Of Descartes and of train schedules: Evaluating the Encyclopedia Judaica, Wikipedia, and other general and Jewish Studies encyclopedias

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica (2007) within its broader historical context of the production of encyclopedias in the twentieth and the twenty‐first centuries. The paper contrasts the 2007 edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica to the Jewish Encyclopedia published between 1901 and 1905, and to the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica published in 1972; then contrasts the 2007 edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica to Wikipedia and to other projects of online encyclopedias.

The paper provides a personal reflective review of the sources in question.

That Encyclopaedia Judaica in its latest edition does not adequately replace the original first edition in terms of depth of scholarly work. It is considered that the model offered by Wikipedia could work well for the Encyclopaedia Judaica, allowing it to retain the core of the expert knowledge, and at the same time channel the energy of volunteer editors which has made Wikipedia such a success.

The paper is of interest to those with an interest in encyclopedia design or Jewish studies.

This paper provides a unique reflection on the latest edition of the encyclopedia and considers future models for its publication based on traditional and non‐traditional methods.