The painter and decorative artist Ze’ev Raban (originally Wolf Rawicki) was born in Łódź, where he initially studied art; he continued his training in Munich and Brussels, where the influence of art nouveau was then at its zenith. He settled in Jerusalem in 1912 and joined the faculty of the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts; most of the objects produced in its workshops between 1914 and 1929 were of his design. His style combined elements of art nouveau with motifs from traditional Syrian and Persian art. In addition to his striking and erotically charged art-nouveau works on biblical themes in a Jewish secular-national and Zionist vein, Raban also created the decorative elements for such well-known Jerusalem buildings as the King David Hotel and the YMCA, and designed a wide variety of everyday objects, including playing cards, banknotes, tourism posters, jewelry, commercial packaging, and Zionist insignia.
Traditionally, the prophet Elijah is believed to be present at all Jewish circumcision ceremonies, and a chair is reserved for him. It serves as the seat of the godfather, who holds the baby boy…
This is a Judean imitation of a popular Athenian coin type. On the front is the head of Athena, distinguished by her helmet. On the back is an owl, the symbol of Athena. To the left of the owl is a…
This decorated manuscript of the prayers for a circumcision ceremony was owned by one Joseph ben Samuel. On its title page (not shown) is an unidentified coat of arms decorated with the Order of the…