TARBUT – Lleidatan Friends of the Hebrew Culture has taken upon itself the task of performing, within its schedule of activities, the First Book Fair of the Hebrew Book in Catalonia. The event will take place in Lleida in the month of May, 2007, and it will be the first ever in Catalonia, there having no precedents of anything alike.

The fair will include exhibition and sale of books on Hebrew items of various subjects. What makes it so special is the fact that most of the books were printed more than forty years ago in Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Venezuela, and are off-catalogue at present. They are thus very difficult to achieve in the usual channels. Together with this specialised bibliography, and thanks to the cooperation of the local Booksellers Trust with its own stand, the offer in Catalan will be at the general public’s disposal. 

Besides, Catalonia First Hebrew Book Fair will offer an interesting programme of complementary activities, the cycle of conferences being the most important of them.  The conferences will be on “Jewish thinking: politics, philosophy and religion” and will bring to Lleida lecturers of worldwide prestige in the academic world and on the ground of national and international research. It will include as well a session on Jewish gastronomy.  The event will be enriched with other cultural activities such as a recital on Sepharadic  music thanks to the contribution of the group Shirah Jadashah and an exhibition pictures from Israel open to the wide public to participate. (“Images of Israel”).

The Hebrew Book Fair in Catalonia is addressed both to the wide public of readers in Lleida and surroundings including the academic world specialised in Hebrew items, as well as all Jewish communities, centres, institutions, in the Spanish territory. It is consequently of general interest.