen.
• "As a Driven Leaf," by Rabbi Milton Steinberg.
• "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank," by Nathan Englander.
• "The Golem and the Jinni," by Helene Wecker.
• "A Guide for the Perplexed," by Dara Horn.
• "Waveland: One Woman's Story of Freedom Summer," by Simone Zelitch.

We Welcome Your Suggestions

The Library Committee welcomes all suggestions for the improvement of our library and programs, including title suggestions for new acquisitions. Donations of new or used books must be preapproved, as our shelves are bursting at the seams!

To confirm we can accept your donation, please contact Andrea Nuñez. If you’re a reader, book lover, lover of libraries or want to deepen your knowledge of Jewish subject matter, the Library Committee could be a great fit for you. We invite you join our committee! We also welcome volunteers who can help us maintain the collection. Contact Andrea Nuñez, chair.

> Contact the library at library@mishkan.org.