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.
Sivlonot Belt
Sivlonot were, traditionally, gifts from the groom to his bride before the wedding. German Jewish brides and grooms gave each other belts, which were then worn during the wedding ceremony, sometimes…
Menaḥem Egozi’s Gal shel egozim (Nut Garden)
This book was printed in Belvedere, outside Constantinople, by Reina Nasi, the daughter of Gracia Nasi, and widow of Joseph. She was the first Jewish woman to establish her own press.
Portrait of Jacob Judah Leon Templo
This is one of three known portraits of Jacob Judah Leon Templo, who was famous for his elaborate wooden model of the Temple of Solomon, which he turned into a traveling exhibition and showed and…
Takkanot (Regulations)
Since D. Bendito has done us the favor of prevailing upon his highness, the Duke of Modena, to allow us into his state with such love and grace…
My palate speaks your praise: For the Sabbath before Purim
All my bones say: O Lord, who is like you?
My palate speaks your praise, O my Rock, my Redeemer, my King;
You bring light to my darkness and bring me out of destruction.
The…
A Series of Cases regarding Marriage
In the year 303 [1543], Joseph Catalan claimed that he had married his betrothed Regina, daughter of Moses Ḥayim, on Yom Kippur in front of the gate of her father’s courtyard, by giving her a shawl…
Note to the Reader: Masoret ha-masoret
This is to announce to all interested in my book that when the head of the printers, the princely Daniel Bomberg, the Christian, decided to print the Twenty…
Approbation for a Prayer Book
The great value of prayer is well known. It is formulated in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, and explained further in the words of our rabbis of blessed memory. It is called the service of…
The Vessel
I’m trying to pray; one of the voices of my mind says, “God, please help me do this,”
but another voice intervenes: “How conceive God’s interest would be to help you believe?”
Is this prayer? Might…
Uncle Misha’s Partisans
“At night the wolves were roaming the forest. By day the Germans were roaming the countryside. And I was in the middle, afraid to move. One day that Good Angel, the peasant, came to warn me that I was…
Dave at Night
I went back to my letter. “Every Sunday there’s a chess tournament.” I stopped writing.
It was crazy. Mr. Doom was supposed to take care of all of us. Mr. Meltzer was supposed to take care of the…