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.
To My Land
I have not sung to you, my land,
And I have not glorified your name
With acts of valor,
With booty of battles;
My hands have planted just a tree
On the quiet Jordan shores,
My legs have trodden down…
Sadie Salome, Go Home!
Verse 1Sadie Cohen left her happy homeTo become an actress lady,On the stage she soon became the rage,As the only real Salomy baby.When she came to town, her sweetheart MoseBrought for her around a…
Algemeyne yidishe tsaytung Classified Ad for a Missing Suitcase
My travel bag was lost somewhere between Szerencs and Nyíregyháza. It contained: a tallis, two pairs of tefillin, together with a Yeshuas Yisroel prayer book. There were also two High…
The Nest Disappears
(Written at the end of 1939 in Havana—with thoughts about Poland)
Our poor nest eternally atremble
in the wind.
What will happen now, in bloody storm,
mayn kind?
Now, in bloody storm . . . ?
The…
The Heritage of 5703
5703—Because of its horrors, all the preceding years of Hitler will pale in people’s memory, even 5677 [1917] and 5665 [1905], and even 5408 [1648] and 5252 [1492]. In none of these peak years of the…
Warsaw, Aryan Side
Where shall I start? My thoughts are in turmoil. There is an overpowering desire burning in me to put in writing as speedily as possible all that has happened to us in these years of war, especially…
The Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East
The Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East was established in 1948 with the aid of three bodies: the General…
Who Is a Sephardi?
Haifa 1 Elul, 5724August 9, 1964To: His Excellency David Ben-GurionSde BokerDear Sir,From your letter of May 19, 1964, I understood that you wish to avoid a comprehensive discussion of the problems I…
From Babylonia to Zion
With the first morning light I got up and looked out on the landscape of the Jerusalem Hills. I looked toward the nearby border. One of my relatives told me how the well in our house…
The Name
About two weeks before the birth was due, Grandfather Zisskind appeared in Raya and Yehuda’s home for the second time. His face was yellow, angry, and the light had faded from his eyes. He greeted…
The Glass Bell
Opposite the windowsill is a shuttered curtain and a wasteland of chimneys. The street is being drained of life. A double-decker bus with gleaming windows of light passes by the corner. A woman pushes…
Behold, Our Bodies Are Laid Out
To Dani and his friendsBehold, our bodies are laid out—a long, long row.Our faces are altered. Death looks out of our eyes. We do not breathe.Twilight dwindles and evening falls over the mountain.Look…