Ranking Jewish Literary Gems in Project Gutenberg

I recently embarked on an exploration of Project Gutenberg, the world’s oldest digital library. My goal was to uncover the most impactful Jewish-themed books within this vast collection of over 74,000 public domain works. Using an AI-driven analysis, I discovered a treasure of Jewish literature that offers insights into the Jewish people’s history, identity, and ongoing struggles.

At the top of my list, excluding the Bible and Talmud, sits Benjamin Disraeli’s “Alroy: The Prince of the Captivity.” This novel, Disraeli’s only work with a distinctly Jewish lens, investigates themes of Jewish identity, leadership, and messianic hope through the story of a 12th-century Jewish leader. Given UK Prime Minister Disraeli’s complex relationship with his Jewish heritage—he converted to Anglicanism—the novel’s sympathetic portrayal of Jewish themes takes on added significance.

Benjamin Disraeli by Cornelius Jabez Hughes, 1878 (Source: Wikipedia)

Emma Wolf’s “Other Things Being Equal” ranks second in my analysis. Wolf, a pioneer of Jewish fiction, broke ground by addressing interfaith marriage in late 19th-century America. Her work offers a striking perspective on Jewish life outside the typical immigrant narrative, examining the Jewish relationship to Christian American society.

Third on my list is Abraham “Abe” Cahan’s “The Rise of David Levinsky,” widely considered the first American novel to chronicle the Jewish immigrant experience at the turn of the 20th century. Cahan’s portrait of assimilation, cultural identity, and the immigrant struggle inspired later Jewish literary giants like Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

These works share common threads that contribute to their enduring impact. All were written during pivotal periods in Jewish history, marking different aspects of Jewish identity and experience. They grappled with the tension between Jewish identity and the surrounding culture, opening doors for other Jewish authors and layering new themes in mainstream literature.

My analysis is, of course, imperfect, as is the current state of AI that informs it. Further, Project Gutenberg’s collection is primarily restricted to works published before 1929 due to copyright laws. This means that many significant 20th-century Jewish works, particularly those addressing the Holocaust and post-war Jewish experiences, are not yet included in the collection.

Despite these constraints, the works highlighted in this analysis remain deeply relevant today. In light of spiking global antisemitism, these authors’ explorations of Jewish identity, community cohesion, and the impact of external threats resonate and re-invigorate the mind. Other Jewish authors in the collection (and ranking highly in my analysis)—Israel Zangwill, Mary Antin, Theodor Herzl, and Israel Abrahams—offer additional perspectives on these enduring themes.

As we look to the future, I anticipate the addition of more recent, equally (or more) vital Jewish works to Project Gutenberg as they enter the public domain. Until then, these early Jewish literary gems offer us a window into our past and valuable insights for navigating our present challenges.

From Disraeli’s romantic historical fiction to Wolf’s pioneering exploration of interfaith relationships and Cahan’s immigrant saga, these works put a spotlight on uniquely Jewish experiences and struggles. As I’ve written elsewhere, they all say to me: “We will remember, we will resist. We will harbour, and we will shelter. And our children will live.”