Born to a family of embroiderers, Abraham Hirsch (1828–1913) studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, France. Because the traditional apprentice system was often closed to Jews who faced endemic antisemitism, the burgeoning academic system offered more opportunity for aspiring Jewish architects. Hirsch was the first known Jew to have attended a Western school of architecture, and he went on to become the chief architect of Lyon. He designed numerous buildings in the city, including the Grand Synagogue of Lyon, which was completed in 1864. Designed in the neo-Byzantine style, the synagogue is now designated an official historic monument.
Philistine (?), “Asiatics,” and other captives, Medinet-Habu, Egypt, 12th century BCE. The relief depicts captives of Ramses III (reigned 1187–1156 BCE). The second man from the right is one of the…
Ninio works in a variety of artistic disciplines, including photography. Here, a structure high in the clouded sky suggests the ability to view the world below.
The kapporet is a short curtain, a valance, hung over the curtain of the Torah ark, and first began to appear in Eastern Europe in the late seventeenth century. The griffins and crowns that appear on…