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.
Toggle Pin
Toggle pins and fibulae were fasteners for garments, and because they were often decorated, they also functioned as jewelry. The toggle pin was a thick straight pin, ornamented on its upper part or…
Moses’ Farewell
These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan. [ . . . ]
[W]e marched back into the…
Manasseh (Samuel-Kings)
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; his mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did what was displeasing to the Lord, following the abhorrent…
The People Pledge to Obey the Teaching
“In view of all this, we make this pledge and put it in writing; and on the sealed copy [are subscribed] our officials, our Levites, and our priests.
“On the sealed copy [are subscribed]: Nehemiah…
Keep the Covenant between God and Israel
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
“Hear the terms of this covenant, and recite them to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem! And say to them, Thus said the Lord, the God…
Judaism and the Jews, or, On Jewish Apostasy
“People generally say: the Torah before anything else. I, however, would say: Jews are holy, and they come first.” [Seder Eliyahu Rabba 14.2]This is the history of how Jewish thinking became enslaved…
This Matter of Abortion
This essay, written after Roe v. Wade, during a time of rising abortion polarization, offers a Jewish legal perspective that shaped national discussions.
Bronx Primitive: Portraits in a Childhood
This excerpt from Kate Simon’s Bronx Primitive: Portraits in Childhood explores the controversial and secretive decision many immigrant women made to get an abortions, and the means of obtaining one.
The Hermit
[Vocabulary list in (from right to left) Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian, with notes in French and English]CavernAntreПещераהאֶהלעמעְרָָהTo miss(the aim)ManquerНе пѳпадатьвъ цвль,פערפעהלעןפעהל שיעסעןהחַט…
Ne’ilah
Wherever we stand to lift our eyes to heaven, that place is a Holy of Holies.—S. AnskyThe sun descending settlingon the roof of the synagogue.The cantor faces the open Ark,His exhausted voice sounds…
This Month Is for You: Observing Rosh Hodesh as a Woman’s Holiday
Rosh Hodesh is celebrated only eleven times a year. Tishre, the month Rosh Hodesh coincides with Rosh Hashanah, is omitted. If Rosh Hodesh falls on two days, the ceremony may…
A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism
We affirm the reality and oneness of God, even as we may differ in our understanding of the Divine presence.
We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to God by an eternal בְּרִית (b’rit), covenant…