Romm publishing house

Romm publishing house

Company type	Publishing company
Industry	Publishing
Founded	1788 in Grodno
Founder	Baruch ben Yosef Romm
Defunct	1940
Headquarters	Vilnius , Lithuania
Products	Jewish religious texts, including the 1886 Vilna Shas edition

The Romm publishing house was a leading publisher of Jewish religious texts from 1788 until 1940. It is especially celebrated for producing the 1886 Vilna Shas, which remains a standard reference edition.

Established by Baruch ben Yosef Romm in Grodno, the enterprise relocated its main operations to Vilnius in 1799. Under the guidance of Baruch’s son, Menahem Mann Romm (d. 1841), the company expanded and discontinued its Grodno branch. Initially, Romm concentrated on halakhic and homiletic literature aligned with the misnagdic tradition, but later became involved in the tensions between Misnagdism and the rising Hasidic movement among Eastern European Jews.

History

Traditionally, Jewish writers from Lite sent their manuscripts abroad for printing. The conflict between Misnagdim and Hasidim encouraged local publishing efforts, leading to Baruch Romm’s transition from bookseller to publisher in 1788.

A dispute emerged when the Slavuta family attempted to publish a Hasidic Talmud edition, prompting Russian authorities to intervene following an accident at their printing facility. The Slavuta press was closed, and the Russian government established a publishing monopoly, which was awarded to Romm.

By 1835, operating in Vilnius—the center of misnagdic Lite—the Romm family sparked debate by issuing a Hasidic Talmud edition. From that time until its nationalization in 1940, Romm produced a wide range of Lithuanian Jewish religious publications. Despite suffering a factory fire in 1840, the company rebuilt successfully, benefiting from its monopoly status and the region’s growing population.

Following Chaim-Yankev Romm’s death in 1858, leadership passed to David Romm, who was married to Deborah Harkavy (c. 1831–1903), daughter of Rabbi Yeysef-Betsalel Harkavy of Novogrudok. The Harkavy family included distinguished scholars such as lexicographer Alexander Harkavy (1863–1939). After David’s passing in 1862, Deborah took charge of the firm under the name Widow and Brothers Romm starting in 1863. She earned international acclaim among Hebrew and Yiddish intellectuals for her business expertise and commitment to quality.

Under Deborah’s direction, the firm completed its renowned Talmud edition in 1886, which continues to be widely referenced today. The final Talmud edition was printed in 1897; subsequent shifts toward Zionism influenced Jewish publishing trends. Following Deborah’s death, the company broadened its scope to include secular Yiddish and Hebrew periodicals, resulting in internal conflicts. With most of Deborah’s heirs emigrating to the United States, financial challenges arose. In 1910, Baron David Günzburg of Saint Petersburg acquired the firm; however, his widow was unable to maintain operations after his death. The outbreak of World War I nearly forced the press to shut down.

Rabbi Dr. Moshe Eliezer Eisenstadt from St. Petersburg played a key role in facilitating its acquisition by affluent patrons Noah Gordon and Haim Cohen, who recognized its cultural significance. Renamed the Stock Company for Printing Books and Publishing "Romm", management was entrusted to Mathus Rapoport in 1920, who led it for twenty years. On July 7, 1941, shortly after the German invasion of Russia, Rapoport was executed by Nazi forces. After World War II, Soviet authorities seized and operated the facility until the early 1990s without any connection to Jewish heritage.

On February 4, 1990, professor Herman Branover presented Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson with a Russian translation of the Hasidic work Tanya, printed at Romm’s Vilna establishment in an edition of 20,000 copies.

Additional resources

• Zalkin, Mordechai, "The Printer as a Cultural Agent", in The Way of the Book, edited by Avriel Bar-Levev, Carmel, Jerusalem 2021, pages 511-528

External resources

• Publishing Houses in Vilna during the Interwar Era available on the Yad Vashem website