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The Magnes Collection

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life was established in 2010 after the transfer of the Judah L. Magnes Museum to the University of California, Berkeley. Its remarkably diverse archive, library and museum holdings include art, objects, texts, music, and historical documents about the Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West. As one of the preeminent Jewish collections in the world, it provides highly innovative and accessible resources to both scholars and visitors.

The Magnes new home in downtown Berkeley accommodates research and teaching, and offers the general public a place to gather for exhibitions, lectures, performances and other events that foster community, learning, and growth.

Read, see and listen more at magnes.org.

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Photoset via jewish-transylvania-bukovina
Catholic priest abducts Jewish girl, Cluj 1792

Last week was a bit of a dry spell in the Sibiu archives, nothing really jumped out at me as...
Photoset via jewish-transylvania-bukovina
Photo via newmanology
Czech book cover design, 1932Designer: Josef Hesoun
Source: Retro Graphic Design
Photo via newmanology
Photo via fer1972
Treasure curiosity more than certainty by Lia Marcoux

Photo via fer1972

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Manuscript [2012.10.1]: Painted Ketubbah (Italy, 1827) on Flickr.

A recent gift to The Magnes Collection:

Painted manuscript ketubbah from the town of Revere, near Mantua (Italy), framed by a Hebrew inscription quoting Isaiah 61:10-11 (שוש אשיש ביהוה תגל נפשי באלהי כי הלבישני בגדי־ישע מעיל צדקה יעטני כחתן יכהן פאר וככלה תעדה כליה׃ כי כארץ תוציא צמחה וכגנה זרועיה תצמיח כן ׀ אדני יהוה יצמיח צדקה ותהלה נגד כל־הגוים), surmounted by a wedding formula in Aramaic (בסימנא טבא ובמזלא מעליא), and illustrated with twelve vignettes depicting biblical scenes, including: Adam, Eve, the serpent, the tree of knowledge and a cherub with a flamin sword (Genesis 2-3); Noah’s ark (Genesis 6-7); the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22); Jacob’s ladder (Genesis 28); Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39); Moses and Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2); Moses at Mount Horeb (Exodus 7); David and Goliath (1 Samuel: 17); Solomon’s judgment (1 Kings: 3); Samson (Judges 16:29); and Mordecai’s parade with Haman (Esther 6). Stamped on top corners with the revenue stamp (“Bollo Straordinario”) of the Tax Authority (“Controlleria”) of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia.

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