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.
Register of a Jewish Midwife
This is the book of the generations/children of man, those that were born by my hands among the Hebrew women. I came to them, I the midwife, for they are vital [Exodus 1:15–19] and give birth to a son…
The Escape: A Tale of 1755
A moment of agonized suspense and Alvar Rodriguez stood at the window, the bar he had removed in his hand. He let down the string, to which Hassan’s now trembling hands secured the ladder and drew it…
María
When my father made his last trip to the Antilles, Salomón, a cousin of his whom he had loved since childhood, had just lost his wife. At a very young age, they had come together to South America…
Eulogy for Empress Maria Theresa
Today is the eighth day since the evil tidings came that the crown has fallen from our head (Lam. 5:16). It was my obligation to see that we should immediately have arranged a great memorial service…
Editorial about Jews in the American Civil War
Warsaw, August 15, 1861 [in the weekly journal Jutrzenka (Dawn), August 16, 1861]Everyone knows the reason behind the fratricidal war between secessionists and unionists in the United States. We touch…
Impressions of the Prague Revolution
But I want to go on recounting how the Prague movement developed, and what made the revolution, which brought so many impressive, great, and noble things to light everywhere, made everything in Prague…
Song Settings for the Poet Lord Byron’s Hebrew Melodies
Hebrew Melodies was a collaboration between the English poet Lord Byron (1788–1824) and his friend, the Jewish composer Isaac Nathan. It is a collection of thirty poems by the poet, set to music by…
Title Page for His Version of Salamone de Rossi’s Hashirim asher le-Shelomoh (The Songs of Solomon)
Salamone de Rossi (1570–1630), composer, singer, violinist, and musician in the Gonzaga court in Mantua, is best known for his introduction of polyphony into synagogue music. Composer Samuel Naumbourg…
Tomb of Mordechai Meisel
Mordechai Meisel (1528–1601) was a court Jew, merchant, philanthropist and builder in Prague. Meisel became a member of the Prague Jewish Communal Council in 1576 and later served as its head. This is…
Isfahan Synagogue, Persia
The use of wall niches for Torah scrolls was a feature of some of the earliest synagogues and continues today in Mizrahi communities. This striking faience-tile mosaic structure would have decorated a…
Italian Synagogue, Conegliano Veneto, Italy
This exquisite synagogue, with Rococo gold wooden detailing, was originally located in in the village of Conegliano Veneto. Built in the sixteenth century, it was subsequently reassembled by the…
The Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk
The Jewish Cemetery at Ouderkerk is one of Jacob van Ruisdael’s better-known works. Purchased for use by the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation in Amsterdam in 1641, the cemetery holds twenty…