Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
Tales of Hoffmann
Tales of Hoffmann, an opéra fantastique, is the final work of composer Jacques Offenbach, who died four months before its premiere in Paris in 1881. At the time of Offenbach’s death, the opera was…
Omer Board
Shearith Israel was the first Jewish congregation established in North America, and the only Jewish congregation in New York City from 1654 until 1825. Between 1654 and 1730, it met in rented quarters…
Broadsheet Accompanying Model of the Tabernacle
This broadsheet is based on a famous model of the Temple in Jerusalem, owned by Jacob Judah Leon, a rabbi from the Netherlands. Probably produced in Amsterdam, the poster includes illustrations of the…
Haggadah
This page from a Haggadah produced in Amsterdam is an example of the work of Joseph Ben David, a prominent eighteenth-century scribe and artist known particularly for his illustrated Haggadahs. This…
Portrait of Dr. Fernando Mendes
Among Catherine da Costa’s surviving paintings is the full-length portrait of her father, Dr. Fernando Mendes (1647–1724). Mendes was a prominent Jewish physician, who attended both King Charles II…
Four Biblical Scenes
These four etchings were made by Rembrandt van Rijn for Menasseh Ben Israel’s book, Piedra Gloriosa (Glorious Stone), a messianic treatise. Clockwise from upper left, they illustrate the biblical…
Haggadah
This Haggadah from Amsterdam was printed by Joseph ben Abraham Athias and is adorned with elaborate copper etchings by artist Abraham Bar Jacob. It was the first Haggadah to include these sorts of…
Torah Finial
This belled gilt-silver Torah finial topped with a crown was made in Amsterdam and has been attributed to master silversmith Pieter van Hoven, who lived near the Jewish quarter and is best known for…
Hashlamat sefer ha-kabbalah (Additions to the Book of Tradition)
I will describe only a little of the suffering undergone by the exiles, some of whom entered the kingdom of Fez by the grace of the great king, one of the righteous men of the nations of the world…
Haskamot ha-‘ir Yerushalayim (Regulations of the City of Jerusalem)
On this day, 25th Adar, 5490:
- A ban, enforceable by excommunication, on producing…
Shulḥan ‘arukh (Set Table): Laws of the Synagogue
One may not behave frivolously in synagogues and study houses, including exhibiting such behaviors as laughter, teasing, and idle conversation. One may not eat or drink in them, nor may one…
Hymn for the Second Meal
Prepare the feast
of perfect faith,
the delight of the Holy King.
Prepare the feast of the King.
This is the feast
of the Ancient Eminence;
the Lesser Presence and Field of Apples
assemble…