Scope and arrangement
The Bat Ye'or and David Littman papers, dating from the 1910s to 2010 (bulk dates 1961 to 2010), chronicle the careers of the British-Swiss authors and activists. The collection holds extensive drafts and proofs of their books; drafts of their short writings, including academic articles, pamphlets, and lectures; press and publicity materials; statements and reports related to their activism; and professional correspondence. There is also a small amount of personal files documenting their early lives and family.
The collection emphasizes equally the work of Ye'or and Littman. Their work is usually represented separately throughout the collection, though there are instances of collaboration, such as Littman's comments on Ye'or's book drafts, correspondence, and their advocacy work.
The Bat Ye'or and David Littman papers are arranged in five series:
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1969-2009
Series I, by far the largest in the collection, holds drafts and proofs of six major books by Bat Ye'or, including translated versions, as well as one book by David Littman. This series reveals the writing and editing process of Ye'or and Littman, while providing insight into Ye'or's intellectual evolution over decades. In addition to numerous drafts and proofs, there are press and publicity materials, chiefly book reviews and author interviews. Correspondence related to book tours and publication matters are held in Series IV.
The six books by Ye'or in the series are: Les juifs en Egypte: aperçu sur 3000 ans d'histoire (1971); Le dhimmi: profil de l'opprimé en Orient et en Afrique du Nord depuis la conquête arabe (1980); Les chrétientés d'Orient entre jihâd et dhimmitude: VIIe-XXe siècle (1991); Juifs et chrétiens sous l'Islam: les dhimmis face au défi intégriste (1994); Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis (2005); and Verso il califfato universale: come l'Europa è diventata complice dell'espansionismo musulmano (2009). The first five of these books contain materials for their translated editions, either in English, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, or French.
Littman's sole book in the series is L'exil au Maghreb: la condition juive sous l'islam, 1148-1912 (2010).
The majority of the series is made up of drafts and proofs. Most drafts and proofs feature copious edits and annotations by Ye'or or Littman; Littman would edit Ye'or's work, and his notes are present on some early drafts. Translators, too, occasionally contribute edits and comments, as in the case of The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam, a translation of Le dhimmi. Full book drafts are present, as are drafts of individual chapters and sections. Some books contain drafts for a section called "Documents," which consists of reprinted primary sources, such as correspondence or reports.
Books with the most drafts and proofs are Les chrétientés d'Orient entre jihâd et dhimmitude and its English translation, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam; Juifs et chrétiens sous l'Islam and its English translation, Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilisations Collide; and Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis and its French translation, Eurabia: l'axe euro-arabe. Each of these books also feature extensive press and publicity materials.
Littman's book L'exil au Maghreb is mostly represented by photocopies of primary sources from the 19th century human rights organization Alliance Israelite Universelle that were included in the published book. Additionally, the series holds a small amount of research materials—library catalog records and photocopied articles—for an unpublished book about Jewish people in the United States.
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1973-2010
Dating from 1973 to 2010, this series highlights Ye'or and Littman's articles, pamphlets, essays, lectures, interviews, and appearances at conferences. Many of the topics addressed in their books, including the history of Jewish people under Islamic rule and antisemitism in the Middle East, are expanded upon and further emphasized in their short writings and lectures. Ye'or's work is more prominent than Littman's in this series.
The series is mostly made up of drafts and notes. As with the book drafts and proofs in Series I, the drafts here are often heavily annotated, providing insight into Ye'or and Littman's editing process. Some published pamphlets and journals are present. There are also accompanying publicity materials and press coverage of conferences and lectures.
Articles, pamphlets, and essays date primarily from the 1970s and 1980s, and are largely in French or English. There are several pamphlets published by Centre d'Information et de Documentation sur le Moyen Orient (CID), mostly about dhimmis, that served as precursors to Ye'or's 1980 book Le dhimmi. Other articles were published in academic journals or magazines such as The Wiener Library Bulletin, Journal de Genève, and Rond Point. The few articles and essays by Littman discuss the historical conditions of Jewish people in Morocco and Persia (Iran). The series also holds a number of pamphlets by other people, mostly dating from the 1970s and 1980s; these consist of CID pamphlets featuring the work of Pearl Moran and Teddy Kollek, among others.
Materials for conferences and lectures chiefly date from the 2000s and concern Ye'or's promotion and discussion of the "Eurabia" theory (press specifically for her book Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis is present in Series I). There are drafts of Ye'or's lecture notes, promotional material for conferences, programs, schedules, press coverage of her talks, and some correspondence. Other conference and lecture topics include Jewish refugees, antisemitism in the Middle East, and jihad. Box 59 contains a transcript of Ye'or's comments about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East made before the United States Senate in 1997. Box 60 contains a summary of Ye'or remarks at a 2005 Columbia University talk and the subsequent divided public response.
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1959-2010
Series III primarily chronicles David Littman's involvement in human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the 1970s to the 2000s, with special attention paid to his advocacy at the United Nations. It also contains materials related to Operation Mural, the secret mission carried out by Littman and Ye'or to emigrate Moroccan children to Israel.
Much of this series consists of statements, reports, and correspondence dating from Littman's tenure as a representative for the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) from 1985 to 1991, and again from 2001 to 2012. There are complete meeting records of the United Nations Commission of Human Rights, as well as written and oral statements made by Littman at those meetings on behalf of Jewish people and other minority groups around the world. A significant amount of WUPJ materials concern a campaign to emigrate Jewish people from the Soviet Union. In addition, there are numerous statements prepared by Littman in his capacity as representative for the Association of World Education from 1997 to 2012, a time period that overlapped with his second tenure at WUPJ.
Other NGOs with materials in this series include the International Fellowship of Reconciliation and World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries. The latter largely concerns Ye'or's activities with the organization, such as conferences and petitions in support of Jewish refugees.
The Operation Mural materials mostly date from the time of the mission in 1961. There are passports and travel documents, lists of children involved in the mission, photographs, and correspondence between Littman and Israeli and Swiss officials coordinating the emigration. Also present is a contemporary report written by Littman, and a personal account of his experience that he wrote decades later. Of special interest are files for Littman's 2008 meeting with Israeli president Shimon Peres commemorating Operation Mural; these include a video recording of the meeting, Littman's remarks, and related press coverage.
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1965-2008
Series IV holds Ye'or and Littman's professional correspondence, dating from 1965 to 2008. The correspondence concerns a variety of topics: publishing matters, scheduling logistics, geopolitics, newspaper articles, writing feedback, Jewish history, Islam, intellectual debate, and human rights issues, including antisemitism. Ye'or and Littman are equally represented in this series. While their respective correspondence is usually separate, there are letters addressed to both of them throughout the series, and instances of them corresponding with the same person. Occasional news clippings, photocopied articles, and notes accompany the correspondence.
Professional correspondence is also present in Series III, but it is in the context of Ye'or and Littman's advocacy work. While there may be some overlap in subject matter and correspondents between Series III and IV, the correspondence here is largely distinct topically, covering different aspects of the couple's professional lives.
The correspondence arranged by date is with a variety of people in Ye'or and Littman's intellectual circles, including writers, editors, historians, journalists, activists, religious leaders, and politicians from around the world. Notable correspondents are Aharon Amir, Mordechai Ben-Porat, André Chouraqui, Lucy S. Dawidowicz, Saul Friedländer, Mordechai "Motta" Gur, Mireille Hadas-Lebel, Elisabeth Maxwell, Gérard Nahon, Benny Morris, André Neher, Tudor Parfitt, Martin Peretz, Leon Poliakov, Nadav Safran, Peter Vansittart, Elie Wiesel, and Sir Anthony James Williams and Hedwig Grafin Williams.
The correspondence by subject or name addresses a variety of topics. There are files on Ye'or's book publishers Éditions du Cerf and Fieldstead and Company, as well as her book tour for The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam. There is substantial correspondence between Ye'or or Littman and editors and writers of English and French newspapers, including Le Monde. Correspondence related to the French journal Information Juivie details a controversy surrounding the plagiarism of Ye'or's work.
Also present are files of correspondence between Ye'or or Littman and colleagues André Chouraqui, Jacques Ellul, Martin Gilbert, Yehoshafat Harkabi, Albert Memmi, and Daniel Pipes. This correspondence touches on intellectual topics, publishing, and politics, and contains writing feedback.
Other significant correspondence is between Littman and Otto von Habsburg, former crown prince of Austria-Hungary; members of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Teddy Kollek, mayor of Jerusalem.
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1910s-2000
This series holds Ye'or and Littman's personal files, dating from the 1910s to 2000.
Ye'or's files contain copies of her parents' marriage and birth certificates (variously in Arabic, Italian, French, and Hebrew); British citizenship documents; a small amount of personal correspondence; cancelled passports; and photographs of Ye'or from throughout her life.
Littman's files contain his birth certificate; school report cards and certificates; several letters from Ye'or from the 1960s; cancelled passports; and materials related to his father's death and estate. His files also include correspondence with friends, classmates, and family members dating from the 1950s; genealogy records and a Littman family history book prepared by Marilyn Brenner; and photographs of family members, specifically his father Joseph Aaron Littman.