Yeshiva University Museum

12/28/2020

Collection item of the week:
Image on the right:
Cake pan for Rehrücken cake, Vienna, pre-1938
Gift of Alice and John Morawetz
Bertha Stecher Tauscher emigrated from Vienna in 1938 with her husband and two daughters. She was able to bring some of her household ware with her, which provided a sense of continuity and comfort to the family’s disrupted life during this period.

Image on the left:
Rehrücken cake, baked by YU Museum staff in a modern Rehrücken cake pan, 2020
Rehrücken is German for “rack of venison.” The cake is thought to resemble a rack of venison.

12/20/2020

Collection item of the week:
Cover and first page of the children’s book Ish Sheleg (Snow Man), Vilna, 1937
The Jean Sorkin Moldovan Collection, Gift of the Jesselson Family

Written and illustrated by Moshe Levin (1907-1942) under the pseudonym Ber Sarin and translated into Hebrew by Shlomo Yahalom, Ish Sheleg tells the story of the short life of a snowman. A group of children builds a snowman; they warn him not to get warm as he would melt; one of the children lets the snowman into his house for the night to keep warm, and by the morning the snowman has melted into a puddle.

12/18/2020

Collection item of the week on the last day of Hanukkah:
Hanukkah lamp, Eastern Europe, late 19th century

This late 19th century wooden and brass Hanukkah lamp features a decorative floral pattern and a double-headed eagle. An eye hook secured to the top suggests the lamp may have been affixed to a post or wall.

Post by Baruch-Lev Kelman, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies
YU Center for Israel Studies

12/17/2020

Post by Baruch-Lev Kelman, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies
YU Center for Israel Studies

Fundraising poster for Keren Hayesod, Nahum Gutman (1898-1980), 1936
Gift of the Jesselson Family

This fundraising poster for Keren Hayesod plays on Hanukkah themes by likening contributions to the fund to lighting the Hanukkah candles. Echoing the Hanukkah poem Hanerot Halalu, the poster reads: “We kindle these candles.” Then, in the spirit of Tractate Shabbat, the poster asks rhetorically “with what shall we light?” and answers “with our donations to Keren Hayesod, the national fund for the development of the Land.” The image featured on the poster echoes the triumphal frieze of the Arch of Titus. Whereas the Arch depicts the Menorah being borne through Rome, this poster depicts pioneers returning the Menorah to Jerusalem, a metaphor for the Zionist endeavor.

12/13/2020

Hanukkah post by Baruch-Lev Kelman, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies
YU Center for Israel Studies

Authentic Costumes for Jewish School Plays Hanukkah Series, New York, 1945
Collection of Yeshiva University Museum

The Jewish Education Committee of New York issued this pamphlet to inform school productions of Hanukkah plays. The pamphlet provides twelve costume patterns that allegedly reflect authentic Maccabean and Seleucid dress. Featured on the cover are depictions of the High-Priest with incense censer, a sacerdot sounding a shofar, and a sandaled Maccabee. The featured Maccabee, complete with a black skullcap and curly sidelocks, appears to be a stand-in for the hypothetical Hebrew school student.

12/11/2020

Happy Hanukkah!

A Dreidel for Eleazar the Horani, by Avi Biran, Jerusalem, 1997
Collection of Yeshiva University Museum

Check out this Hanukkah dreidel by silversmith Avi Biran! This contemporary take on the classic spinning top draws inspiration from the tale of Eleazar the Horani, fourth son of Mattathias the Hasmonean. According to the First Book of Maccabees, Eleazar slew a Seleucid war elephant at the Battle of Beth Zechariah but was himself slain as the beast fell upon him. In homage to Eleazar, this silver-gilt top is composed of four adjacent elephant figures whose trunks converge to form the dreidel’s stem.

Post by Baruch-Lev Kelman, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies
YU Center for Israel Studies

12/10/2020

HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Collection item of the week:
Hanukkah record for children, 1951

12/04/2020

Shabbat Shalom!

Collection item of the week:
Hand-carved stone candleholder for Shabbat, Cyprus, 1946-47
Gift of David Ebin

S. Deborah Ashinsky Ebin, the donor’s mother, was devoted to the work of American Mizrachi Women. In 1943, she became chair of the organization’s National Youth Aliyah, responsible for the relocation of Jewish children from Europe. After the war, her work also took her to Cyprus, where she investigated the state of children in the British detention centers. This candelabrum, depicting a guard tower, was a gift to her from a grateful internee.

11/25/2020

Need any last-minute ideas for desserts for Thanksgiving? Take a look at our collection item of the week:
Page from collection of hand-written recipes, New York, 1875
Gift of Nancy Bookman Hoffman

11/17/2020

Collection item of the week:
Turkish smoking hat, 19th century
Gift of Hana and Walter Geber

Ever wondered if there was a hat that was socially acceptable to wear indoors?
The smoking fez otherwise known as a Turkish Lounge Cap was an indoor hat used by men in smoking lounges in order to protect their hair from smelling like cigarette smoke. The smoking cap was most often used in the winter months as it helped keep the head warm in the cold, drafty smoking lounges. Its name is due to the fact that it was inspired by Ottoman fashion. This cap was all the rage in the mid to late 19th century. This exquisite smoking cap is from Czechoslovakia and dates back to the 19th century.

Post by Deborah Coopersmith, Research Associate, Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs
Schneier Program for International Affairs of Yeshiva University

11/11/2020

Collection item of the week:
“Stamps for Heroes” booklet front cover, 1942
Gift of Cami Green
The booklet consists of four pages with 48 stamps, each of which reads “Hurry Up! This Is For The Army.”

11/09/2020

REMEMBERING KRISTALLNACHT

On November 9-10, 1938, the Nazis unleashed pogroms against the Jewish population of Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Violent mobs attacked Jews and looted and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and synagogues. Nearly 100 Jews were killed and some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated. The November pogroms came to be known as Kristallnacht (Crystal Night in German) for the shards of glass on the streets in the wake of the destruction.

Steiff bears, Germany
Gift of Juliana Biro
8-year-old Juliane Bing and 13-year-old Gabriele Regensteiner were brought from Munich to Gabriele’s grandmother’s home in a suburb of Munich to be shielded from the destructive effects of Kristallnacht. During their stay, the girls received these bears and made clothing for them.

The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

11/06/2020

Collection item of the week:
Let There Be by Ina Golub, New Jersey, 1983
Gift of the Artist’s Estate

In this exuberant depiction of the Sixth Day of Creation, Golub represents the world opening like a flower to show the seas surrounding the Garden of Eden, which is inhabited by myriad creatures, including humankind. “Color,” the artist said, “is the essence of my art. There must be a connection between my love for color and the fact that the earliest known reference to color appears in the story of the creation: ‘Let there be light’ (Genesis 1:3).”

10/29/2020

Collection item of the week:
Wedding dress of Safira (Samuel) Sumbulovic, Sarajevo, 1890
Gift of Joseph Levi
In 1890, this velvet dress was worn by Safira Danon for her marriage to Samuel Sumbulovic in Sarajevo, then part of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1978, Ruth Levi, a descendant of Safira Sumbulovic, wore this dress over her contemporary white bridal gown.

Were white wedding dresses always the style?
White wedding dresses are actually a recent phenomenon. In the past, wedding dresses had no set style or color as most women could not afford to create a dress that would only be worn on their wedding day. The wedding dress was generally the women’s best dress and she would continue to wear it for other occasions. The style and color usually depended on the person’s financial status and resources available. Once Queen Victoria’s wedding took place in 1840, the wealthy began to copy the white wedding dress. Over time, this trend became common practice.

Post by Deborah Coopersmith, Research Associate, Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs

Schneier Program for International Affairs of Yeshiva University

10/23/2020

Collection item of the week:

Challah cover, embroidered by Naomi Rosen, Rozwadów, Poland, 1929/1930
Gift of Anna Pasternak, Lea Kraus and Sara Zeidman

10/16/2020

Collection item of the week:

Table Cover for Sabbath and Holidays, Germany or Italy, 1787
Gift of the Jesselson Family

This woodblock printed cotton textile features the complete text of kiddush for Sabbath and holidays (the sanctification prayer recited over wine), as well as the text of Eruv Tavshilin, recited to allow food preparation on the day of a holiday when the next day is Sabbath. Tablecloths such as this one bridge the sacred and domestic, illustrating the importance of ritual and ceremonial foodways in Jewish life.

10/08/2020

Collection item of the week:
Simchat Torah flag, Israel, c. 1950

Check out this vintage Simchat Torah flag from the early years of the State of Israel!
The palladian-style Torah Ark is decorated with images evoking the Tabernacle, such as the High Priest’s breast plate, incense censer, Menorah, and the Tablets of the Law. Children dance in the foreground, some wearing modern clothing and waving Zionist flags, others in traditional garb carrying Torah scrolls.

Post by Baruch-Lev Kelman, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies

YU Center for Israel Studies

10/02/2020

Collection item of the week:
Etrog container, Okinawa, Japan, 1954
This etrog container is decorated with the etrog (citron) on one side and a lulav (palm frond) on the other side. The etrog and lulav are two of the four species (palm frond, myrtle, willow branch, and citron) used during the holiday of Sukkot.

Schneier Program for International Affairs of Yeshiva University

09/24/2020

Collection item of the week:
Sheet music for the Yom Kippur anthem “Kol Nidre” arranged by popular Yiddish musician A.R. Zagler, New York, 1913

Kol Nidre introduces the beginning of the Day of Atonement by allowing the readers to proclaim their previous and future vows to be considered annulled.

Post by Rebecca Zami, Leon Charney Research Associate, Center for Israel Studies

09/18/2020

Collection item of the week:
Rosh Hashanah greeting card, featuring a textile pattern designed by Lotte Frömel-Fochler for the Wiener Werkstätte, Austria, c. 1910. Greetings in Hebrew and German.

08/25/2020

Collection items of the week: two very different 20th century watercolor depictions of heder. Samuel Rothbort’s (1882-1971) horrified teacher finds his class drawing portraits of him. Albert Dov Sigal’s (1912-1970) teacher smilingly interacts with his studious young charges.

08/18/2020

Collection items of the week: 19th century wedding dresses from Gallipoli (left), Morocco (center), and New York City (right)

08/11/2020

Collection item of the week: evocation of Jews in Hungary by Orit Hofshi, woodcut on handmade paper, gift of Martin Peretz

08/07/2020

Collection item of the week: Carpet Vendor, painting by Moshe Matus, Israel, n.d., Gift of Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff. Can you find the man’s face? Would this be considered inappropriate today?

07/27/2020

Collection item of the week: Herod's Temple Mount in Jerusalem. York Model Making and Display Ltd. Created for Benjamin Adelman; Leen Rittmeyer consultant, Gift of Saul Adelman

07/27/2020

Do you have a Minnesota connection to the Kindertransport?

Do you have a Minnesota connection to the Kindertransport?

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas is partnering with the American Swedish Institute and Beth El Synagogue to host the upcom...

07/23/2020

Collection item of the week: doll by Ali, Israel ca. 1950, gift of David Michaels

07/14/2020

Collection item of the week: Samson and Delilah, watercolor by Albert Dov Sigal (1912-1970)

07/07/2020

Babushka, gouache by Leon Sherker (1897-1963), New York, 1956

07/02/2020

Collection item of the week: The Battle of Bunker Hill from the series Washington and his Times by Arthur Szyk, Vienna, 1932.

06/18/2020

This was sewn on the striped uniform of Rudolf (Rudi) Jacobson who was interned at Buchenwald from August 1944 to the liberation of the camp on 4/11/1945

06/16/2020

Collection item of the week: Black Wedding, a painting by Samuel Rothbort (1882-1971) probably based on memories of his early years in Wolkowisk (Belarus). This illustrates an Eastern European folk tradition of marrying two people in a cemetery to ward off an epidemic.

06/09/2020

Collection item of the week: a charming Victorian printing sample showing a boy and girl playing with a cat and her kittens. It was produced by the Steam Printing Office of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum Industrial School New York, 1881. The Steam Printing Office of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum was located at 187 and 189 East 76th Street in New York City.

06/03/2020

This is one of a group of fundraising poster stamps issued by the Council Against Intolerance in 1944. The Council’s goal as set forth in a fundraising letter dated September 1944 was to promote unity among Americans, to educate them to avoid prejudice and bigotry, and “… to defend our children from racial and religious hatred.” Other stamps featured Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

05/27/2020

For Shavuot, I am sharing this sculpture from our collection: Homage to the State of Israel by Oliver O’Connor Barrett (1908-1989), New York, 1958, Walnut. You know that Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah, but did you know it is also the traditional yahrzeit of King David?