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.
Old Wooden Synagogue in Polish Lithuania
Drawing of a wooden synagogue from Maximilian Syrkin’s 1910 article, “Drevnie derevyannye sinagogi v Pol’she i Litve” (Old Wooden Synagogues in Polish Lithuania). Wooden synagogues were a common form…
Photographs of Donat Herrnfeld
The actor, comedian, and playwright Donat (David) Herrnfeld grew up in the small town of Raab (Győr) in Hungary; his family later moved to Vienna. Donat and his siblings performed and toured early on…
Bilderbuch (Picture Book)
[Picture 1]I am king Solomon With scepter and crown Pikkolo is my chancellor. He stands near my throne.
The History of Borsszem Janko (Johnny Peppercorn)
Cartoon in the satirical weekly Borsszem Jankó, depicting the first generation of Borsszem Janko’s writers and illustrators at Kávéforrás (the Coffee Fountain) on Fürdő Street in Budapest, Hungary.
History of the Bene Israel of India: Natal Ritual
Musical notation and words for a lullaby sung to babies in the Bene Israel community in India.
History of the Bene Israel of India
In placing before the public this account of the Bene-Israel of the Bombay Presidency, we think we need make no apology for having selected a subject in which the civilized world has already…
The Death of Moses
Excerpts from The Death of Moses, a legendary account of the death of Moses from the literature of the Beta Israel community, in Arabic and Ge’ez, researched by scholar Jacques Faïtlovich in Ethiopia.
Torah Pointers (Ukraine)
These two Torah pointers (yadayim) are from Galicia, one made of ivory and brass and the other of wood. Yadayim (hands) are used during public reading of the Torah, so that the reader may avoid…
Paper Cuts for Shavuot
Paper cuts were a distinctive Jewish folk art in Eastern Europe, where rural Poles and Ukrainians also practiced the craft. Jewish paper cuts had their own techniques and imagery and were used for…
The Tale of the Ba‘al Shem and the Dybbuk
This is no fairy tale, it really happened.
In our shtetl, there was a bright young man named Móyshele. He was as smart as a whip, and also a good-for-nothing. Then all at once he disappeared, and no…
The Fire’s Victims
Sheet music for “Die fire korbones” (The Fire's Victims). This song was written in memory of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, which broke out on March 25, 1911…
