History of the Medem Library

The Medem Library was founded in 1929 in Paris, France by Eastern European immigrants and members of the Medem Union, a league of Yiddish writers and political activists. Today, the Medem Library houses nearly 21,000 works in Yiddish and 9,000 in other languages.

During World War II, portions of the Library were miraculously saved from destruction by Medem Union members and hidden in the basement of the orginal building at 110, Rue Vieille-du-Temple, Paris. 

After the war, the Library was overseen by various Yiddish groups intent upon preserving the Library for scholarly reserach. During the 1990s, holdings of other French Yiddish libraries were incorporated into the Medem collections. Finally, in 2002, the Paris Yiddish Center-Medem Library was formed with the merger with the Association for Yiddish Studies (AEDCY), crowning the Medem Library as the foremost Yiddish center in Europe.  

Vladimir Medem, political activist who insprired the formation in 1929 of the Medem Library

Since the formation of the Paris Yiddish Center-Medem Library, a number of important new Yiddish dictionaries and Yiddish books have been published. The Center is also host to numerous cultural activities and language courses throughout the year.