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Butcher Knife
In accordance with Jewish dietary law, keeping a kosher diet
involves more than what kind of food is eaten; it also involves
how that food is prepared. Meat bought from a kosher butcher
has been prepared in a special way from how the animal is
slaughtered to how the meat was procured. The knife pictured
above is typical of the kind of knife used for kosher slaughter.
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Dollar
Stamped on the back of the United States dollar bill pictured
here is “Jew Fraud” and “Money Changers
Fraud.” This example of contemporary antisemitism illustrates
how far stereotypes extend and how they disseminate into the
public.
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Kiddush Cup
As part of the Friday evening Shabbat ritual, a
blessing or Kiddush is recited over the wine before
dinner. The wine is poured into a special cup, a Kiddush
cup, for this blessing. The Kiddush cup would be
used on a typical Shabbat evening.
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Matchbook
This matchbook is also indicative of the ways in which antisemitic
propaganda is extended to the public. The matchbook has been
stamped with “Communism is Jewish.”
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Mezuzah
The mezuzah, Hebrew for doorpost, is a religious
object that is put on the outside of Jewish homes as a reminder
of the mitzvot set out in the Torah. Inside the object
is a handwritten scroll in special script. The mezuzah
is placed on the outside right doorframe at about eye level
and slanted toward the inside.
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Prayer Books
The books pictured on top and below are a series of prayer
books used in everyday life. Another word for prayer book
is Siddur which literally means ‘order.’ It is
used to navigate through Shabbat and daily prayer recitations.
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Shawl
The prayer shawl in the picture, or tallit in Hebrew,
is a traditional garment worn mostly by men. A proper tallit
must be larger than a scarf so that it may be draped about
the individual. More important than the garment itself is
the tzitzit (close up in the second picture) at the
four corners of the garment. Tying the knots on the corners
is a complex procedure. There is no particular religious significance
to the shawl itself; the tzitzit are the most important
part of the garment. On the top of the garment (third picture)
is an inscription. Again, there is no particular religious
significance to this other than to indicate which end is up,
but the inscription is often the blessing recited for putting
on the shawl.
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Tefillin
Paryer boxes, or tefillin are often donned by men
during morning prayers. Special handwritten script is used
to write the blessings on small scrolls to be placed in the
tefillin. During regular weekday services, the tefillin
are attached (one on the forehead with the leather straps
draping on either side of the head and the other on the hand
with the leather strap entwined up the arm and around the
bicep). Blessings are recited while putting them on and while
wearing them. Once the morning prayers have been recited,
they are removed.
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Torah
The Torah in the photograph contains the writings of the
five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy). These writings are hand-written in Hebrew calligraphy
on parchment scrolls with the individual sheets carefully
stitched together. |
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Torah and Mantle
The mantle or curtain pictured above and to the right of
the scroll is part of the dressing that covers the Torah when
not in use. In addition to the elaborately ornamented fabric,
the Torah is topped with two crowns that sit atop the handles.
There is also a decorative breastplate that is draped over
the front of the scroll in addition to a yad. |
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Torah Book
The book pictured is one book from the five books of Moses.
This particular set of books (one of five) is written in Hebrew.
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Yad
The Yad which means ‘hand’ in Hebrew is a pointer
in the shape of a hand with the index finger extended. A person
is not supposed to touch the scroll itself, so the pointer
is used for following along in the text.
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