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.
Principles of the Jewish Faith: An Analytical Study
[ . . . W]hile there are undoubtedly articles of faith in Judaism there are, nonetheless, fundamental differences between Judaism and Christianity in the matter of dogma. The first of these is due to…
Sweets from Sixpence
As a new arrival I wasn’t any good at shopkeeping, and not much of an expert with a horse and cart either. So I drifted round the streets, a sort of washout. I can never forget one day wandering about…
The Biblical Grounding of Human Value
Out of a world in which man was viewed fundamentally as an instrument, one among other means of attaining desired ends—be they economic or political—emerged a view so totally different as to amount to…
Memories of Mexico
All this heavy misfortune persuaded Maximilian to think earnestly and independently about the problem of Mexico and his throne. I say independently and lay particular emphasis on the word because I…
A Public Speech on Temptation, Composed by Mordechai de Abraham de Soria, and Which Was Delivered by a Student of His on His Bar Mitzvah, on the First Day of Sukkot
Do not judge me so vain (O Reader) that, to make myself wise, I would publish my efforts for the world to see, especially when they open your eyes to their pathetic titles. For this is a…
Tiku emunah
Indeed, what is necessary is precisely to “cast away the mind,” because it is necessary to cast aside all rational processes and serve God simply. This is because a person’s deeds should outweigh his…
Shalom Yerushalayim (Peace of Jerusalem)
For our great sins, a few days later we received the news of the terrible fire, which God caused to happen on the night of Rosh…
Silver circumcision plate
This silver plate from Padua, Italy, was made for use in the brit milah, the circumcision ritual celebrated when a baby boy is eight days old. In this detailed depiction of the ritual, the baby seems…
The Order of Grace after Meals
This page from a birkon (Grace after Meals) is an example of the work of Aaron Wolf Herlingen (Aaron Schreiber), a prominent eighteenth-century scribe and artist known for his illustrated Grace after…
Jewish Men’s and Women’s Clothing in Worms (Tracht der Juden zu Worms)
The illustrations Tracht der Juden zu Worms (Jewish Men’s and Women’s Clothing in Worms) show a man and woman in typical Jewish fashion of the sixteenth century. The woman wears a white veil and…
Medical Diploma of Emanuel Colli from the University of Padua
This diploma of Doctor of Medicine was awarded to Emanuel Colli by the University of Padua, Italy. Designed as a small, illuminated book, its four leaves are decorated with floral borders, and include…
