Opening Event for “And the Bush Was Not Consumed”—The JTS Library Fire of 1966: Loss, Recovery & Renewal 

September 23, 2026

Last week, The JTS Library welcomed over 100 people at the opening event of our new Library exhibit, “And the Bush Was Not Consumed”—The JTS Library Fire of 1966: Loss, Recovery & Renewal. The exhibit documents the historic April 18, 1966 fire of The Library of JTS and the heroic and inspiring responses of the FDNY, librarians, scholars, students, philanthropists, and everyday people who came together to rescue and restore The Library’s holdings and to reimagine JTS’s scholarly mission.

Among those who were in attendance were FDNY Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, who spoke and received a Certificate of Appreciation from Joe Rubin, Library Advisory Committee Chair, and Council Member Majority Leader Shaun Abreu. We also welcomed back and thanked several people who worked on the salvage efforts in 1966.

After viewing the exhibition, attendees heard from JTS librarians. In his opening remarks, Dr. Natan M. Meir, who recently began his tenure as the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian, called his first few days at JTS “the most exciting time of [his] professional career.” He shared that he was especially moved to see a photograph of his grandmother Hadassah Nadich z”l among the many volunteers. The picture showed her putting paper towels between the pages of water-damaged books.

“For me, that photograph encapsulates something essential about what a library like this means,” Dr. Meir said. “These are not simply books that we happen to possess. They’re objects that generations of people have cared for, protected, studied, and passed on.”

Exhibit curator Prof. Yitz Landes, Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures, delivered the evening’s presentation, emphasizing the history of JTS and The Library’s significance for Judaism at large. Through video footage, quotations, photographs, and other archival materials, he brought to life the story of the fire, which blazed for over five hours. Along with figures such as Chancellor Finkelstein and Fire Commissioner Robert Lowery, Prof. Landes highlighted the inspiring and heroic responses of people of all faiths and backgrounds, whose accounts and recollections are included in the exhibition.

Many remember the efforts as not only physically exhausting but also spiritually uplifting. “[They] recalled to me that it was as though the whole city came together to help The Library in this time of crisis,” Prof. Landes said. His presentation embodies an essential part of JTS’s history, and we invite you to watch it below.

The exhibition will be on view at The JTS Library through March 18, 2026. Learn more here.

Do you have a memory of the fire or of the salvage efforts? Please share it here.