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.
Narcisse
Program cover of a 1911 performance of the Ballet Russe at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, showing Léon Bakst’s costume design for Narcisse.
Men of Renown
For twenty-two years I have been one of the parnasim [board members] and leaders of this magnificent congregation, the city of Lwów; my heart has moved me to do good work in memory of the generations…
Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History
The task of this book was determined by its being part of the Grundriß [der Gesamtwissenschaft des Judentums; Fundamental Study toward the Comprehensive Knowledge of Judaism] series. Based on…
Principles, Duties, and Practices of Judaism Intended for the Moral and Religious Instruction of Hebrew Youth
II.
One must love one’s country, defend it, obey its laws, love one’s fellow citizens, and not disturb their peace.
Work toward the well-being, peace, and prosperity of the…
A Bag of Lies
Our associates claim—and in moments of weakness we tend to agree—that this compilation has no need for introduction because the subjects speak for themselves. In addition, we cannot…
Portrait of Rachel da Costa with the Child Catharina Suasso
Here, Catherine da Costa, the first known female Jewish painter, has painted her daughter and granddaughter to resemble a Madonna and child. An unidentified woman leans over the infant, seemingly…
Book Acquisitions of the ‘Ets Haim Yeshiva for the Years 1718/9 and 1732/33
Established in 1616 as part of a yeshiva in Amsterdam, the Ets Ḥayim library continues to function to this day, making it the oldest operational Jewish library in the world. It moved to its current…
Portrait of David Nieto
This portrait of David Nieto was printed by James McArdell after a painting by David Esteves, London. David Nieto studied medicine in Padua and initially served as physician, preacher, and rabbinic…
Jewish woman in Cairo
This engraving depicting a Jewish woman in Cairo, Egypt, is from Cornelis de Bruyn’s travelogue, Reizen van Corn de Bruyn door de vermaardste deelen van Klein Asia, de eylanden Scio, Rhodus, Cyprus…
Untitled, 1996 (from The Soldiers Series)
This photograph of a bare-chested young man flexing his muscles in front of an army tent is one of the best-known images in Nes’s “Soldiers” series, an exploration of Israeli identity and masculinity…
Safed Exorcism
I was in the midst of a large group of people who were there, close to a hundred people, among them scholars and heads of communities. And two men, who knew adjurations and many things, approached the…
O my soul’s beloved (Yedid nefesh)
O my soul’s beloved, merciful father, drag your servant to do your will!
Your…