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Judaism
A beautiful illustration from a book printed in 1601 for the Jewish community in Venice contains the first-ever printed documentation of the Lag BaOmer holiday haircut tradition
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How did a glittering Star of David become the centerpiece of the royal crown and state symbol of a Pacific island nation? What does the Kingdom of Sheba have to do with circumcision? Join us on a journey around the globe as we follow the six-pointed star to the most unexpected of places…
This long-forgotten Passover custom was dealt a bitter blow by a sharp wife in a 15th century Haggadah…
A 10th-century Karaite scholar was somehow able to conceive a vision of Noah’s Ark that made use of advanced technology that was unknown in his time
Pages come from the only existing copy of a ca. 1492 edition of “Arba’ah Turim”, one of history’s most important codes of Jewish law
Years after Zalman Pollack was a star of the Jewish world, his life’s work was rediscovered…
Join us for a Hanukkah video journey across cultures and time, featuring treasures from the National Library of Israel!
The only mentions of a sukkah in the Cairo Genizah refer to communal sukkot in synagogue courtyards. A fact that caused quite a bit of trouble.
Border smuggling, dancing, and prayer – What did Breslov Hasidim do when war made their annual trip to Uman a true matter of life and death?
Did an Orthodox girls’ movement and its legendary founder revive an ancient and obscure holiday in the forests of Poland?
Kabbalistic literature looked for ancient symbols through which it could express its daring innovations. It found such a symbol in the Menorah…
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