Sophie Udin: The American Librarian Who Made a Difference in the Yishuv and the State of Israel

Abstract: Beginning in the early twentieth century, Jewish-American women who were members of Zionist women's organizations traveled to Palestine to assist in their respective fields. Some intended to introduce American methods in professions perceived as feminine in the United States, such as teaching, nursing and librarianship. This article focuses on the impact of American librarians on the development of libraries and librarianship in the Yishuv (the organized modern Jewish community in Palestine) and the State of Israel from 1920 to 1975, in the context of the contentious clash between the American method of librarianship and the central European method, commonly known as the German method, used in the Yishuv and the early state. The focus of my study is Sophie Udin, an influential American librarian whose life story is intertwined with the history both of the American Jewish community and of the State of Israel.