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.
Portrait of Hezekiah da Silva
Born in Livorno, Tuscany, in 1656, Hezekiah ben David de Silva was a scholar best known for his halakhic work Peri ḥadash (New Fruit). De Silva studied in Syria and later headed a yeshiva in Jerusalem…
Portrait of Rachel da Costa with the Child Catharina Suasso
Here, Catherine da Costa, the first known female Jewish painter, has painted her daughter and granddaughter to resemble a Madonna and child. An unidentified woman leans over the infant, seemingly…
Torah Finials
These gilt-silver Torah finials were made in Amsterdam by master silversmith Pieter van Hoven, who lived near the Jewish quarter and is best known for the Jewish ceremonial objects he crafted. Cast…
Book Acquisitions of the ‘Ets Haim Yeshiva for the Years 1718/9 and 1732/33
Established in 1616 as part of a yeshiva in Amsterdam, the Ets Ḥayim library continues to function to this day, making it the oldest operational Jewish library in the world. It moved to its current…
Portrait of David Nieto
This portrait of David Nieto was printed by James McArdell after a painting by David Esteves, London. David Nieto studied medicine in Padua and initially served as physician, preacher, and rabbinic…
Jewish woman in Cairo
This engraving depicting a Jewish woman in Cairo, Egypt, is from Cornelis de Bruyn’s travelogue, Reizen van Corn de Bruyn door de vermaardste deelen van Klein Asia, de eylanden Scio, Rhodus, Cyprus…
A Guest for the Holiday
And suddenly he lifted his eyes to see,
A stranger approaching the hill with the tree.
He jumped off the branch and hurried below,
Joining the old man who walked on the road.
The Bible from Alef to Tav
The Bible from Alef to Tav is a children's Hebrew alphabet book. Each letter is described and illustrated with a relevant biblical selection.
Untitled, 1996 (from The Soldiers Series)
This photograph of a bare-chested young man flexing his muscles in front of an army tent is one of the best-known images in Nes’s “Soldiers” series, an exploration of Israeli identity and masculinity…
Exemplar humanae vitae (A Specimen of Human Life)
But take heed, blind Pharisees, what you say! For though your hearts be full of malice and cunning yet, being without light, your tongues betray you. Suppose I was a Christian, what then would you say…
Travelogue
After having arranged for fresh provisions and all kinds of refreshments, we set sail again, sailing away from land. Due to the wind’s silence, we proceeded into the sea without sailing, drifting for…
Appointment of a Doctor for the Poor
On Sunday 3 Tammuz 5416, the lords, their honors, the wardens, may the Rock preserve them, gathered together and once again accepted master Yontil the balbirer [barber] to be the expert physician for…