The personal papers and other materials of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a founder of the Jewish Renewal movement, have been given to the University of Colorado.
The material, including audio-visual material, have become part of the Colorado University-Boulder Library Archives, according to the Boulder Jewish News, after being in the care of Naropa University, which was working with the Reb Zalman Legacy Project of the Yesod Foundation to preserve, develop and circulate the rabbi's writings and teachings.
The Jewish Renewal movement has infused modern Judaism with mystical teachings and contemplative practices influenced by Hasidism. The movement is run by ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal in Philadelphia.
Zalman was born in Poland and grew up in Vienna. The family settled in Brooklyn after fleeing the Nazis; Zalman was ordained by Lubavitch in 1947, received a Master of Arts degree in the Psychology of Religion in 1956 from Boston University and a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree from Hebrew Union College in 1968.
“The acquisition of such an important archive makes the University of Colorado a world hub for the study of Jewish Renewal, specifically, and Jewish mysticism more generally. We are excited to be building the university’s resources with the archive of this important religious leader and thinker,” David Shneer, associate professor of history and director of CUs Program in Jewish Studies, told the Boulder Jewish News.
Zalman is currently professor emeritus at both Naropa and Temple University. He retired from the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, in 2004.