A World Apart Next Door-Glimpses into the Life of Hasidic Jews

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem      עברית

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June 19, 2012-December 1, 2012
Location: Bella and Harry Wexner Gallery
Curator: Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper, Curator, Julia and Leo Forchheimer Department of Jewish Ethnography
Media: Photographs, films, and music and objects from the collection

This ethnographic exhibition highlights facets of Hasidic culture that may not be known to the wider public. It illustrates the Hasidic experience through the rich, complex attire of men, women, and children and through objects with meaning for the group's social and spiritual life, which revolves around its charismatic leader, the Rebbe. Photographs, films, and music from life-cycle events and other rituals and celebrations are also presented, offering visitors an opportunity to enter, for a moment, the intriguing world of a vibrant ultra-Orthodox community of today.
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Wheat harvest for Matzah Shemurah
Komemiyut, 2007
Photo: Menahem Kahana

Bobover Hasidim dancing before the bride, as part of the mitsve of making the bride happy, Jerusalem, 2008
Photo ©Yuval Nadel

The Admor of the Shomrei Emunim Hasidim at the wheat harvest for matzah shemurah (shmure-matse), Komemiyyut, 2007. For matzah shemurah, the most ritually correct form of unleavened bread for Passover, the cut wheat is carefully guarded to ensure that it does not ferment.
Photo © Menahem Kahana, Jerusalem
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Hasidic boy praying with deep devotion at the grave of the Tzaddik of Shtefanesht,
Givatayim, 2006
Photo © Yuval Nadel

Jews from various courts – as attested by their headgear – chose an unblemished etrog (citron) at the Arba'at Haminim (Four Species) market before the holiday of Sukkot.
Jerusalem, 2005
Photo © Yuval Nadel

'Guarding the Dead': the body of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe surrounded by his praying Hasidim,
Bnei Brak, March 14, 2012
Photo © Yuval Nadel
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At the Jewish New Year, Bratslav Hasidic men make a pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine, to pray at the tomb of their Rebbe, Rabbi Nahman, who died in 1810.
Here they perform the Rosh Hashanah ritual of tashlikh, praying for forgiveness and symbolically casting their sins into the water. Many are dressed in the white kitl .
Photograph taken in 2003 © Andrey Gorb

Hasid praying at the Lelover Rebbe's grave on the Mount of Olives,
Jerusalem, 2010
Photo © Zion Ozeri, New York

The Lubavitcher Rebbe giving dollar bills, a gift cherished for its auspicious powers, to Avrahaum G. Segol, Brooklyn, New York, 1988
Photo courtesy of Avrahaum G. Segol, Jerusalem

<div style='direction:ltr'> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> The <i>mitsve-tants</i> is the finale of the wedding, when the barrier separating women and men is removed, and the shy bride is the center of attention. Her face covered by a veil, she sways gently, holding one end of a long belt(<i> gartl</i> )that separates her from her dance partners: first the Rebbe, then male family members of the family, and finally the bridegroom. </p> </div>

Baby before his pidyon ha-ben (redemption of the firstborn son) ceremony, Jerusalem, 2008. Lying on a silver plate, the one-month-old baby is covered with items auguring a good life.
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper

With great spiritual intensity, the Belzer Rebetsn blesses her daughter-in-law at her wedding, Jerusalem, 1993
Photo © Joan Roth, New York

Mitsve-tants of the bride with her father, the Rachmestrivke Rebbe, David Twersky,
Netanya, 2011
Photo © Yuval Nadel

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<div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>Torah Crown</strong><br />This magnificent jeweled Torah crown is said to come from the court of the Ruzhiner Rebbe and to have belonged to his son the Rebbe of Shtefanesht (1823–1868). It is told that the R. Israel of Ruzhin had a crown made for each of his six sons. A crown is one of the ritual accessories with which the Torah scroll is adorned, symbolizing the majesty of Judaism's most sacred text. The size of this Torah crown suggests that it adorned a small scroll kept for personal use. The precious materials and exquisite workmanship, seen in the delicate rendition of flowers and of bells hanging from the beaks of six eagles, indicate that its owner was an important man of means who believed in the principle of <i>hiddur mitzva</i> , 'beautifying the commandment.' Thus it is the sort of object suited to the regal courts of the Ruzhin dynasty. </p> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> </div>

Distributing bread at the Belz Tu bi-Shevat tish , Jerusalem, 2004
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Douglas Guthrie

Torah Crown
Austria, probably Vienna, ca. 1825
Gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and turquoises
Hebrew initials applied on the base band refer to the Crown of Torah, Crown of Priesthood, and Crown of Kingship (Mishnah Avot 4:17)
Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum (Loan: Gilbert.68:1–2008)
Photo: Gilbert Collection © The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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The Premishlan Rebbe, Meir Rosenboim,
Bnei Brak, 2007
Photo © Yuval Nadel
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On Purim, unmarried yeshivah students often dress up in outfits resembling 18th–19th-century European courtiers' clothes or parade uniforms, costumes they term "Cossack."
Bnei Brak, 2011
Photo © Yuval Nadel

Hasidic Jew in a Warsaw street, 1930s (?)
Photograph by Anatol Antoni Węcławski
Photographic Archive of the Isidore and Anne Falk Information Center for Jewish Art and Life, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; gift of Hendrik Berinson, Berlin, in honor of James S. Snyder on the occasion of his birthday

Boys dressed up as adults, the one on the left wearing an exact copy of a Rebbe's clothes, down to the checkered breeches.
Purim, Bnei Brak, 2010
Photo © Yuval Nadel
<div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>Shterntikhl</strong><br /> Today the <i> shterntikhl<i> is made by women in the Spinka community who still know the secret of this intricate craft. A long piece of fabric is arranged so as to mimic hair, and a coronet of pearls is affixed to the cloth. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner </p> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>Old-fashioned fur hat (<i> shtrayml<i> ) for Sabbath and festive occasions</strong><br /> The shtrayml consists of a velvet crown surrounded by a fox-tail fur band. The number of tails in the hat is considered symbolic, corresponding to the sum of the Hebrew letters of words for divine attributes such as 'One' (13) or 'Alive' (18). <i> Shtraymlen<i> such as this, in which the tails remain clearly visible, are still worn by some older men. </p> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> Right: <br /> <strong>Flat hat (platshiker, super) for weekday wear</strong><br />Wornby members of Hungarian and Jerusalemite courts, contemporary<br /> Rabbit hair, felted; H 11 cm, Diam 35 cm <br /> Purchased through the gift of Jerome L. and Ellen Stern, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum <br /> B10.0849 <br /> <br /> Left:<br /> <strong> Weekday hat ('classic' <i> khsidisher kapelyush</i> )</strong><br /> Worn in Belz, Vizhnitz, and other courts, contemporary<br /> Rabbit felt with velvety finish; H 14.5 cm, Diam 33 cm <br /> Purchased through the gift of Jerome L. and Ellen Stern, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum <br /> B10.0848 Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner </p> </div>

Shterntikhl
Made by Rivka Schonfeld, Jerusalem, 2005
Cultured pearls threaded on wire, synthetic fabric; H 20 cm, Diam 61 cm
Purchased through the gift of the Israel Museum Friends in Switzerland
B05.0266

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Old-fashioned fur hat ( shtrayml ) for Sabbath and festive occasions
Poland, late 19th – early 20th century
Fox tails and velvet; H 20 cm, Diam 42 cm
Gift of the Völkerkundemuseum, Berlin
O.S.B66.2065
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

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Right:
Flat hat ( platshiker, super ) for weekday wear
Left:
Weekday hat ("classic" khsidisher kapelyush )

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<div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>Outfit for Sabbath, holidays, and festive occasions </strong><br /> Worn by members of the Jerusalemite courts <br /> Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner <br /><br /> <strong> Mantle (<i> djubbeh</i> ) </strong> <br /> worn by married men<br /> Jerusalem, before 1969 <br /> Viscose, machine-embroidered; L 131 cm <br /> The Israel Museum, Jerusalem <br /> B69.0328 <br /> <br /> <strong>'Golden' or 'yellow' caftan (<i> Goldener or geler kaftn</i> )</strong><br /> Jerusalem, late 20th century<br /> Mercerized cotton, satin weave; L 101 cm<br /> Purchased through the gift of Ernst Strauss, Zurich<br /> B85.0142 <br /><br /> <strong> White shirt</strong><br /> Jerusalem, contemporary<br /> Cotton and polyester; L 92 cm<br /> Purchase<br /> 09.1538B<br /> <br /> <strong> Sash (<i>gartl<i>)</strong><br /> Jerusalem, contemporary<br /> Silk; L 224 cm, W 11.5 cm<br /> Purchase<br /> B99.1541 </p> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>Cup made from silver coins </strong><br />Decorated with images of a lion and a horse (?), the cup is inscribed in Hebrew: wThis beaker [is made] of coins of <i> tzaddikim</i> and belongs to R. Shimon son of Yitzhak Meir.w Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner </p> </div> <div style='direction:ltr'> <strong>The Chair of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav</strong> It is said that in 1808 Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav received a wooden chair with carved decoration featuring griffons, doves, lions, grapes, a vase, and vegetal motifs. Speaking of a dream he had shortly after receiving the gift, R. Nahman described a chair encircled by fire with the living creatures of the world in pairs under the chair, which he related to matchmaking. <br /> According to Bratslav tradition, the chair Rabbi Nahman received was brought to Jerusalem; this chair is now preserved in the Great Bratslav Yeshivah in Mea Shearim (and of late copies have been made by other Bratslav communities). Today the original no longer serves as a talisman for matchmaking; instead, it is lent out to members of the community to serve as Elijah's Chair in circumcision ceremonies. אחרות<br /> </p> </div>

Outfit for Sabbath, holidays, and festive occasions
Worn by members of the Jerusalemite courts
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner
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Cup made from silver coins
given by a Hasidic Rebbe as tokens for good luck ( shmires )
Eastern Europe, 19th century
Silver, repoussé and engraved; H 5.8 cm, Diam 5.2 cm
Gift of Shimon Bendel, Tel Aviv, in memory of his son, Colonel Gideon Bendel
B71.0224

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The Chair of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav
Eastern Europe, ca. 1808
(brought in pieces to Jerusalem in the 1930s and restored by Catriel Sugarman in 1983)
Carved linden wood, velvet cushion; H 121 cm, W 65 cm, D 62 cm
Great Bratslav Yeshiva Or Ha-Ne'elam, Mea Shearim, Jerusalem
Photo © Avraham Hay, Herzliya

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<div style='direction:ltr'><strong>'Besht' Hanukkah Lamp</strong><br />When this lamp was given to the Bezalel National Museum (precursor of the Israel Museum) by Israel Penini, descendant of a noted Hasidic family, it was erroneously believed that it had belonged to the Ba'al Shem Tov (the Besht). Since its publication, lamps of this type – which was very widespread in Eastern Europe – have been known as Besht Hanukkah lamps. It is clear that the lamp was made in the nineteenth century and could not have been owned by the Besht, who died in 1760. However, given that Hasidic dynasties pass down objects and also copy them faithfully from generation to generation, the lamp was most likely owned by a Hasidic Rebbe and reflected an earlier model. The dove motif on the lamp, though not specific to Hasidim, appears frequently on objects they use and is interpreted mystically as a symbol of the divine presence on earth, the <i>shekhinah</i>.</div>

The Habad community center in Kfar Habad, Israel, dedicated in 1986, is a copy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's house at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
Photo: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper

"Family Tree" of the Ba'al Shem Tov
Międzyrzec Podlaski, Poland, 1926
Artist: Israel Hayyim son of H. Goldstein
Printer: Lit 'Concordia', Warsaw
Printed paper
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
B12.0226
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

"Besht" Hanukkah Lamp
Warsaw, Poland, second half of the 19th century
Silversmith: Abraham Reiner (active 1851–80) Silver, filigree work; H. 22 cm, W 27.5 cm
Gift of Israel Penini, Jaffa, through Keren Hayesod
B00290
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner

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