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The process of ritual purification of a dead body, known as taharah, involves careful cleaning of the corpse. Prior to being dressed in a white cotton shroud, the body of the deceased is washed, the…
This beaker was used by the members of a burial society in Prague at their annual banquet, held on the day traditionally designated as the anniversary of Moses’ death. The painted scene depicts a…
Question: I was asked by the leaders of the holy congregation of Prostějov: A small piece of paper on which was drawn the image of a menorah, with the verses beginning “May God be gracious to us” from…
This intricately decorated textile, possibly used as a Torah cover, was produced in Prague around 1600. Four squares adorn its center, the top two containing vases ringed by flowers and vines and the…
Made in Prague, this Torah ark curtain is exquisitely ornamented with embroidery of silk, silk velvet, and metallic thread. Set against a vivid red background, its borders and central panel are…
In Ashkenazic communities, circumcision benches with two seats were sometimes used from the nineteenth century on, one for the sandek, the godfather on whose lap the baby boy is circumcised, and one…
This Torah ark curtain was donated to a synagogue in Prague by Leib ben Hezekiah Tausk Nagelstock and his wife Reykhl, daughter of Lemel Lichtenstadt. The composition of the curtain is stylized…
This amulet was presented by members of the Jewish community of Prague to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. At its center sits a seven-branched menorah surrounded by a prayer on Rudolf’s behalf…
This enameled glass beaker, belonging to the Polin Burial Society in Bohemia, is a fine example of the melding of Jewish and Bohemian art forms. It features painted figures carrying a body toward a…
