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.
Esther
It happened in the days of Ahasuerus—that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. In those days, when King Ahasuerus occupied the royal…
Holy Days
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them:
These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions.
On six days work…
Epilogue: Mutual Commitments between God and Israel
The Lord your God commands you this day to observe these laws and rules; observe them faithfully with all your heart and soul. You have affirmed this day that the Lord is your God…
Redemption of an Israelite
Instead of their seals, they placed their fingernails.
Fingernail of Zakuri, fingernail of Dukur-ili, owners of the man being sold.
Mannu-ki-Arba’il, son of Ahiyau—Bahianu contracted from Zakuri and…
Jacob’s Testament to His Sons
And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come.
Assemble and hearken, O sons of Jacob;
Hearken to Israel your father:
Reuben, you…
An Order Concerning a Jar of Oil
(Obverse) To Nahum, [and] now: go to the house of Elyashib son of Ishiyahu and you shall take from there 1 jar of oil and send to Ziph quickly, and seal it with your seal.
(Reverse) On the 24th of the…
Request about the Rebuilding of the Elephantine Temple
To our lord Bagavahya governor of Judah, your servants Jedaniah and his colleagues the priests who are in Elephantine the fortress.
May the God of Heaven seek after the welfare of our lord abundantly…
Painting of the Żólkiew Synagogue
This painting exemplifies the decorative plaques that sometimes adorned the eastern walls of synagogues to commemorate the glory of the Temple in Jerusalem and indicate the direction of prayer. In…
Tel Dan Inscription
[ . . . . . . . . ] and cut (a treaty) [
[ . . . e]l my father went up [against him when] he was fighting in Abe[l?]
And my father lay down, he went to his [ancestors (or: eternal place)]. And the…
Tefillin Bag of Leib Millman
This velvet tefillin bag is embroidered on one side with images of flowers; the reverse side contains the date and the imperial double-headed eagle, a symbol of both the Austro-Hungarian and the…
Sadie Salome, Go Home!
Cover of sheet music for “Sadie Salome, Go Home.” Fanny Brice (1891–1951) was born Fania Borach in New York City to immigrants from Hungary and Alsace respectively. Getting her break in entertainment…