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.
Philistine (?), "Asiatics," and Other Captives
Philistine (?), “Asiatics,” and other captives, Medinet-Habu, Egypt, 12th century BCE. The relief depicts captives of Ramses III (reigned 1187–1156 BCE). The second man from the right is one of the…
Cult statues in Assyrian relief
Cult statues in Assyrian relief from the Palace of Tiglath-pileser III (reigned 745–727 BCE) in Kalhu/Calah (today’s Nimrud, Iraq). Although no Mesopotamian cult statues have been found, reliefs such…
Palace Façade in Assyrian Relief
Palace façade in Assyrian relief, Khorsabad. This illustration is based on an Assyrian relief from the palace of Sargon II (reigned 722–705 BCE), Khorsabad. The relief shows pillars topped by volute…
Chutzpah
My experience with discrimination—especially at the hands of the Paul, Weiss firm over my Sabbath observance—caused me an embarrassing moment during my interview for the Supreme Court clerkship I did…
The Dark Lady from Belorusse
The day he was gone her suitor arrived. I don’t know what else to call him. He advertised himself as my uncle, but he didn’t have our famous cheekbones and Tatar eyes. He couldn’t have belonged to…
Call Me Ruth
So I’m glad I got the napkin back. Because she made it for me when we had all the time. Back in the old country when the two of us loved each other better than anybody else in the whole world. I had…
Inscribed Limestone Basin
This basin from Kuntillet Ajrud is much too large to have been used for a practical purpose—it weighs more than 300 pounds (136 kg) and is large enough for two adults to sit in. The inscription…
Linen with Colored Wool Decoration
Fragment of beige linen material with blue linear embellishment and added red wool, from Kuntillet Ajrud. The dyes are from vegetal sources, the blue from indigo and the red from alizarin. Textiles…
Kitchen Judaism
Kashruth was not only redefined but repositioned as a growing number of American Jews restricted its observance to the home. The new geography of kashruth promoted a more flexible approach toward…
Words of Ahiqar
Words of Ahiqar, Elephantine, 5th century BCE. This Aramaic manuscript contains the oldest-known version of Ahiqar, a wisdom book that includes proverbs similar to those found in the biblical book of…
To a Young Jew in Soviet Russia
Things have changed since we last met. Some of your friends have already reached their homeland; others are soon to follow. Once opened, the gates will not shut again. Nothing will ever be the same as…
No Exit from This Jewry
I—a Jewess—am by definition not a member of the species, or: why should a Jewess not have problems with public assistance and with her children? The postwar German Jew, to the extent that such a being…