To mark its 100th anniversary, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research has published a book highlighting 100 objects found in its vast collection. Jenni Frazer writes in her review:

While the collection is not all academic and high-flown, there is plenty of the latter, including a tractate of the Babylonian Talmud, hand-transcribed in Frankfurt in 1721 by the founder of the Rothschild dynasty when he was just twelve. Four generations of Rothschilds held this until it was eventually acquired by the Manischewitz Brothers (yes, the siblings of matzah fame) who acquired it and presented it to YIVO in 1946.

There is, remarkably, the diary of the young Theodor Herzl, written when he was a young student in Vienna and full of post-adolescent angst that he would never amount to anything. The diary was bought for YIVO in 1931 in London by the Yiddish linguist and historian Zalmen Reyzen from the estate of Herzl’s son, Hans Herzl. It was among the treasures buried in the Vilna Ghetto during the Second World War and then sent to New York for safekeeping.

There is a lovely cast-iron hand seal press, ornately decorated in the shape of a lion, belonging to the Wolyner Young Men’s Benevolent Society. Launched in 1904, it was one of the thousands of mutual-aid organizations established by Jewish immigrants to America. The Wolyner Society closed its doors in 1996, but its legacy remains at YIVO.

Considering the current state of Israel-Arab relations, Ghaith al-Omari writes

First and foremost, no ceasefire will be possible without the release of Israeli hostages and commitments to disarm Hamas and remove it from power. The final say on these matters rests with Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza, who have been largely impervious to foreign pressure so far. At minimum, however, the United States should insist that Qatari and Egyptian mediators push Hamas’s external leadership to accept these conditions publicly, which could increase pressure on the group’s Gaza leadership.

Washington should also demand a clear, public position from key Arab states regarding disarmament. The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed this position in a June letter to Saudi Arabia and France, giving Arab states Palestinian cover for endorsing it themselves.

Some Arab states have already indicated a willingness to play a significant role, but they will have little incentive to commit resources and personnel to Gaza unless Israel (1) provides guarantees that it will not occupy the Strip indefinitely, and (2) removes its veto on a PA role in Gaza’s future, even if only symbolic at first. Arab officials are also seeking assurances that any role they play in Gaza will be in the context of a wider effort to reach a two-state solution.

On the other hand, Washington must remain mindful that current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians are not remotely conducive to . . . implementing a two-state solution.