Greetings!
Today, I’m going to try to briefly explain an overall issue I have with DS101-151, and in the coming months I’m certain I’ll have many many more posts about that section, digging into more specific areas, or nuances. This is for three reasons, which I feel a need to disclose:
- I’m an Israeli-born American
- I’m Jewish
- I catalog materials in that subject area a tremendous amount
So — what we’re looking at is the following:
DS101-151 Israel (Palestine). The Jews
The D class is where History (excepting that of the Americas) is placed, and DS is given for the history of Asia. Let’s take a look at some of the other sectional divisions in the DS class.
DS101-151 Israel (Palestine). The Jews
DS153-154.9 Jordan. TransjordanDS155-156 Asia Minor
DS161-199 Armenia
DS201-248 Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia
DS251-326 Iran (Persia)
DS327-329.4 Central Asia
DS331-349.9 Southern Asia. Indian Ocean Region
DS350-375 Afghanistan
DS376-392.2 Pakistan
DS393-396.9 Bangladesh. East Pakistan
DS401-486.8 India (Bharat)
DS488-490 Sri Lanka
DS491-492.9 Bhutan
DS493-495.8 Nepal
The divisions are primarily countries, with some regions thrown in as well. What isn’t present in any other provision though, is a country/region equated with an ethnic group.
Again, I’m Israeli, and I’m Jewish. It’s no secret that many Jews are Israeli and many Israelis are Jews. In fact, I would probably not be shocking anyone, least of all the Library of Congress if I acknowledged that there is a relationship between Jewry and Israel. What that relationship is not however, is the biconditional equivalent one set up in the DS101-151 section.
It is from this fundamental categorical placement, that flows many, if not all, my problems with this section, and I will return to it many times in the future.
N.B. Before folks come parping at me about how there are ways to discuss Jews and Jewry outside of Israel, I know, we’ll get there
I Never Metadata I Didn't Like 
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