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.
Instructions Regarding Children and Inquiry about Passover
To Hoshaiah. Your welfare (may DN seek after at all times).
Now, look after the children by yourself until Ahutab comes. Do not entrust them to others.
If their bread is ground, knead for them 1 qab,…
Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium
Joseph Barsky’s design for the Herzliya Gymnasium, established in 1905 as the first Hebrew high school in Palestine, was adapted from Charles Chipiez’s and Georges Perrot’s understanding of…
Purim Story Painting
The Book of Esther recounts the story of the rescue of the Jews of Persia from the machinations of the evil vizier Haman, who sought to annihilate them. Thanks to the bravery and cleverness of the…
The Haunted Tailor
He burst into laughter that immediately frightened him. Just then he passed the “Cold Synagogue”—a synagogue in which, it was said, the dead came to say their prayers on Saturday nights, wearing white…
The Cross
We were too late. The pogrom erupted that very night, suddenly, like an exploding mine, and in my own neighborhood.
The first screams came to me confused, in a hazy dream. Then it dawned on me what…
The End of Everything (When All Is Said and Done)
His sorrowful expression broke her heart. She’d always believed that her father was strong and would do whatever was necessary to retain his dignity and his self-respect. And now for the first time…
The Cares of a Family Man
Some say the word Odradek is of Slavonic origin, and try to account for it on that basis. Others again believe it to be of German origin, only influenced by Slavonic. The uncertainty of both…
Jewish Women on Strike
The entire city is talking about the tumult, the uproar in the Jewish Quarter that began after the price of meat started to rise.
The prices for meat not only went up in the Jewish Quarter. The Trusts…
Letter to Zalman Shneour: On Children’s Education
Why should I write to you about myself? Nothing has happened in the meantime in my personal life. My son is still with me, as before. He is still an Extern. He knows the gymnasium [university…
My Memoirs
Jewish children grow up quickly. If only their bodies ripened as quickly as their hearts and minds! Were this an artist’s crayon in my hand instead of a pen, I would draw the following caricature of…
Diary Excerpt: Of a Sephardic Palestinian Soldier in the Ottoman Army
One of the more bitter days of my life that I will never ever forget is the 17th Adar 5677 [11 March 1917] at dawn when I was already being sought [the authorities had already dogged my footsteps and…
Henriette Herz as Hebe
Henriette de Lemos Herz (1764–1847) was a Berlin salon hostess famed for her beauty and literary engagement. She was highly educated, especially in ancient and modern languages. Following her marriage…