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.
The Bimah at the Wooden Synagogue, Kamionka Strumiłowa
The wooden synagogue in Kamionka Strumiłowa was built in the late seventeenth century. Its walls were covered in colorful paintings and, as in most wooden synagogues, the bimah occupied a central…
Herzl Rug
The machine-woven rugs produced by the Torah u-mel’aḥah trade school in Jerusalem for export to France were typically red and rectangular (similar to Turkish prayer carpets), and they featured the…
The Haunted Tailor
He burst into laughter that immediately frightened him. Just then he passed the “Cold Synagogue”—a synagogue in which, it was said, the dead came to say their prayers on Saturday nights, wearing white…
The Cross
We were too late. The pogrom erupted that very night, suddenly, like an exploding mine, and in my own neighborhood.
The first screams came to me confused, in a hazy dream. Then it dawned on me what…
The End of Everything (When All Is Said and Done)
His sorrowful expression broke her heart. She’d always believed that her father was strong and would do whatever was necessary to retain his dignity and his self-respect. And now for the first time…
The Cares of a Family Man
Some say the word Odradek is of Slavonic origin, and try to account for it on that basis. Others again believe it to be of German origin, only influenced by Slavonic. The uncertainty of both…
Jewish Women on Strike
The entire city is talking about the tumult, the uproar in the Jewish Quarter that began after the price of meat started to rise.
The prices for meat not only went up in the Jewish Quarter. The Trusts…
Letter to Zalman Shneour: On Children’s Education
Why should I write to you about myself? Nothing has happened in the meantime in my personal life. My son is still with me, as before. He is still an Extern. He knows the gymnasium [university…
My Memoirs
Jewish children grow up quickly. If only their bodies ripened as quickly as their hearts and minds! Were this an artist’s crayon in my hand instead of a pen, I would draw the following caricature of…
Diary Excerpt: Of a Sephardic Palestinian Soldier in the Ottoman Army
One of the more bitter days of my life that I will never ever forget is the 17th Adar 5677 [11 March 1917] at dawn when I was already being sought [the authorities had already dogged my footsteps and…
Henriette Herz as Hebe
Henriette de Lemos Herz (1764–1847) was a Berlin salon hostess famed for her beauty and literary engagement. She was highly educated, especially in ancient and modern languages. Following her marriage…
Songbook: Collection of Hebrew Songs for Kindergarten, Elementary School, and High School
The lack of a Hebrew songbook for Jewish schools in the East is known and felt by all Hebrew teachers generally and music teachers, in particular. Although several collections have been…