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.
Amulet with Priestly Blessing (Morocco)
This unusual heart-shaped amulet from Morocco is inscribed with the words “God Almighty,” followed by the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24–26) and an individualized text: “May God give him life and…
Printed Amulet (Germany)
Amulet printed on parchment from Germany. The words in this amulet are arranged to form patterns and shapes.
Torah Pointer (Yemen)
This silver Torah pointer from Yemen is inscribed in Hebrew: “[The teaching of the Lord is perfect, renewing life; the decrees of the Lord are enduring, making the simple wise;] the precepts of the…
Torah Pointer (Poland)
This silver Torah pointer from Poland is inscribed in Hebrew: “The hand [i.e., pointer] of Joseph Halevi, crowned with success, donated in the name of his son Abraham on the eve of R[osh] H[ashanah]…
Kiddush Cup of Judah Loew (Prague)
This silver kiddush cup is believed to have belonged to Judah Loew. Known as the Maharal of Prague, Judah Loew ben Bezalel spent twenty years as rabbi in Moravia, moving in 1573 to the Bohemian…
Kiddush Cup and Wine Carafe (Amsterdam)
This kiddush cup and wine carafe by the master glass engraver Daniel Henriques de Castro displays his delicate technique, known as stippling. Though it is most common for kiddush cups, used for the…
Kiddush Cup (Nuremberg)
Kiddush cups are used for the ritual blessing over wine. This one, partially made of gold, was crafted in Nuremberg, Germany, and was used in a synagogue in Lublin, Poland. The engraved plant and…
Kiddush Cup (Frankfurt am Main)
This gold, repoussé, punched, and engraved cup was used for kiddush (the ritual sanctification of the Sabbath over wine) in the home of the Speyers, a prominent and wealthy family in the Jewish ghetto…
Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
At the center of the backplate of this silver Hanukkah menorah from Frankfurt am Main is a scene depicting the biblical heroine Judith, who has cut off Holofernes’s head and is about to place it in a…
Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
The master silversmith Rötger Herfurth was particularly well known for his Hanukkah lamps, most of which have backplates and rampant lions, a style he popularized and which came to be known as the…
Hanukkah Lamp (Heilbronn)
This sleek and unornamented Hanukkah lamp is strikingly different in design from traditional menorahs. Inspired by the principles of the Bauhaus, it strives for both functionality and beauty but…
Hanukkah Lamp (Frankfurt am Main)
This magnificent cast-silver Hanukkah lamp, modeled on the ancient menorah, was created in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The legendary Judith stands at the top, surrounded by animals and angels below…