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.
Ketubah (Rome)
This rare example of a Roman ketubah (marriage contract) from the seventeenth century was written on the occasion of the marriage of Menahem ben Samuel Zadik to Zevia, daughter of the prominent banker…
Vittorio Veneto Synagogue, Italy
The Vittorio Veneto Synagogue, in a town near Venice, was constructed on the second and third floors of a modest house. Elements of the Italian Baroque style are visible in the interior, especially in…
Torah Finials
These gilt-silver finials—which bear the Hebrew calendar year of 5502 (1742)—are considered the earliest dated finials from Iraq. On top of each finial is a miniature ḥamsa, a charm in the shape of a…
Gravestone of Judah Loew and His Wife Pearl
The gravestone of Judah Loew (known as the Maharal) and his wife, Pearl (1528–1610) is located in the Old Jewish Cemetery of the Jewish quarter in Prague. A prominent scholar and kabbalist, the…
The Hanging of Jud Süss
Joseph ben Issachar Süsskind Oppenheimer was a financier and court Jew who served as adviser to Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg. Economic reforms enacted by Karl Alexander (and informed by…
Ardashir-nāmah (Shāhin-i Shirāzi)
This late seventeenth-century manuscript contains a full copy of the text of the Ardashīr-nāmah (The Tale of Esther), an epic poem by the fourteenth-century Jewish Persian writer Shāhīn-i Shīrāzī…
Ketubah of Isaac Senior Teixeira and Rachel Senior de Mattos
This ketubah was written for the wedding of Isaac Senior Teixeira (1631–1705) and Rachel Senior de Mattos. The wealthy Teixeira family (also known as Teixeira de Mattos or Teixeira de Sampayo), was…
Gravestone of Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen
Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen (ca. 1670–1749) was a rabbi in Altona. His gravestone bears a relief of open books and is inscribed with the titles of his works, each playing on a scriptural phrase involving…
Torah Cover (?)
This intricately decorated textile, possibly used as a Torah cover, was produced in Prague around 1600. Four squares adorn its center, the top two containing vases ringed by flowers and vines and the…
Purim Tray
This Purim tray from the seventeenth century was made in Hamburg, Germany. A fine repoussé piece, its center is adorned with a court scene, complete with a ruler sitting on a raised throne, surrounded…
Hanukkah Lamp
This brass Hanukkah lamp is thought to have been used in the First Mill Street Synagogue of Congregation Shearith Israel, which opened in New York in 1730 and was located on present-day South William…
Cover for Circumcision Cushion
This silk cushion cover, embroidered with metallic thread and metallic braid, is thought to have been made in Istanbul. Divided into two horizontal planes, with a narrow border running on three of its…