Steven J. Zipperstein, a professor in Stanford’s Jewish studies department, said, “The number of people capable of following in Roger’s footsteps are rather small.”
A library administrator said a search committee has placed a job announcement in professional journals.
Currently holding 100,000 volumes, the Stanford Judaica collection is considered one of the best of its kind in the country. Kohn oversaw the collection’s growth in terms of numbers of volumes and prestige.
Kohn earned a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne in French Jewish history during the medieval period. His writings on French Jewry have been published widely.