Russia Is Digitizing Disputed Jewish Book Collection

As previously reported, last year the Russian State Library and the Russian Culture Ministry instituted a lawsuit against the U.S. Library of Congress in the Moscow Arbitration Court to obtain return of seven books on loan to the Library from Russia.  The books are part of one of two expropriated collections of valuable Jewish religious books and manuscripts which U.S. courts have ordered the Russian government to return to Chasidei Chabad of United States. Interfax reported yesterday that a preliminary hearing in the Moscow court has been adjourned because the court has not yet received a reply receipt indicating that the court papers were received by the Library of Congress. Interfax disclosed that 4,500 books from one of the collections, the Schneerson collection, that are stored at the Russian State Library are currently being inventoried, scanned and digitized at the rate of 500 to 700 books per month. Russia and the Russian branch of Chabad want the Schneerson collection to remain in Moscow's Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, a museum controlled by Chabad. The U.S. Chabad organization wants the books returned to them in the United States. (See prior posting.)