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.

Emet ve-emunah (Truth and Faith)

There is a certain Ḥayah [angelic being] in the firmament, who bears the sign of truth upon its forehead during the daytime, whereby the angels know that it is day, and in the evening, it bears the…

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Print portrait of seated figure with a dragon under his feet and an angel above him, next to an armed figure standing and holding a flag, and a boy pointing to the angel, with Spanish text around the edge and in several places in the scene.

Portrait of Daniel Levi de Barrios and his family

This phantasmagoric portrait of poet and playwright Daniel Levi (Miguel) de Barrios and his family is from Imperio de Dios en la harmonia del mundo (God’s Empire in the Harmony of the World), a…

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Cup inscribed with angels, birds, and other animals with a floral motif, and Hebrew text across the lip.

Kiddush Cup (Frankfurt am Main)

This gold, repoussé, punched, and engraved cup was used for kiddush (the ritual sanctification of the Sabbath over wine) in the home of the Speyers, a prominent and wealthy family in the Jewish ghetto…

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Tombstone of three cherubs and central Portuguese inscription, with engraving of wilted flower, skull, hourglass, and sun, with top panel of engraving of man riding in a procession through street and Hebrew text across the middle.

Tombstone of Mordecai Hezekiah Namias de Crasto (replica)

In reference to the deceased’s name, the central verse fragment on this monument reads “And Mordechai came before the king . . .” (Esther 8:1), and the top panel contains a low relief of a richly clad…

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Manuscript page with Hebrew text in center and illustrations surrounding, including figures on left and right of text, two cherubs above text, and group of people below.

Haggadah (Vienna)

The frontispiece of this Haggadah shows the biblical Aaron on the left, carrying the Temple incense, and Moses on the right, holding the tablets of the Law. The scene at the bottom of the page shows a…

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Facing-page manuscript with Hebrew text on left-hand page with floral border and illustration on right-hand page of three angels standing above bearded figure in robe.

Harrison Miscellany

The Harrison Miscellany is an early eighteenth-century codex of sixty leaves featuring delicate gouache illustrations and Hebrew texts. Each illustration (likely executed by a Venetian, non-Jewish…

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Tombstone with Hebrew inscription engraved with columns, flowers in curved shape above text, and wings at the top of the stone.

Tombstone of Joel ben Ze’ev

This tombstone of Joel ben Ze’ev, who died in 1744, is topped with a carving of an eagle. Winged griffins and eagles symbolize God’s power. Only the wealthy could afford stone markers before the…

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Ha-tsofeh le-vet Yisra’el: Tashlikh (The Observer of the House of Israel: Tashlikh)

You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea: You will show faithfulness to Jacob. . . . —Micah 7:19–20 In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, while I was walking along the…

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Ceramic offering stand with flat top and four layers of decoration: bottom layer of nude female with raised arms flanked by lions, second layer of two winged figures, third layer of goats eating leaves off tree, and fourth layer of four-legged animal with winged sun disk and palm fronds.

Ceramic Offering Stand from Taanach

This 21-inch-high (54 cm) stand was made in the ajouré (open-spaced) style and finished to look like bronze. In the bottom register, a nude female with raised arms (a fertility goddess?) touches the…

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Ceramic fragment with painting of two figures in headdresses and a lyre player decorated with dots, and Hebrew inscriptions on top of fragment.

Beses and Lyre Player

This detail appears on the right side of a pithos (storage jar) from Kuntillet Ajrud. The two Bes figures on the lower left are unrelated to the lyre player in the upper right. Bes was a minor…

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Bronze amulet of head with human and animal features and loop on top.

Amulet in the Shape of the Demon Pazuzu

The Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu, depicted here in a combination of human and animal features, was invoked to prevent the malicious actions of the demon Lamashtu, who was believed to endanger newborn…

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Front of coin depicting head with beard wearing helmet and back of coin depicting figure on winged chariot holding bird.

Coin with Helmeted Deity/Deity on a Winged Wheel

This coin from Yehud, the Persian name for the province of Judah, is larger and heavier than others like it. The helmeted and bearded male on the front is a deity who is usually, though not…

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