Seforim Sale 2014 – Not Your Ordinary Book Sale

In the midst of the cold winter months, with no days off in sight, the 2014 Seforim Sale provides a happy diversion from the monotony of the school semester. Termed “North America’s largest Jewish book sale,” the sale, which is held in Yeshiva University’s Belfour Hall, features a vast array of Judaic books and resources.  This year, though the general structure of the sale is the same, some important tweaks have been instituted.

For one, the staff size has been decreased. Instead of maintaining two people in each section, now there is only one at all times. Another executive decision was to remain closed on Tuesdays, a day which is typically the least busy. This change allows the Seforim Sale team a day to restock and prepare for the rest of the week. Additionally, the sale has incorporated a new initiative to display works of interest on a featured table. For example, on opening day, when Chief Rabbi Sacks spoke across the street in Zysman Hall, the tables were stocked with all his works.

The greatest difference this year is the sale’s partnership with Yeshiva University. According to sale president and YU graduate Gedalia Romanoff, “This was carried out in two ways. Firstly, a special class was created at YU to help direct efforts in areas that were lacking. Secondly, a shared goal between the Sale and Yeshiva was to approach suppliers about garnering the lowest possible prices we could receive on seforim. With their help we feel confident saying you will be hard pressed to find seforim cheaper anywhere else.”

A goal of the sale, of course, is to bring in revenue, some of which is used to support many undergraduate scholarships and student activities. But that is merely one aspect. According to board member Molly Brakha (’15), “The sale is more than just a place to buy books, but it is an experience as well. It is the place where just about everyone can find the book they are looking for.”

From cookbooks to Gemara to Machshava, the sale has it all. According to Romanoff, the sale’s “biggest concern” is “providing the wider global Jewish community access to the largest selection of Jewish scholarship.”

Because of this wide ranging assortment and the environment that accompanies it,  working at the sale is a tremendously attractive job opportunity for many Stern and YC students. Sima Gold, a sophomore currently working at the sale, expressed that her desire to participate began when her high school brought her to visit the sale in twelfth grade.  “The atmosphere was so much fun and I knew that this was something I wanted to be part of someday,” she said.

Although it’s not quite clear why, the sale fosters incredible relationships among the staff members, as well as between the workers and customers. By working there, Sima Gold says she has become friends with people in her section and other sections whom she met along the way.

After her first day working at the sale, sophomore Evie Denemark posted the following Facebook status: “In one day of working at the Seforim Sale I got three brachot (for finding things for people), one offer to grad school and the chance to help great people find great books!”

The famous notion that many find the person they will marry through this sale is not a myth. Last year alone, five couples met, three of whom are now married. As Romanoff expresses, “The Seforim Sale is really just a great place for like-minded people to interact with one another. At the same time the Sale might have it in it to fix the shidduch crisis.”

Ultimately, as Brakha explains: “I think it has to do with being a part of something that is so big. Yes, we may be a part of YU, but the sale is a way of bringing together the entire Jewish Community.”