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.
Letter to Johannes Bouwmeester
To the Very Learned and Experienced Mr. Johannes Bouwmeester
From B. d. S.
Most Learned Sir, special Friend,
I have not been able till now to reply to your last letter, which I received some time…
Like a wooer and a husband
Like a wooer and a husbandI devote myself to your faithsince being a husband does not implya courtly surrender.Like a wooer I pursue your lovebecause I wish to meritthe privileges of a husbandthough I…
Sefer ma‘aseh nisim (The Book of Miracles)
The house known today as the House of the Sun is a large stone structure next to the synagogue. But long, long ago it was called the Devil’s Head, and it was…
The Hill of Evil Counsel
Darkness fell on the Hill of Evil Counsel. The paper lanterns went out one by one. Only the searchlights continued to claw the gentle slope and the bushes that were gradually sinking into ever-deeper…
One Day, during World War II
One day, during World War Two, a military chaplain arrived at our army camp in the Australian outback, to celebrate the Feast of Hanukkah with us and tell us about the wars of the Maccabees. Apart…
To Be Continued
War is the continuation of politics,
and South Lebanon is the continuation of Upper Galilee:
Therefore it’s all too natural for a state
to wage war in Lebanon.
Youth is the continuation of…
The Eve of War 18
A week after we broke up, I allowed
Myself the pleasure of the dainties of pain.
This time without the luxury of tears.
I let it get worked up. In the throat,
In the heart. Who would have believed…
City Square and Gatehouse, Beersheba
City square and gatehouse, Beersheba. The foundations of the gate’s chambers are visible at the upper left of the square. Squares just inside or outside of city gates were places of public gathering…
Are You
Are you Avraham’s, Yitzhak’s, Yaakov’s?
Are you my mother’s god?
What’s mine of all this?
What did I take by force of hand
and why am I alone
in a city meant to be my city
on account of a mother born…
Legal Complaint on Ostracon
Legal complaint on ostracon, Metsad Hashaviahu, Israel, from the late 7th century BCE. A worker states that a superior took his garment despite the laborer having fulfilled his work requirements…
The Poverty Line
As if you could draw a line and say: below this there’s poverty.
Here’s the bread that turned black in the colorations
Of cheap makeup
And the olives in their little plate
Atop the cloth over the…
Storage Jar with Lamalekh Stamp
Storage jar with lamelekh stamp, Lachish, late 8th century BCE. More than 2,500 large storage jars, with a capacity of 12 to 14 gallons each, have seal impressions on their handles with the word lamel…