Mezuzah Ludwig Wolpert (Germany 1900—New York 1981) Silver Israel, ca. 1950 Skirball Museum A mezuzah is a parchment inscribed with specified religious texts and attached in a case to the doorpost of a Jewish home as a sign of faith. Among devout Jews, it is customary to kiss one’s fingers and then bring the [...]
Spice Container Cast, cut-out, engraved and stippled silver Minden, Germany, 19th century Marks: Minden city mark; 13; two illegible marks Gift of Joseph B. and Olyn Horwitz B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection of Skirball Museum Spice containers in the shape of towers have been popular in Europe since medieval times, with the earliest known example [...]
Hanukkah Lamp Cast and engraved brass Prague, Czechoslovakia, 1927 B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection of the Skirball Museum, gift of Louise Oestreicher, 1969, 2018.5.1 This lamp is one of a group of Hanukkah lamps made in 1927 to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Prague B’nai B’rith Lodge in April of 1902. [...]
Aron HaKodesh (Holy Ark) Hand-carved wood Trzcianka, Poland (former Posen territory), ca. 1779 Scheuer Chapel, Herrman Learning Center Cincinnati Skirball Museum Kirschstein Collection Currently located in the Scheuer Chapel, this Aron HaKodesh, Holy Ark, is originally from the small town of Trzcianka (in German Schönlanke ), outside of Posen in Poland. There, it resided in [...]
Plate for Shavuot I.S. Central Europe, 19th c. Pewter Gift of Dr. Louis Grossman The festival of Shavuot is one of the three Hag Hakatzir, or Harvest Holidays, mentioned in the Bible. Shavuot began as a strictly agricultural festival to celebrate the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest, a [...]
Rosh Hashanah Cards Die cut, embossed cardstock USA, c. 1910 Gift of Temple Beth Hillel Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the High Holy Days, as well as the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah, meaning “head of the year,” typically occurs in September or October and its advent on the first day of the [...]
Etrog Container 19th century, Germany Silver The Festival of Sukkot, a seven day Thanksgiving festival, takes place four days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Sukkot is one of Judaism’s harvest festivals and is often celebrated with various festivities, such as Consecration, the ceremony marking the beginning of a child’s Jewish education, and [...]
Etrog Container Crafted by Zelig Segal Israel, 1989 Sterling silver and mahogany Gift of Dr. Stanley and Judy Lucas in honor of their 40th Anniversary The Festival of Sukkot, a seven day Thanksgiving festival, takes place four days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Sukkot is one of Judaism’s harvest festivals and is [...]
Werner Weinberg Dr. Siegfried Emmering Bergen-Belsen, 1944 Graphite on paper Deaccessioned from Bergen-Belsen Museum, Lohheide, Germany Werner Weinberg (1915-1997), a former faculty member at Cincinnati’s HUC-JIR Campus, was born on May 30, 1915 in Rheda, Germany. He served as a rabbi in Rheda until Kristallnacht, and shortly after escaped to Holland with his wife, [...]
Baruch Spinoza Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917) Bronze ca. 1880 Cincinnati Skirball Museum The sculptor Moses Jacob Ezekiel (1844-1917) was a Richmond-born American patriot and expatriate who lived in Rome for more than 40 years; a Confederate soldier who fought in the Battle of Newmarket; a host to the rich and famous in his home [...]
