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.
Pillared House
This drawing and the following replica of a pillared house are composites of many excavated houses from the Iron Age, 1200 to 586 BCE; none has been discovered standing. The images show domestic…
Hamsa-like Hand in Khirbet el-Kom (Makkedah) Tomb
This small hand, carved in stone with downward-pointing fingers, was probably apotropaic—that is, meant to protect the person buried in the tomb where it was found. It was carved on a wall between the…
Seals of Various Sizes, Shapes, and Colors
Collections of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem by David Harris.
The Sixteenth Lamb—Songs and Stories for Children
How is a song born?
Like a baby.
At first it hurts
But then, it comes out
And everyone is happy
And suddenly—
How wonderful!
It’s walking
All on its own.
How is a song born?
Like…
Seal of Shelomit, with Two Men Flanking an Altar
This black stone seal, from the City of David in Jerusalem, depicts two bearded men with their hands raised in a gesture of worship, flanking an altar or pedestal. The crescents on the altar or…
Ivory Stopper Shaped Like an Ibex Head
The stopper is perforated at the bottom so that liquids, probably perfumes, can be poured from the jar through the male ibex’s mouth. The horns curl tightly back to the neck, perhaps to prevent them…
The Scapegoat
(The stage is bare, on stage are Sonia and Yishai. Music.)Sonia:Yishai, aren’t you the one who’s bringing the children from Ahuza?Yishai:No, Yoska, from the…
Coin with Shofar/Falcon
The front of this coin depicts an animal horn, probably a shofar (parallel lines across the horn suggest horns of rams and some other animals). If this is a shofar, it likely signifies praying to God…
1948
The living room is deserted, dark and quiet. Knocking is heard. Rina comes out of her room carrying an oil lamp to see where the sounds are coming from. She walks around the living room in a…
Seven-spouted Ceramic Oil Lamp
Its multiple (seven) spouts and pedestal make this lamp from the sanctuary area of Tel Dan unusual. Lamps like this could be as tall as 9 inches (23 cm) and as wide as 6.7 inches (17 cm) in diameter…
Silver Jewelry and Beads
This is an assemblage of jewelry that was deposited in a burial cave in the Ketef Hinnom cemetery in Jerusalem (see Tombs from Ketef…
Integration and Survival
Jewish identity in the preemancipation period assumed essentially one of two forms—religion or communalism. Each in its own way was a break with tradition. Each was predicated on acceptance of the…