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.
Siddur (Parma)
Illustrated title page from a manuscript siddur from Italy according to the Romaniote (Greek) rite, with prayers focused on marriage and birth rituals and customs, as well as the pidyon ha-ben…
Siddur (Vienna)
Hebrew manuscript illustration underwent a revival in eighteenth-century Germany and Central Europe. As wealthy Jews began to commission such manuscripts, a school of scribes and artists emerged. This…
Esther Scroll (Venice)
The book of Esther (also known as the Scroll [megillah] of Esther) is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example of a scroll from Venice has Hebrew text framed by arcades and borders…
Esther Scroll (Amsterdam)
The book of Esther is chanted aloud from a scroll (megillah) on the holiday of Purim. This example from the Netherlands is lavishly decorated, with the Hebrew text framed by arcades between which are…
Esther Scroll (Baghdad)
The scroll (megillah) of Esther is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example, from Baghdad, is hand painted, with an ornate design in which bands of flowers frame the text. It is rolled on a…
Esther Scroll (Amsterdam)
The Book of Esther (also known as the Scroll [megillah] of Esther) is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example of an illustrated scroll from the Netherlands (shown here with a page of…
Torah Shield (Vidin)
The Hebrew inscription on this Torah shield from Vidin, Bulgaria, reads: “Dedicated to the holy congregation of Vidin, may the Lord build it, amen, by individuals from Ada Kalisi, may the Lord sustain…
Torah Shield (Hamburg)
This Torah shield was cast in silver in Hamburg, Germany. Partly gilt and adorned with precious stones, four crowns sit at its center, framed by symmetrical columns on either side that are encircled…
Torah Shield (Germany)
This seventeenth-century silver repoussé and partly gilt Torah shield from Germany is inlaid with semi-precious stones. In the center of the shield appear the ten commandments in a Hebrew inscription…
Torah Shield (Metz)
This silver, repoussé, punched, engraved, and cast Torah shield, decorated with flowers and bunches of grapes, from Metz, France, is inscribed in Hebrew: C[rown of] T[orah]; Festival of Shavuot.
Torah Shield (Piotrków)
This Torah shield contains a rare example of a personal inscription by the silversmith, stating: “This is the work of my hands in which I take pride, Ze’ev ben Abraham [?], silversmith from Piotrków…
Torah Cases (Aleppo)
The Jewish community of Syria dates back to biblical times. After 1492, the original community was augmented by refugees from Spain and Portugal. The centers of Syrian Jewish life were in the cities…