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.
Correspondence with Moses Montefiore
To Sir Moses Montefiore, from Oro, the widow of Hayim Arieh, 1866
[Oh] one who gives light to the earth and to them that dwell thereon, who is…
A Story of What Happened to Rav Moshe Danon and the Elders of the Jewish Community of Sarajevo on 20 October 1819
Let us recount a story of the old days, of what happened to a great man who lived then.
He was our Rav Danon,
may his name endure forever.
We will not forget him ever,
We will extol him before God,
f…
Pe’at ha-shulhan (Edge of the Table)
I cannot refrain from relating an amazing, true story that I heard from that mouth of sanctity, the most outstanding disciple of our Holy Master, the rebbe, my dear friend—may…
Reader for Jewish Children
The Lion’s Chancellor, the Wolf, was taken to court by all the animals, who complained that no living being was safe from his predatory jaws. “This insatiable creature…
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an opéra bouffe (French comic opera), composed by Jacques Offenbach when his career was at its height. It premiered in 1867 and had performances at the Paris…
Esther’s Triumph
Friends, let’s celebrate this day—Viva!
Purim, occasion to be gay—Viva!
Safe and free from Haman’s wrong,
Let’s shout in unison this song—Viva, viva, viva . . .
Esther, brilliant as the sun—Viva!
G…
Map of the Temple in Jerusalem
This map of the Temple in Jerusalem made in Safed by a Jewish scribe comes from an example of a “pilgrimage scroll,” also known as an “itinerary,” because they included instructions for visiting holy…
Torah Finials
These silver Torah finials with bells adorned a Torah scroll at the consecration ceremony of the Mill Street Synagogue of Congregation Shearith Israel, which opened in New York in 1730 and was located…
Portrait of R. Aryeh Judah Leib ben David Calischer
Aryeh Judah Leib ben David (d. 1709), known as Leib Calisch, or Kalischer, was rabbi in the communities of Kremsier (now Kroměříž, Czech Republic); Łobżenica (in modern-day Poland); and Kalisz, Poland…
Esther Scroll
The Book of Esther (also known as the Scroll [megillah] of Esther) is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example of an illustrated scroll from the Netherlands (shown here with a page of…
Jewish Wedding
In this engraving from a Dutch translation of Leone Modena’s Historia de’ riti Ebraici (History of the Jewish Rites), a Jewish wedding in Amsterdam is pictured. Groom and bride stand under the huppah…
Old Synagogue (Krakow)
The Old Synagogue (Alte-Schul, or Stara Bożnica) of Kraków is located in the Kazimierz district of the city. Because it was in a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth vulnerable to attack by…