Dear Friends,

Here is latest news, as promised, to keep you up to date on our progress in moving into our new quarters at 29 Rue du Château d’Eau.

What has been accomplished so far?
In September 2008, the Paris Yiddish Center (Maison de la culture yiddish - Bibliothèque Medem) acquired our new premises at 29 Rue du Château d’Eau in the 10th arrondissement de Paris, with the help of the Shoah Foundation the Rothschild Foundation and 600 of our loyal friends for whom it was important to support our project.

And what is happening now?
The work of renovating and refurbishing these new premises has now begun. For any establishment whose vocation is to receive the public, the norms of construction and outfitting are very strict. Therefore a great amount of work has to be done, in order to meet the requirements and provide adequate and appropriate space for all our various activities:

When will the work be completed?
The work is scheduled for completion by September 2009. If this is achieved we will be able to move into our new home in time for the beginning of the next school year, so that the Yiddish Center can continue to grow and develop in satisfactory conditions.

But…
Even with the support of the French Culture Ministry, the help of the Council of our region (Ile de France), the subsidy of the Paris City Hall and the contributions of 150 individuals who responded to our appeal in January 2009, we are still 180 000 € short of our goal to fully cover the renovation and moving expenses.

 180 000 € is a lot of money, but if we remember that the entire project (purchase of the property, renovation and installation) came to a total of 2 900 000 €, we must consider that we have gone a long way and have covered nearly 95% of our budget. With your help, we hope to raise the remaining 5% to reach our final goal.  

 You may think that perhaps we can be satisfied with the 95% and stop there. But we can’t – because the remaining 5% is needed for what is most visible in a building, that is, the interior installations, and the sum of 180 000 euros represents about 20% of the total cost of the interior. Can we envisage the Center without the means for painting the walls, buying good quality lighting fixtures, and proper shelves on which to store the books!

Therefore, we ask you to make a final effort to help us complete the project, and to do so without delay, so that in can be done in the appointed time.

 In advance, please accept our heartfelt thanks. 

If you live in France:
— download the donation form and send it with your check to the following address:

—  OR come to visit our Center and bring your gift in person. 

If you live in the United States:
— download the Donation Form for the U.S. and send it with your check (in U.S. $, tax deductible) to: 

 The American Friends of the Medem Library, Inc. has been granted an exemption from United States Federal income tax by the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as a public charity, as described in Sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.  All contributions to the American Friends of the Medem Library, Inc. are deductible from United States Federal income tax pursuant to Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

If you live outside of France and the United States:
— You can make a donation with your credit card. Download the special donation form and send it (by mail or fax) to:

Documents utiles :
Donation Form (France)
Donation Form (USA)
Donation Form (other countries)
Dépliant in Français et in yiddish about the new premises
Map of ground floor et basement of the new premises
Yiddishweb, the official website of Paris Yiddish Center-Medem Library
Staff of Paris Yiddish Center-Medem Library