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.
Uncle Isidore
When I observe a toothless ex-violinist,
with more hair than face, sprawled like Karl Marx
on a park seat or slumped, dead or asleep,
in the central heat of a public library
I think of Uncle Isidore…
A Prayer
Blessed art Thou, Lord, our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has kept us and protected us,
and supported us until this day
it would be better we had never seen.
You deprived us of nothing,
neither…
Scarab-shaped Seal
Scarab-shaped seal, Achziv, Iron Age IIC (732/701–586 BCE). Seals were used as stamps to impress images and/or words onto clay objects. They were often perforated so they could be suspended from cords…
Judahite Pillar Figurine with Mold-made Head
Terra-cotta pillar figurines are found throughout the biblical territory of Judah and date to the eighth to seventh centuries BCE. Most were decorated with a white background layer and one or more…
Seal of Uriyahu Son of Azaryahu
This seal, found in En Gedi, is made of brown mottled dolerite and decorated with lines and dots that surround and separate the names.
Seal Impression of a Male Figure Holding Two Caprids
Images of this type—with a male figure holding two caprids (probably ibexes) by the horns—are dubbed “master of the animals” and are seen throughout the ancient world. They often represent a female…
Altar of Hewn Sandstone (Ashlars) from Beersheba
This altar is approximately 3.5 feet (1.1 m) tall and 5 feet (1.5 m) square. The protrusions at its upper corners are reminiscent of the “horns” of the Tabernacle altar (see “The Tabernacle”)…
Magyar Jew or Jewish Magyar?
The belated adoption of the first law of Jewish emancipation has led to the assumption that it had no practical value. True as this statement may be technically, it nevertheless needs further…
An Ideal Vision for the Future
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
And ministers shall govern with justice;
Every one of them shall be
Like a refuge from gales,
A shelter from rainstorms;
Like brooks of water in a…
True Glory versus False Pride
Thus said the Lord:
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom;
Let not the strong man glory in his strength;
Let not the rich man glory in his riches.
But only in this should one glory:
In his…