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.
Torah Binder (Italy)
This Torah binder is one of the earliest examples from Italy. The binder (also known as a wimpel) was intended to accompany the male child through his lifetime, through the stages of his circumcision…
Torah Binder (Rechnitz)
This richly decorated Torah binder is thought to be from Rechnitz, based on its dedication as a gift from Gitl bat Samuel for Samuel ben Leib of Rechnitz in 1750. The Torah binder (also known as a…
Torah Binder (Italy)
The Torah binder (also known as a wimpel) was intended to accompany the male child through his lifetime, through the stages of his circumcision, bar mitzvah, and wedding. This linen Torah binder from…
Torah Ark Curtain (Prague)
Made in Prague, this Torah ark curtain is exquisitely ornamented with embroidery of silk, silk velvet, and metallic thread. Set against a vivid red background, its borders and central panel are…
Torah Ark Curtain (Gördes)
This Torah ark curtain from Gördes, Turkey, features an archway flanked on either side with double columns and a hanging lamp, a motif common to both Islamic prayer rugs and mats and Ottoman Torah ark…
Torah Ark Curtain (Kriegshaber)
This splendid Torah ark curtain, made in Kriegshaber, Germany, is the work of the embroiderer Elkana Schatz Naumberg of Fürth, whose name appears in an inscription in the central bottom section. It is…
Torah Ark Curtain (Israel)
Each of the four-sided shapes on Siona Shimshi’s Torah ark curtain represents a Jewish holiday, except for the one at left (second from top) with an image of hands arranged for a priestly blessing…
Torah Ark Curtain from Woman's Dress
This sumptuous velvet and gilt-metal-thread embroidered Torah ark curtain most likely began its life as the wedding gown of a well-to-do Jewish woman of the Ottoman Empire. It was unstitched and…
Torah Finials (Kerala)
These silver, crown-shaped Torah finials engraved with an okra floral motif are from the Paradesi Synagogue in Kerala, India. A Hebrew inscription (divided into four parts) reads: “The honorable R…
Torah Finials (Iraq)
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…
Torah Finials (Corfu)
These silver Torah finials are from Corfu and were made between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, by an artist whose initials were A.Z. They were used in the Scuola Greca Synagogue, which…
Torah Finials (Cochin)
These Torah finials from Cochin, India, were made around 1565. Elegant and simple, crafted from metal, their surfaces appear to be hammered, with one adorned with a Hebrew inscription. The earliest…