03-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
‘100 Objects From the YIVO Institute' Review: A Jewish History in Artifacts
Start with a Talmud tractate, with its colorfully folkloric floral cover, from 1721 Frankfurt. Juxtapose that with a photograph of scruffy, gun-wielding, buggy-riding 'Jewish gauchos' from 1906 Argentina. Add to the mix a desecrated Torah scroll bearing the portrait of a Nazi. Then turn to a vibrant array of dolls, replete with elaborate Tuscan costumes sewn by Holocaust refugees.
These are among the often surprising historical items, ritual artifacts and artworks documented in the lavishly illustrated celebratory volume '100 Objects From the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.' Seen together, they present a vital history of Jewish communities across the centuries and around the world, all connected not only by a common heritage but also a common language, Yiddish.
