In the midst of World War I, two old Jews, Chaim Weizmann and General Edmund Allenby teamed up to ensure that the holiday could be celebrated properly…


The Story of Israel Told Through Rosh Hashanah Greeting Cards
There was a time when Israeli greeting cards designed to celebrate the Jewish New Year were the most common mail item in the country. These charming postcards expressed the sentiments of their time in every Jewish home in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world

A Kol Nidre Prayer on the German Warfront in 1870
Even on Yom Kippur, German Jews in the 19th century were ready to sacrifice themselves for their homeland

An Eternal Love Song: 10 Classic Israeli Hits Inspired by the “Song of Songs”
A tour through the Bella and Harry Wexner Libraries of Sound and Song – Legacy Heritage Foundation at the National Library of Israel reveals the biblical Song of Songs is ever-present in contemporary Israeli music

Ruth the Moabite: The Most Beautiful Woman You’ve Never Seen
The Book of Ruth is an extraordinary biblical story. At its center is the brave friendship between two women that leads to the founding of the Davidic dynasty, and a heroine whose character traits made her an everlasting symbol of beauty

Out of the Vault: Incredible Torah Scrolls Revealed
Check out these clips featuring four of the most stunning and interesting Torah scrolls from the National Library of Israel collection

Haircuts on Lag BaOmer: The First Printed Documentation!
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

Why Does Elijah Visit Us on the Eve of Passover?
The story of how the most zealous of the biblical prophets ended up becoming everyone’s most anticipated Passover dinner guest

A Haggadic Sister: New Acquisition Illuminates Artist’s Journey
In 2012, artist Maty Grünberg decided to revisit his 1984 work, The Bezalel Haggadah – ranked among the finest modern illustrated Haggadot. The resulting volume, The Sister of the Bezalel Haggadah, reveals the artist’s creative process, from concept to final print.

The Pope and Haman in Renaissance Italy
The only known manuscript of The Chronicle of Pope Paul IV is at the National Library in Jerusalem…