Gourmet Ghettos: Modern Food Rituals | Exhibition Catalog (2014)

8/11/2019 Gourmet Ghettos: Modern Food Rituals | Exhibition Catalog (2014)

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The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

The Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley

Warren Hellman GalleryCharles Michael Gallery

Irving Rabin Collection Wing

August 28, 2014June 26, 2015

Gourmet GhettosM O D E R N F O O D R I T U A L S

CASESTUDYNO. 5


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Gourmet Ghettos: Modern Food Rituals

Case Study No. 5

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and LifeThe Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley

Warren Hellman Gallery, Charles Michael Gallery, and

Irving Rabin Collection Wing

August 28, 2014June 26, 2015

Galleries open TuesdayFriday 11 AM4 PM

(closed December 20, 2014January 26, 2015)

bit.ly/gourmetghettos

EXHIBITION TEAM

Curators: Dr. Francesco Spagnolo and India Mandelkern(PhD Candidate, History)

Contributing Scholar: Dr. Yahil Zaban, Tel Aviv University

Helen Diller Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, 20122014

Registrars: Julie Franklin, Lorna Kirwan (Bancroft Library)

Research: Gary Handman, Zoe Lewin (URAP), Christine Liu (URAP)

Design: Gordon Chun Design

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Major support for The Magnes comes from the Hellman Family

Foundation, Koret Foundation, Magnes Museum Foundation,

Taube Philanthropies and Magnes Leadership Circle. Additional

research funds were provided by the Helen Fawcett Chair in History

at UC Berkeley.

COVER IMAGE

le-shanah tovah. tikatevu (May you be inscribed for a good year)A Happy New Year

Popup greeting card

Germany, n.d.

GIFT OF SOLOMON L. GLUCK, LIB 73.35.3


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Curators Note

From Alexander Portnoys french fry cravings to eating

Chinese food on Christmas, from the abominations of

Leviticus to the legendary New York City kosher deli, Jewish

food rituals combine religion and history, folklore and stereo-type. In many ways, foods remarkable powers of expression

are encapsulated by the Jewish experience.

Jewish foodways are associated with religious and cultural

particularism almost by default. At the same time, they are

relevant to the broader ways in which we think about food,

eating, and conviviality today. Gourmet Ghettosconsiders

how food, ritual, identity, and activism intersect in Jewish

life. Using objects from around the world, ranging from

cookware, tableware, and kitchen textiles to books, manu-

scripts, paintings and drawings, this exhibition also examinesJewish food rituals as meaningful frameworks in which to

contextualize todays food movement. Modern food ritu-

als are deeply embedded in Berkeleys history, a city with

a powerful tradition of social justice and its own gourmet

ghetto, a term inherited from the original Jewish ghettos of

Renaissance Europe.

These connections may not be intuitive at first. After all,

todays food culture seems to pride itself on its global omniv-

orousness, rejecting the status and structure of highbrow

grande cuisinein favor of exoticism, camp, and culinarypastiche. We attribute our passions for sustainability and

social justice to the past two hundred years of industrial-

ization, which opened a Pandoras box of hyper-processing,

environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and

unprecedented waste.


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Yet, given a closer look, Jewish foodways in fact engage with

these issues more than we may think. Many of the agricultural

laws outlined in the Biblesuch as the sabbatical year

(shemitah) when land must lie fallow, or the prohibition ofeating fruit from young trees (orlah)link Jewish identity to

sustainable agricultural practices. Likewise, much in the same

way that todays debates about animal welfare reflect larger

concerns about our status as a civil society, Biblical and rab-

binic guidelines governing the ritual slaughter and inspection

of carcasses appear to ethicize the search for and the con-

sumption of food, one of the most personal and immediate

ways in which we connect with the natural world.

Links between Jewish food rituals and the modern food

movement extend beyond their respective ethics of foodproduction. Much like dietary laws have structured Jewish

identities throughout history, the modern foodie organizes

his or her food choices by distinguishing between what is

morally fit and unfit for consumption. Indeed, the regulatory

work achieved today by nutritional labels and various

ethically-grounded certificationsorganic, local,GMO-freewas for centuries accomplished by a

single term: kosher.

FRANCESCO SPAGNOLOandINDIA MANDELKERN


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Introduction

Are we chopped liver?

A few years ago, while giving a lecture on The Poetics of

Jewish Food, something began to trouble me. I was reading

an excerpt from Dror Bursteins novel,Avner Brenner (2005),

one of the best Hebrew novels published in the last decade,

when I felt a burning sensation in my chest. The excerptdescribed a festive Jewish family dinner in which the guests

enjoyed chopped liver, a well-known Jewish dish. So smooth,

sweet, and silky was this liver, that the guests felt as if they

were actually eating ice cream, while the challah bread served

with it was so fluffy and delicate that the guests comparedit to cake. The main course became a dessert upon the first

bite. Such food, one guest remarked, should be served at the

wedding of their enemies enemies. But while most of the

audience were laughing, I felt like someone was puncturing my

skin with two hot iron rods. An irrational fear gripped me. Had

the unbelievable happened? Had this cholesterol-rich literary

dish managed to block my arteries? I raised my eye from

the book, and saw a gentleman who must have been in his

seventies sitting before me: clenched fists, pressed lips, and

two burning, raging, piercing eyes.

I stopped reading. Is everything alright?

No, he said, springing to his feet. Nothing is ok. You call

this Jewish food, but this is no Jewish food. Believe me, I know

chopped liver when I see it: Ive eaten it my entire life. My

grandmother made it, my mother made it, and it was neversweet. Never! If you want something sweet, ask the French

to taste theirfoie gras. But if this is Jewish, it cannotbe sweet,

so what in the hell is all this nonsense about cakes and ice

cream?

I usually know how to deal with his sort, the kind that take theirchildhood meals so personally. In a soothing voice, I explained

that this was only afictionaldescription of chopped liver. I was

busily explaining the mechanics of literary description when a

high-pitched call from one of the back rows interrupted me.

I dont know who your grandmother is, mister, but myBubbemade the sweetest chopped liver there is. I nearly gasped as

the vengeful eyes fixed on a blasphemous old lady.

You must be from Warsaw, he charged. Your kind puts

sugar in everything, even in chicken soup. Its the only condi-

ment you use!

The lady didnt flinch. Im a proud Warsaw descendant, but

you are wrong. The sweetness comes not from sugar but from

chopped onions fried in schmaltz(goose fat).


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In fear of escalating the conflict, I decided to end the debate

with a peace offering. Each Jewish dish has many variations,

I suggested. Each community made it differently and

because our identities and memories are so intertwinedwith eating, our communal perception is conditioned by

childhood emotion . . .

But what about the hard-boiled egg?

Another concerned diner cut my soliloquy short.

Everybody knows that you must add a crushed hard-boiled

egg to the dish. Otherwise it will be too watery.

And the gherkins, another voice added. They cut the

sweetness of the onions.

No sweet onions! my nemesis shouted from the front row.

Only raw onions and no hardboiled egg!

My lecture had disintegrated into a battle of words. Virtual

chopped livers flew over my head, a brigade of gherkin

diehards jousted with elderly purists, people brandished

eggplants, eyerlekhand mashed potatoes while an elderly

gentleman, grasping my sleeve, recounted how, when he was

a child and his family had no refrigerator, they ate an entire

chopped liver over the course of each Sabbath. It was the

only meat dish we ever ate. Oh, how we hated it! I still hate itto this very day!

Fortunately, the organizer of the evening soon pacified the

mob. We are at a lecture about literature, she reprimanded,

not in a cooking class. Once the hall became reasonably

quiet, she turned to me and asked if I could please repeat thename of the dish in question. I should have known better,

but I was young and believed in humanitys innate mercy.

Chopped liver, I said.

Exactly she said. Chopped! So how dare you say smooth

and silky like ice cream when its very name refers to a crude

piece of meat. The burning sensation in my chest returned.

I ended the lecture feeling lifeless and deflated, much like the

humble dish itself.

But as I headed back home that night clinging to my now

worthless notes and books, humbled by the powers of Jewish

tradition, I was stopped by a member of the audience. In

Morocco, where she was from, she told me, no Jew ate

chopped liver. The whole debate was meaningless. You can

add gherkins, onions, schmaltz, it doesnt matter. It was just a

European dish that Jews happened to enjoy eating.

So what is Jewish food? Does it have a unique identity that

separates it from other culinary traditions? I dont have all the

answers, but there are a few general features:


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First, Jewish food is kosher food. Anthropologists tell us that

every community, tribe, and nation has its own complex food

system determined by rules, traditions, social necessities,

and environmental conditions. Jewish dietary laws are amongthe most intricate, multifaceted, and enigmatic among them.

They began as a few humble proscriptions recorded in the

books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which were later inter-

preted and reinterpreted by rabbis in the Mishnah and the

Talmud. Since then, these laws have been codified, elabo-

rated, and re-elaborated by generations of Jewish scholars.

Although the goal of rabbinic law was to demarcate what is

appropriate (in Hebrew, kasher) for Jewish people to eat from

what it is not, the labyrinth of rules and restrictions it cre-

ated can make what counts as Jewish food a highly divisiveissue. Jewish food is therefore defined by both affirmation

and negation, and turns the biological act of eating into a

religious act. There are countless explanations for why the

Jewish dietary laws exist as they do. But the basic fact is that

Jewish food must be kosher, meaning that it is immersed in

the Jewish scholarly tradition.

From the point of view of kashrut, chopped liver is a highly

paradoxical dish, as the Bible forbids eating blood. There is

a vast rabbinic literature on chopped liver: how to salt it, cut

it, skewer and chop it. By eating chopped liver, one not only

abides by Gods will, but also validates the profound relation-

ship between text and practice, word and body.


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Second, Jewish food is poor mans food. Shaped by two thou-

sand years of socioeconomic repression, most Jewish dishes,

throughout the diaspora, reflect the harsh conditions of exis-

tence. Chicken soup was considered healthy because it wasoften the best thing at hand to serve to the sick.Jachnoon, the

Yemenite bread made of cooked dough left overnight, was

revered because it looked like meat and could defer hunger

for hours. Chopped liver was beloved not for its taste as

much as its price; in eastern Europe, offal wasnt taxed by the

government because it so easily spoiled.

Last, Jewish food is a form of communal memory. The

eastern European cholent, the Iraqi tabit, and the Moroccan

schinamight use different ingredients, but they are all pre-

pared in advance to be enjoyed on Shabbat, marking the sixdays of creation and the day of rest that followed. Different

dishes can share a symbolic function, and conversely, the

same dish can evoke very different collective memories.

While chopped liver became Jewish in the United States

because of its price, in Israel it evoked the austerity period

during the 1950s, when the Ministry of Rationing attemptedto replace ita widely beloved delicacywith chopped cour-

gettes. In both cases, however, food was then, as it continues

to be today, a powerful tool to evoke the past. Once it enters

the body, it becomes permanently integrated in the consum-

ers identity and lives on as an edible memory.

Gourmet Ghettosinvites us to explore the vast traditions,

tastes, rituals and customs that define Jewish food. But it

also shows us how Jewishness is always an ongoing recipe

that continues to be written, revised, and re-embodied from

generation to generation.

YAHIL ZABAN

Tel Aviv University

Helen Diller Foundation postdoctoral fellow, UC Berkeley

(20122014)


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WARREN HELMAN GALLERY

CASE A

Religious and Secular

Food Rituals

Religious rituals mark the beginning (kiddush) and the end(havdalah) of the Sabbath and holidays. Aromatic spices andcandle light invoke our senses to punctuate the passage of

time, while the inebriating properties of wine seal the bonds of

kinship among drinkers. These qualities are equally important

to secular rituals, such as preparing, serving, and drinkingcoffee in the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin, and

can invest them with religious meaning. For instance, coffees

arrival to Europe in the 16th century enabled the development

of nighttime Kabbalistic rituals still celebrated today.

1. Kiddush set. Six wine cups and plate engraved in honor ofRabbi Irving F. Reichert

USA, 1916Silver

GIFT OF RABBI IRVING F. REICHERT, 66.2 a-g

2. Havdalah set. Wine cup, spice container, candle holder, and

plate inscribed in Hebrew ha-mavdil beyn qodesh le-chol(He who separates the holy from the profane)

Berlin, Germany, Posen-Posen, ca. 1930Silver

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF STEFANIE JONAS, 2002.6.5.1-4

3. Coffee set. Pot, sugar bowl, cups, and tray

Damascus, Syria, ca. 1930Copper, enamel, porcelain

GIFT OF MARY SCHUSSHEIM, 85.35.2 a-p


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CASE B

Embodying Identity

Captured in 1980s San Francisco, American photographer

Ira Nowinskis depictions of Russian Jewish immigrants

portray the quiet contemplative dignity of men and women

allowed to openly practice their faith for the first time. Yves

Mozelsios portraits, taken a decade later in Chicago, reveal

a very different frame of mind. His subjects, prosperouscandy story owners, kashrut supervisors, fishmongers, and

chefs, look straight at the camera, confident in their fields of

expertise. These two sets of portraits call attention to foods

ability to define identity. Not only does the production and

consumption of food nourish immigrant livelihoods in a new

and foreign place, but, as Mozelsio illustrates, it continues towork as an agent of progress and self-realization.

Yves Mozelsio (b. 1961, Belgium)

The Fruits of Our Labor: Orthodox Jews at Work

Chicago, Ill., 19961999

1. Menachem Emanuel (candy store retailer)

1997Silver gelatin print

GIFT OF YVES MOZELSIO, 2012.6.36

2. David Schwartz (mashgiachKasherut supervisor)1998Silver gelatin print


3. Dorothy Levant Chakiris (chef )

1998

Silver gelatin printGIFT OF YVES MOZELSIO, 2012.6.23

4. Aharon Morgan (kosher fish store owner and operator)

1997Silver gelatin print


Ira Nowinski (b. 1938, United States)

5. Untitled (Man reading a Russian-English PassoverHaggadah),from the series Soviet migrs, San Francisco

San Francisco, Calif., 1991Silver gelatin print

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, 92.29.4

6. The Karaite JewsSan Francisco, Ca, 1984


GIFT OF KARL AND ELSA KRAUS, 86.14.5


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7. Untitled (Community meal), from the seriesSovietmigrs, San Francisco



8. Untitled (Kosher grocer), from the series Soviet migrs,San Francisco



Food and Celebration

Throughout history, celebrations have been defined by

alimentary rituals. Not only are they typified by abundant

quantities of food, but they are frequently marked by unusual

or special foods that allow eaters to reenact religious

narratives. Alcohol is also an important element, whether

it is used to sanctify a historical moment or to fuel analtered collective consciousness. Thanks to food and drink,

celebrations are transformed from exalted eating occasions

into bona fide performances. These can be manifested inseveral ways. During Passover, participants recline on pillows

as they take turns reciting from the Haggadah, echoing the

symposia of ancient Greece. On Purim, all Jews must perform

mishloach manotthe sending of portionsallowing themto re-enact a biblical narrative while participating vicariously

in their friends Purim feasts.

1. Anonymous

San Francisco Jewish family in the California redwoodsCalifornia, ca. 1900Silver gelatin print

SOPHIE AND THEODORE LILIENTHAL LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS,

BANC MSS 2010/732, THE MAGNES COLLECTION OF JEWISH ART AND

LIFE, THE BANCROFT LIBRARY

2. Sedar Service 1916: Emanuel SisterhoodSan Francisco, Calif., Morton & Co., 1916Silver gelatin print

EMANU-EL RESIDENCE CLUB OF SAN FRANCISCO RECORDS, BANC MSS

2010/717, THE MAGNES COLLECTION OF JEWISH ART AND LIFE, THE

BANCROFT LIBRARY


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3. Mark Podwal (b. 1945, United States)

Purim costumes

United States, 2006

Etching, edition 19/35GIFT OF THE ARTIST, 2014.1.3

4. Andrew Partos

PurimNew Square, N.Y., an Orthodox Hassidic JewishCommunity

From the seriesAmericaFacesUnited States, n.d.Silver gelatin print

GIFT OF ANDREW PARTOS, 75.274

5. J. Y. Eisenstark

Mevinus. Connoisseurs examine the finished article

From the seriesBaking matzah shemurahJerusalem, Palestine, ca. 1930Silver gelatin print

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH FUNDS PROVIDED BY AN

ANONYMOUS DONOR, 80.77.2.6

6. Isaachar Ber Ryback (18971935: Ukraine, Soviet Union,

Lithuania, Germany, and France) Untitled (Queen Esther as a pickled cucumber)

Moscow, ca. 1921Gouache and cont crayon on wove paper

GIFT OF DR. ELLIOT ZALEZNIK, 83.48.1

7. Pitcher for Purim inscribed in Hebrew mi-she-nikhnas adarmarbin be-simchah (Those entering the month of Adarincrease in joy, after TB Taanit 29a)

Bohemia, 18th centuryGlazed stoneware with pewter lid

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH FUNDS PROVIDED BY DR.

ELLIOTT ZALEZNIK, 81.63

8. Plate for delivering Purim gifts, depicting a scene fromthe Book of Esther, and inscribed in Hebrew with biblicalquotations, the names of Mordecai and Haman, and themotto,ratz ke-tzvi (run like a deer)

Central Europe, 1748

PewterJUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, SIEGFRIED S. STRAUSS

COLLECTION, 67.1.15.16

9. Plate for delivering Purim gifts, depicting a scene fromthe Book of Esther, and inscribed in Hebrew with biblicalquotations:shelach manot ish le-reehu u-[ma]tanot

la-evyonim (send portions one to another and gifts tothe poor,Esther9:22)and kakhah yeaseh la-ish asherha-melekh chafetz bi-yqaro (Thus shall it be done untothe man whom the king delights to honor, Esther 6:11)

Germany, 18th centuryFaience (earthenware with white tin glaze)

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH FUNDS PROVIDED BY DR.

ELLIOTT ZALEZNIK, 81.58


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10. Announcement for a Purim party, depicting a festival table,food, animal, floral, and plant motifs, and inscribed inHebrew with quotations from the Book of Esther and textsrelating to the Festival of Purim, including mi-she-nikhnasadar marbin be-simchah (Those entering the month

of Adar should increase in joy, TB Taanit 29a), and

mishloach manot ish le-reehu u-matanot la-eviyonim(send portions one to another and gifts to the poor,Esther 9:22), and in Polish 18 Marca godz 19(March 18,at 7pm)

Poland, [1935]Hand colored lithograph on paper with ink

GIFT OF DR. ELLIOTT ZALEZNIK, 82.21

CASE C

From the Kitchen to the Table

From the kashering of meat to the setting of the Sabbath

table, nowhere are family dynamics more evident than in the

processes of preparing, distributing, and consuming food in

the home. The kitchen and the dinner table have always been

important sites for the inculcation of norms, expectations,

and the transmission of information from one generation toanother. Yet the apparent hierarchies suggested by gender

divisions are not always what they seem. Historically, the

home could be a civilizing force for men as much as it was

for women and children, as it integrated men into domestic

routines. Proper food hygiene depended on a combination

of male trust and female expertise, while cookery could be atool in a womans arsenal, granting her entry into otherwise

separate spheres.

1. Wedding apron embroidered with P.W. monogram andfloral designs

Poland, n.d.Cotton

GIFT OF MRS. IDA SILVER, 86.39.1

2. Russian Caravan Tea advertisement

New York, B. Fischer & Co., 1900ChromolithographGIFT OF MARK HURVITZ, 91.59.36.2


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3. Yitzchaq Levizon

Di fromme chaneh und ikher shabes (The pious Hannahand her Sabbath)

Hebrew and YiddishAlsace-Lorraine, France, 19th centuryHand-colored engraving on paper

GIFT OF CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL-JUDEA, 76.104

Illustration of Sabbath religious precepts for women and

men. Women engage in the preparation of the Sabbath

bread, in the ritual bath, and in the kindling of Sabbathcandles. Men observe the Sabbath, perform ritual

circumcision, and engage in daily prayer. The initials of

the three Hebrew titles of the panels dedicated to women

form the name Hannah, while those of the panels

dedicated to men form the word Shabbat.

4. Hand towel embroidered with birds, hippogryphs, lions,and stags, illustrating the spies returning from the Land ofCanaan carrying a cluster of grapes (after Numbers 13:23),and with Hebrew inscriptions from the Psalms (134:2) andNumbers (Ch. 13)

Germany, 18th centuryLinen, silk, cotton

75.183.126

5. Hand towel depicting a crowned double-headed eagle,animal and floral motifs, embroidered with Hebrew

inscriptions containing the blessing for ritual hand washing,honoring a couple named Abraham and [Hedindl], and theHebrew date 8 Tammuz [5]553

Germany, 1793Linen, silk, cotton

75.183.127

6. sefer olat shabbat im kol ha-tefilot . . . be-otiyiotamsterdam (Book of the Sabbath burnt offering with allthe prayers . . . in Amsterdam typescript)

Illustrated manuscript prayer bookHebrewGermany, 17251726

Ink and gold leaf on vellum (bound, silk velvet and silver clasp)Ms. 29.4

7. Marie Elsasser

Ausfhrliches Kochbuch fr die einfache und feine jdischeKche unter Bercksichtigung aller rituellen Vorschriften

in 3759 Rezepten(Comprehensive cookbook for the

simple and fine Jewish kitchen according to all ritual

prescriptions in 3759 recipes)

GermanFrankfurt, J. Kauffmann Verlag, 1921

MCBC 45


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8. Frank Brown

Board for salting kosher meat

USA, 19th century

WoodGIFT OF NATALIE WACHSPRESS, 93.36

9. Anonymous

Family celebrating a festival meal in a sukkah

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, ca. 1906Silver gelatin print

GIFT OF STEWARD AND BEVERLY DENENBERG, 84.35.5

10. Neil Folberg (b. San Francisco, Calif., 1950)

Kleinman family making Havdalah; Brooklyn, New York1974

FromKi anu amkha. Portfolio One: We Are Thy people: Glimpses

of Lubavitcher lifeBerkeley, Calif., Bet-Alfa Press, 1975Silver gelatin print

GIFT OF BEVERLEE FRENCH, 2008.8.1.6

11. Sukkoth (Laubhttenfest)(Sukkot. Feast of Tabernacles)

Postcard reproduction after an engraving by Bernard Picart

(18th century)Berlin, Germany, Joseph Spiro, n.d.

GIFT OF SERGE KLEIN, 92.28.9

12. Chamez hatteln (Wegrumen des gesauerten Brodesam Vorabend des Osterfestes) (The search for chametz.Clearing the unleavened bread on the Eve of Passover)

Postcard reproduction after an engraving by Bernard Picart(18th century)Berlin, Germany, Joseph Spiro, n.d.


13. Sederabend (Osterabend)(Passover Seder Evening)

Postcard reproduction after an engraving by Bernard Picart(18th century)Berlin, Germany, Joseph Spiro, n.d.


14. le-shanah tovah. tikatevu (May you be inscribed for agood year)A Happy New Year

Popup greeting cardGermany, n.d.

GIFT OF SOLOMON L. GLUCK, LIB 73.35.3

15. Bob Davis and Ron Giteck

Hanukah Latkas,from the Hanukah Ritual Book

Berkeley, Calif., AART, 1979Off-set lithograph with wax on paper

GIFT OF THE AUTHORS, 79.73 H


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CASE D

1. Passover Seder plate engraved with illustrations of a ritualmeal scene and inscribed with Hebrew words listing thesections of the Passover Haggadah

Iran, 20th centuryTinned copper

GIFT OF MAX EIS, 86.65


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CASE E

Ritual Bread Covers

Bland, bloodless, and dietarily neutral, bread historically

formed the backbone of a familys diet, and continues to

stand as a metonym for all food. Yet the varied ways in which

bread is prepared and used in religious ceremonies can invest

it with radically different meanings. Matzah is Hebrew for

unleavened bread, consumed during Passover as a symbolof freedom and sacrifice. Matzah covers reflect how ritual

objects may elevate a common and otherwise unremarkable

foodstuff into an embodiment of Jewish lineage. These

meanings were not erased by the mechanization of matzah

production during the 19th century, which standardized

its recipe and physical shape. Challah has two definitions.While we usually think of it as the special bread eaten on

the Sabbath to evoke the double portion of mannathat fellevery Friday during the forty years the Jews wandered in the

desert, the term originally described a portion of dough set

aside as an offering to the Temple. Ritual textiles cover bread

to separate it from other foods, and often contain explicitdirections on how food rituals ought to be performed. These

textiles also display a variety of aesthetics reflecting their

makers, their social status, and, at times, even their political

allegiances.

1. Matzah bag with three pouches, inscribed with Hebrewtext relating to the foods displayed on the Passover Sederplate, the sections of the Passover Haggadah, and the threeportions of matzah eaten during the Seder meal (labelledas kohen, levi, and yisrael).

Europe, 19th century

Linen with silk embroidery floss, metallic fringe edgingGIFT OF DR. ELLIOT ZALEZNIK, 77.53

2. Matzah cover, embroidered with the monogram BH inLatin script, dates in the Gregorian and Jewish calendars,and three Hebrew words from the Passover Haggadah(pesach, matzah,andmaror)

San Francisco, Calif., 1880Linen with silk embroidery floss

75.183.159

3. Challah cover for the Sabbath table depicting the GreatSeal of the United States over the Latin inscription E

pluribus unum, and inscribed in Hebrew with the nameGedalyah Ullman, the quotationreu ki h natan lakhemha-shabat(after Exodus 16:29), and the year [5]612 of the

Jewish calendar

United States, 18511852Silk brocade, metallic embroidery, red velvet appliqu

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, 77.341


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Wimpel and Wine

From an infants brit milah (ritual circumcision) to a childs

bar mitzvah, to a mans wedding, wine celebrates andceremonializes the Jewish life cycle. A wimpel is a textile usedby German Jews to bind a Torah scroll. Traditionally taken

from the cloth used for swaddling at an infants circumcision,

it was then inscribed, personalized, and preserved for future

ritual occasions. This 18th-centurywimpeldepicts a pitcher

and several wine jugs, presaging abundance and fertility.

4. Wine carafe

Germany, 18th centuryPewter

GIFT OF HENRY LIPMANSEN, 85.15.1 A-B

5. Wimpel (Binder for Torah scrolls made from a circumcisioncloth), depicting animals and jugs of wine, and inscribed inHebrew for a child namedYehudah Zvi Leyb Hirsch barAsher,born on August 29, 1718

Bechhofen, Germany, 1718Linen with silk embroidery floss

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, SIEGFRIED S. STRAUSSCOLLECTION, 67.1.21.13

6. Jug, inscribed in Hebrew and Yiddish to honor Wolf Braun

Central Europe, 18661867Silver and tin

83.0.8

Esther Scrolls and Banquets

Banquets were important political tools during antiquity,

used not only to represent a rulers munificence, but also toshowcase his control over resources. The Book of Esthers

plot involves multiple banquets, in which political power and

subterfuge play central roles. The banquet scenes depicted

in illustrated Esther scrolls are rarely historically accurate.

Instead, they vividly characterize the food and eating customs

of the time in which the manuscripts were created.

7. Illustrated Esther scroll

Italy, 17th centuryInk on parchment, wood

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, SIEGFRIED S. STRAUSS


8. Illustrated Esther scroll in the style of the Bezalel School ofArts and Crafts

Jerusalem, Israel, mid-20th centuryInk on parchment, wood

GIFT OF PROFESSOR LAWRENCE RABINOWITZ, 98.23.1

9. Illustrated Esther scrollGermany, 18th centuryInk on parchment, copper plate engravings


COLLECTION,67.1.11.7


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Ritual Slaughter

While the Jewish dietary laws pertain to everything from

grains to dairy to wine, a vast majority of them deal withmeat. Highly nutritious and widely prized across cultures,

meat nevertheless is a fertile ground for pathogens and

has always been a taboo-ascribed food. The rules of ritual

slaughter elaborated in the Talmud overcome these taboos in

three ways. First, these rules make slaughter more deliberate

and less inhumane, instilling dignity to the sacrificed animal.Second, they distinguish carrion from food, thus civilizing

its consumption. Last, by stipulating that every stage must

be carefully performed and supervised by a Jewish specialist

(in Hebrew, shochet), ritual slaughter nourishes culturalties within the Jewish community. However, interpreting the

rules of ritual slaughter and the manufacture of slaughteringknives has also historically created communal rifts. In 1772,

a rabbinic ban against Hassidic whetted knives brought

Hassidism, a religious current that was just emerging at the

time, to the forefront of European Jewish life.

10. Knife for the ritual slaughter of bovines, with case inscribedin Hebrew with the motto lifrat zot ha-behemah ashertokhlu (after Deuteronomy 14:4 These are the animalswhich you may eat) and the year [5]674 in the Jewishcalendar

Grnewald, Germany, 19th century (case inscribed in 1913

1914)Steel blade, horn handle with brass collar, steel rivets,container carved wood, and velvet

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, 97.16.3 A-B

11. Knifes for the ritual slaughter of poultry

Naples, Italy, 19th century

Steel blade, ivory, silver-colored rings and bases, carved woodand pressed leather case with gold decoration



12. Ritual slaughterer seal, inscribed in HebrewAvrahameliyahu bar yeshayah shvb (Abraham Elijah son of

Isaiah, slaughterer and inspector of kosher meat)Germany, 17th centuryBlack jade



13. Yechiel b. Yaaqov

meqor chayim . . . hilkhot shechitah ve-hilkhot trei[ fah]. . .(Source of Life . . . Rules about ritual slaughter andimpurity)

HebrewKochi, Kerala, India, n.d.Ink on paper, cardboard and leather bindingIndia Ms. 17


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18

DRAWER ONE

Educating with Food

Eating and Jewish pedagogy have always been intertwined.

Some communities bake sweets in the shape of Hebrew

letters, while others dab the pages of religious texts withhoney in order to enhance the physical and spiritual taste

of Jewish learning. Food education is also crucial to defining

the individuals relationship to the cosmos. The complex

system of Hebrew blessings recited before, during, and after

each meal underscores an alimentary blueprint based on a

nutrients origins, the ways it is prepared as food, and the

order in which it is consumed in a meal. Codified by rabbinic

literature on the basis of scriptural references, this system

reflects a particular outlook on the universe that is articulated

by eating.

Table for teaching the Hebrew alphabet, prayers, blessingsto be recited over food varieties, and the Grace AfterMeals, illustrated with the depiction of an angel rewardingstudious pupils with candy, and a reluctant pupil beingpunished by a teacher

Hebrew and Judeo-SpanishVenice, Bragadin press, 18th centuryWood engraving

70.0.3


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DRAWER TWO

Kashrut Certifcation

During the 19th century, when food was no longer produced

in the home and the supply chain between producer and

consumer began to expand, assessing whether food,

dishware, and utensils were kosher or not became more

difficult to verify. This kashrut certification showcases

rabbinic authority over Jewish food production industries.

Created for a Hungarian factory that produced kosher dishes,

the certification was re-issued over a decade later. Concerns

about the origin, preparation, and safety of various foodstuffs

were not limited to Jewish culture. In the United States,

the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Acta series of consumerprotection laws dealing with food adulteration and labeling

sought to accomplish many of the same tasks that Kashrut

had done for centuries.

Yonah Zvi Berenfeld and Binyamin Zeev Broch Rabbinical certifications of Kashrut for the Kaszanyitsky

Endre dish factory

Hebrew and YiddishDebrecen, Hungary, 1879 and 1896Ink on paper, with wax seal

GIFT OF ALAN STERNBERG, 84.31

DRAWER THREE

Subversive Foodways Letter from Julius Eckman to Solomon Nunes Carvalho

San Francisco, Calif., March 15, 1855

THE MAGNES COLLECTION OF JEWISH ART AND LIFE, THE BANCROFT

LIBRARY, BANC MSS 2010/513

Julius Eckman (18051874), a graduate of the Universityand the Rabbinical College of Berlin and a pupil of

Leopold Zunz, was the first Rabbi of Congregation

Emanu-El in San Francisco (185455) and the publisher

of the Jewish journal, The Weekly Gleaner (18571863). In1855, he wrote to Solomon Nunes Carvalho (18151897),

the official photographer of explorer John C. Fremontsfifth expedition to the American West in 18531854,

discussing the living conditions and the religious

customs of the Jews in San Francisco. In his letter, he

complained about Jews eating non-kosher foods and

celebrating weddings in a beer house.


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DRAWER FOUR

Canaan and California:

Wine in the Promised Lands

While winemaking has always occupied a central place

in Jewish culture, perhaps no modern winery has a more

distinguished reputation than Israels Carmel winery.

Founded in 1882 by the Baron Rothschild (owner of thefamous Chteau Lafite), the regions testimonials date back

to Biblical times. The explorers sent by Moses to the land

of Canaan, recorded in the Book of Numbers (13:2324),

returned from their mission with a cluster of grapes so large

it required mounting on a pole to be carried. This powerful

image also became the emblem of the Schoenberger wineryin Mainz, Germany, then famous for its sparkling wines.

In 1939, the winery was seized by the Nazis, forcing the

Schoenbergers to flee, eventually settling in San Francisco.

But California was a veritable Canaan in more ways than

one. While Prohibition (19201933) damaged Californias

fledgling wine-industries, kosher wine-making flourished,as sacramental wine was exempt from the law.

1. Carmel Wines

PostcardTel Aviv, Israel, United Artists, n.d.Offset lithograph on paper

GIFT OF TZIEREL GURMAN, 99.6.1.7

2. Commemorative liquor pour spout, depicting a scene fromNumbers 13:23, printed in Hebrew and English Carmel1882

Israel, Carmel Wines, 20th century

Plastic, metal, corkGIFT OF RUTH EIS, 93.10.4

3. Ephemera from the Schoenberger Cabinet

Mainz, Germany, 19301939Offset lithograph

EDITH SCHOENBERGER KAUFMAN PAPERS, BANC MSS 2010/729,

THE MAGNES COLLECTION OF JEWISH ART AND LIFE, THE BANCROFTLIBRARY

4. Rabbi Mayer Hirsch (18741946) with barrels of kosher forPassover Angelica and Muscat wine

San Francisco Bay Area, Calif., ca. 1930Silver gelatin print

SAMUEL HIRSCH FAMILY PAPERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, BANC MSS

2010/738, THE MAGNES COLLECTION OF JEWISH ART AND LIFE,

THE BANCROFT LIBRARY


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21

CHARLES MICHAEL GALLERY

Dinner is Served

In Jewish life, eatingand especially communal eatingis a

religious act that reflects and commemorates the agricultural

rhythms around which the ritual calendar is structured. This

might seem at odds with the fact that food consumption,

so crucial to survival, is one of our most basic, primal, and

uncivilized of daily activities. Perhaps it is for this reasonthat instilling deference, civility, and knowledge so frequently

occurs around the table; there is simply so much at stake.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the dining room became an

important site of bourgeois cultivation. It was there that

most of a familys wealthfrom linen tablecloths to crystal

glasses to silverwarecould be found. Given the communalmeals centrality to staging and reproducing the social order,

all the more important are the special occasions, such as

the Sabbath and the Holidays, in which diners partake of

food around a table. During the Passover Seder, communal

eating echoes the Greek symposium, or drinking party, where

participants are invited not to sit but recline, often proppingthemselves with the aid of pillows.

1. A. P.

Festival tablecloth

Southern Germany, 1775

Linen, embroidered with silk and cotton embroidery flossJUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, SIEGFRIED S. STRAUSS

COLLECTION, 75.183.137

Tablecloth inscribed for a couple named Michel and

Henleh, embroidered with the owners names, Hebrew

blessings for the Festivals of Sukkot, Shemini atzeret,

and Simchat Torah, a quotation from the Mishnah (Ethicsof the Fathers3:3), and depictions of a heraldic emblem,biblical scenes, animals, and floral motifs. The initials of

the maker, A. P., appear at the bottom right of the cloth.

At times, tablecloths like this one would be used as wall

hangings inside a sukkah (festival hut).

The embroidered quotation from the Ethics of the Fathersrecites: Three who eat at one table, and at the table

speak words of Torah, it is as if they have eaten at table

of the Blessed One, as is said: And he said to me: this is

the table that is before God (Ezekiel 41:22).

2. Pillowcase used for reclining during the Passover Sedermeal, depicting birds and plant motifs, embroidered inHebrew li-khvod yom tov pesach ha-laylah ha-zeh kulanumesubin (In honor of the Passover Festival on this nightwe all recline)

n.d.Cotton



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3. Pillow cases

3.1 Pillow case embroidered with the monogram R.S.

Norway, 19th century

Cotton with silk embroidery floss75.183.250

3.2 Pillow case

n.d.Silk brocade

75.183.294

3.3 Eileen Amiel Baroukk

Pillow case

Palestine, ca. 1910Velvet with silk ribbon applique and embroidery floss

GIFT OF ESTHER BEMORAS, 94.44.1

3.4 Pillow casesBulgaria, n.d.Gold metallic thread on blue silk with green linen backing

GIFT OF SERENA DJERASSI, 2001.30.5 AND 2001.30.6

3.5 Pillow cases

Turkey, 19th centuryVelvet, gold metallic thread, sequins

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH FUNDS PROVIDED BY

GERALD FRIEDKIN, 88.34.A-B

4. Passover Seder panel depicting Moses, the paschal lamb,and King David, with Hebrew texts and biblical quotations

Germany, 1725Silk and silver metallic thread


COLLECTION, 75.183.254

Moses is depicted at the top, holding the Tablets of

the Law, and described in Hebrew as mosheh rabenu

(Moses, our teacher). A depiction of a paschal lamb atthe center is accompanied by the inscription ve-amartem

zevach-pesach(That you shall say: It is the Passoversacrifice, Exodus 12:27), which also indicates the year

[5]485 in the Jewish calendar (1725 in the Gregorian

calendar) through the Hebrew letters highlighted in the

inscription. At the bottom, a depiction of King Davidholding a harp is followed by the inscription davidmelekh yisrael(David, King of Israel). According to thecollectors notes, this item belonged to the descendents

of Zevi Hirsch ben Jacob Ashkenazi (also known as the

Chakham Zevi; 16601718), rabbi and halakhist.

5. Ritual hand washing station with lavabo, lid, basin,and bowl

Germany, ca. 18th centuryPewter

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF CHARLOTTE STEIN PICK, 91.12.1.1-3


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The Ritual Table

The dining table lies at the center of meals, study, singing

and performance: it is the original site of sociability. Whilecommon to many societies, it is particularly relevant to Jewish

culture.

The table of the Presence (shulchan) was an essentialcomponent of the divine mishqan, or tabernacle, describedin the Book of Exodus, upon which twelve loaves of

showbread were displayed as a sacrifice to God, along with

vessels used for libations. While the shulchanwas just onepart of the tabernacle, its ritual functions are now embodied

by the Jewish dining table. The Sephardic scholar Joseph Caro

(14881575) drew upon these meanings in the 16th century

by choosing the Hebrew word for tableshulchanas ametaphor for his detailed code of Jewish law, the ShulchanArukh(The Set Table). Scholar Moses Isserles (1525 or15301572) embraced the same metaphor by naming his

own adaptation of Caros code to Ashkenazi Jewish law Ha-Mappah, the tablecloth.

Given its evocative powers, the table remains a powerfulsite of religious instruction, in which ritual and pedagogy are

intertwined. Many food vessels are inscribed with ritual texts,

instructions, and at times, visual depictions of how the rituals

themselves ought to be performed.

As a meticulously defined ritual space, the dining table ispopulated by a variety of items, all of which play specific

roles. Foods are displayed and organized according to

predefined templates governed by each ritual. Dishware,

cutlery, cups and bottles are clearly labeled to reflect their

specific ritual uses, the types of food they may contain, and

the respective demarcations imposed by dietary laws.

6.1 Passover Seder plate depicting a family seated at a Festivaltable, inscribed in Hebrew with a list of the fifteen parts ofthe Seder meal, and the motto achilat matzah(eating ofMatzah)

Limoges, France, ca. 1900Glazed stoneware


6.2 Passover Seder plate with three compartments for theMatzah inscribed in Hebrew kohen, levi,and yisrael,and two inserts for displaying ritual foods, engraved in

German and Hebrew in honor of the 70th birthday of LouisSchlesinger

Racibrz, Poland, 1857Silver

GIFT OF MARIANNE RAWACK BRANNON, 75.245 a-c


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6.3 Joseph Loewy and Joseph Guens

hagadah shel pesach. The Pessach Haggadah Service forthe First Nights of Passover

Hebrew, Aramaic, and English; color illustrations by AryehAllweilTel Aviv, Sinai Publishing, 1971Tin, enamel, and plastic binding

GIFT OF MARIANNE FRIEDMAN, 98.20.2

6.4 Eric Tunstall (18971987)

Sederdish. Passover Seder plate set with six cups,painted with depictions of the Seder meal ingredients andvignettes of the Ten Plagues, and inscribed in Hebrew andEnglish with a list of the fifteen parts of the Seder meal,the Four Questions, the names of the ingredients andnarrative captions

Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom, Royal Cauldon (designed forSirett), mid-20th centuryBone china

GIFT OF BERNARD OSHER AND IRVING RABIN, 77.248A-G

6.5 Passover Seder plate engraved in Hebrew and German withthe names of ingredients of the Seder meal, and with theinitials, H. S. surmounted by a crown

Germany, 1712Pewter


6.6 Candelabrum for the Sabbath depicting two deer

Poland, 19th centuryBrass

GIFT OF DR. AND MRS. JASON E. FARBER, 76.281

6.7 Haroset from Israel for your Seder Table [Ingredient for thePassover Seder meal, with ritual instructions on package]

Wickliffe, Ohio, Telshe Yeshiva, n.d.Cardboard box, plastic container, and wrapped food

2010.0.64 a and c

6.8 Kosher for Passover citric acid (sour salt) container

Hebrew, English, and YiddishNew York, Aron Streit, Inc., n.d.

Glass, tin coated steel and paperGIFT OF THEODORE AND VALERIE REICH, 97.37.12

6.9 Kosher for Passover white pepper container

English and HebrewLong Island City, New York, Horowitz Bros. & Margareten, n.d.Tin coated steel and paper

GIFT OF THEODORE AND VALERIE REICH, 97.37.10

6.10 Kosher for Passover ginger container

English, Hebrew, and YiddishBrooklyn, New York, Hudson Tea & Spice Co., n.d.Tin coated steel and paper

GIFT OF THEODORE AND VALERIE REICH, 97.37.11


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6.11 Cup for the Passover Seder inscribed in Hebrew kos sheleliyahu ha-navi(Cup of Elijah the Prophet)

Corning, New York, Steuben Glass Works, 1979Engraved glass

GIFT OF DR. AND MRS. PHILLIP BADER, 82.7

6.12 Cup for the Passover Seder decorated with floral motifs,

and inscribed in Hebrew kos shel eliyahu(Cup of Elijah)United States, Tiffany and Co., n.d.Sterling silver

GIFT OF THE JONAS COLLECTION, 66.5

6.13 Cup for the Passover Seder decorated with a six-pointed

star and inscribed in Hebrew shel chag ha-pesach (Forthe Passover Festival)

Central Europe, 18th centuryEtched glass



6.14 W. H. GrindelyPassover. Cup and saucer for Passover, depicting a seven-branched candelabrum and fruit motifs, and inscribed inHebrew with quotations from the Passover Haggadah

Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom, Royal Cauldon (designed forSirett), ca. 1930

Bone chinaGIFT OF MRS. HOWARD AND MRS. BURR, 75.350 a-b


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6.15 Plate for Passover, depicting a bird and floral motifs,inscribed in Hebrew with the word pesach(Passover)and the monogram D. L.

Germany, 17th18th centuriesGlazed ceramic



6.16 Painted manuscript Passover Haggadah illustrating theorder of the Passover Seder table

Hebrew and Aramaic, with Yiddish annotations[Amsterdam], 17771778Ink on paper

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF RABBI MAURICE A. LAZOWICK, 94.43.7

6.17 Two-handled cup for ritual handwashing

Israel, 20th centuryTinned copper

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE THROUGH THE GOOR FUND,

ROZIN COLLECTION, 78.78.35 B

6.18 Three-handled cup for ritual handwashing, decorated withfloral motifs and engraved with monograms in honor of the

wedding of Lew WagonerUnited States, 1910Glass, silver

GIFT OF DON T. THRALL, 88.13

6.19 Bar mitzvah cake decoration, with a six-pointed starinscribed with the Hebrew acronym M. T. (mazal tov)

United States, 20th centuryPainted bisque porcelain, plaster, fabric

GIFT OF DR. PHILIP FEIGIR, 99.47.3

6.20 Festival cooking vessel for meat dishes, engraved in Hebrewbasar yt(meat [dishes] for the festivals)

Germany, 18th centuryPewter

68.0.1


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6.21 Wrapped saucer from Lou G. Siegel, Americas ForemostKosher Restaurant

New York City, United States, after 1925Ceramic, paper, and plastic wrapping

GIFT OF JOHN HARRIS, 97.39

6.22 Spice container in fish form, with articulated movable body

Poland, 19th centurySilver

GIFT OF DR. ELLIOT ZALEZNIK, 81.23

6.23Rebekka Heinemann Wolf

Kochbuch fr Israelitische Frauen enthaltend dieverschiedensten Koch- und Backkarten, mit einervollstndigen Speisekarte sowie einer genauen Anweisung

zur Einrichtung und Fhrung einer religis-jdischen

Haushaltung (Cookbook for Jewish Women containinga variety of cooking and baking recipes, with a full menuas well as a precise statement on the establishment and

management of a religious Jewish household)

GermanFrankfurt a. M., J. Kauffmann, 1912 (13th edition, first publishedin 1851)Ink, paper, and board

MCBC 44

6.24Plates for kosher service on the RMS Queen Mary oceanliner, inscribed in Hebrew and English for dairy and meatdishes

Liverpool, United Kingdom, Maddock Ivory Ware EnglandStoniers for The Cunard Steam-ship Company United, n.d.(before 1967)Porcelain

GIFT OF ELIE GUGGENHEIM, 96.5.1 AND 96.5.2

6.25 Silverware for kosher service, inscribed in Hebrew chalav

(milk) for dairy dishesWarsaw, Poland, Norblin & Co., ca. 1900Silver

JUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE, 88.23.1 AND 88.23.2

6.26Wine bottle medallion for Sabbath and Festivals, decoratedwith vine motifs and a six-pointed star, and inscribed inHebrew bore peri ha-gefen(creator of the fruit of thevine)

United States, 20th centurySilver

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF STEFANIE JONAS, 2002.6.10

6.27Cups for the circumcision ceremony, decorated with vinemotifs, and inscribed in Hebrew kos berakhah(blessingcup)

France, 18th centurySilver


COLLECTION, 67.1.8.13 A-B

6.28Candelabrum for the Sabbath depicting two deer, inscribedin Hebrew lehadliq ner shel shabat (To kindle theSabbath lights)

Poland, 19th centuryBrass

79.0.02


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6.29Travel-size set including a wine cup, a spice container forthe Havdalah ceremony and, at the base, a Hebrew sealstating michael berg ktz mi-lesla (Michael Berg, KohenTzedeq, from Inowrocaw)

Poland, 19th centurySilver

GIFT OF GUNTER BENDIX, 84.36.2 a-c

6.30Wine bottle medallion for the Sabbath meals, decoratedwith a wreath and geometrical motifs, and inscribed in

Hebrewzakhor et yom ha-shabat le-qadsho (rememberthe Sabbath day, to sanctify it, after Exodus 20:7) andwith the initials H[irsch] R[osenthal]

Germany, 20th centurySilver

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF STEFANIE JONAS, 2002.6.11

6.31 Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts

Kiddush cup, depicting three synagogue scenes, Torahscrolls, a seven-branched candelabrum and a wine cup,decorated with geometrical and architectural motifs, andinscribed in Hebrew after Proverbs 23:31 (Do not look

upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color to thecup, when it goes [down] smoothly)

Jerusalem, Palestine, ca. 1930Silver washed brass

GIFT OF RABBI AND MRS. LOUIS NEWMAN, 69.22

6.32 Kiddush cup depicting floral and geometrical motifs,

inscribed in Hebrew in honor of the chevra qadisha(burial society) of Sulzbach on the 1st of Cheshvan, 5525(October 27, 1764)


GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. LUDWIG PICK IN MEMORY OF SIGMUND STEIN

AND FAMILY, 78.66.1

6.33 Kiddush cup inscribed in Hebrew mazal tov Mosheh benAvraham


GIFT OF DOROTHY VOGEL FROM THE ESTATE OF WALTER VOGEL,

99.58.1

6.34Ben Rafi Mayeri (Efahn, Iran, 1914San Francisco,

Calif., 2003)

Kiddush cup depicting floral motifs, inscribed in Hebrewbarukh atah h eloheynu melekh ha-olam bore peri

ha-gefen(blessed are you God, our God and king of theuniverse, creator of the fruit of the vine)

Iran, 20th centurySilver plated bronze

GIFT OF BEN RAFI MAYERI, 84.63


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6.35 Knife for cutting the Sabbath bread, depicting a hangingSabbath lamp and a table set with a kiddush cups, twoloaves of bread and and a challah cover, inscribed in

Hebrew zakhor et yom ha-shabat le-qadsho (rememberthe Sabbath day, to sanctify it, Exodus 20:7) and yommenuchah u-qedushah le-amekha natata (a day of restand of sanctity you gave to your people, after the prayerservice)

Warsaw, Poland, Gerlach, 20th century

SilverJUDAH L. MAGNES MUSEUM PURCHASE WITH FUNDS PROVIDED BY DR.

ELLIOT ZALEZNIK, 83.56.3

6.36Tray for the Sabbath bread inscribed in Hebrew zakhor etyom ha-shabat le-qadsho (remember the Sabbath day,to sanctify it, Exodus20:7) and ba-yom ha-shishi lachtu

lechem mi-sheneh(And it came to pass that on the sixthday they gathered twice as much bread, Exodus 16:22)

Berlin, Germany, Posen, ca. 1930Silver

GIFT OF THE ESTATE OF STEFANIE JONAS, 2002.6.1a

6.37 Souvenir pocket knife for cutting the Sabbath bread,

engraved in Hebrew li-khvod ha-shabat (to honor theSabbath)and karlsbad

Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Bohemia, Czech Republic, ca. 1920Silver, mother of pearl, steel

GIFT OF RALPH SILVERMAN, 89.61.2

6.38 Pocket knife for cutting the Sabbath bread, engraved inHebrew shabat qodesh(holy Sabbath), and inscribed forM. Rieder

Ca. 1920Steel, mother of pearl

GIFT OF HILDA SAPPERSTEIN, 95.1

Food Visions

1. Harold Persico Paris (19251979: United States)

Man Peeling Potatoes

1942Oil on canvas

GIFT OF SHIRLEY PARIS, 86.23.1

2. Moshe Castel (19091991: Ottoman Palestine, France,

and Israel)

Sabbath Eveca. 1935Oil on board

GIFT OF JUDGE AND MRS. STANLEY A. WEIGEL, 86.56

3. Amy Berk (b. 1967: United States)

Recoverings (Cluster)

2006Linens, wood stretcher bars



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4. Zelig Tepper (18771973: Russia and United States)

Untitled (Shabbat/Purim)

ca. 1955

Oil on canvas boardGIFT OF STEVE BLECKMAN, 2003.6.1

5. Joseph Wolins (19151999: United States)

Chicken Market

19361937Oil on canvas


6. Moshe Rynecki (18811943: Poland)

The Wedding (The Gift of Bread)

1919Oil on parchment

GIFT OF GEORGE RYNECKI, 84.65

7. Zelig Tepper (18771973: Russia and United States)

Untitled (Village Scene)

1952Oil on canvas board

GIFT OF STEVE BLECKMAN, 2003.6.2

8. Maurycy Trebacz (18611940/41: Poland)

Rabbi

Early 20thcenturyOil on board

GIFT OF GWEN AND MARTIN S. GANS IN MEMORY OF MAX AND

ESTHER LESSMAN, 91.8.2

9. Boris Deutsch (18921978: Russia, Latvia, Germany, and

United States)

Chollem (The Dream)

1967

Gouache on paperGIFT OF LEO AND JULIA KRASHEN, 91.19

10. Boris Deutsch (18921978: Russia, Latvia, Germany, and

United States)

Holiday (Blessing over wine)

1927Oil on board


11. William Freed (19021984: Poland and United States)

Market Scene

1930

Oil on canvasGIFT OF BETTY BISHOP IN HONOR OF LILLIAN ORLOWSKY, 98.21


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IRVING RABIN COLLECTION WING

Food as Religious and Social

Ritual: Israeli AdvertisementPosters

Both before and after the achievement of Israeli statehood

in 1948, Zionists actively sought to define and distinguish

the culture of the Jewish state. The establishment of a new

national identity also involved foodways, and implicated

religious rituals, ideology, as well as entrepreneurship. While

primarily concerned with the production and distribution of

food, the advertising efforts of state-owned and private food

companies in Israel often deployed a multitude of Jewish

religious references that articulated sacred connections to

the land, exalted biblical food themes, and renewed ancient

blessings of abundance.

1. JEWISH NATIONAL FUND

The Jewish National Fund (JNF), in Hebrew Keren KayemethLeyisrael, was founded as a land purchase and developmentfund of the Zionist Organization at the Fifth Zionist Congress

in Basel, Switzerland in 1901. Its name derives from a

Talmudic passage about good deeds regarding earthly

delights and rewards in the world to come.

1.1 The Orchard Verger Monte Frutal gan atze pri

English, French, Spanish, and HebrewJerusalem, Israel, Jewish National Fund, n.d.Offset litho

GIFT OF ROBERTA STEINER, 93.43.32

1.2 Ora Itan (b. 1940)

chag ha-shavuot chag ha-biqurim; ShavouthTheHarvest Festival; Chavouth La fte des prmices;ShavuotLa fiesta de la cosecha

Hebrew, English, French, and Spanish

Jerusalem, Israel, Offset Ziv for the Jewish National Fund, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.6 a

1.3 Brigitte Frankfurter

adamah, admati (The land, my land)

Jerusalem, Israel, Jewish National Fund, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.6 b

2. CITRUS MARKETING BOARD

The Citrus Control and Marketing Board, in Hebrew

Ha-moatzah le-shivaq peri hadar, was established duringthe British Mandatory period. Though the citrus fruit (Heb.

hadar) is not among the seven species listed as plentiful in

the Land of Israel by Deuteronomy, the fruit of a beautiful

tree (peri etz hadar) is cited in Leviticus as one of the ritual

four species used during the Festival of Sukkot.


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David Shechem (19232012), Abraham Lewensohn (1923

1986), and Uri Aylon

2.1 peri hadar le-vriutekhah (Citrus fruit for your health)

Tel Aviv, Israel, Omanim Meuchadim (United Artists) for Ha-moatzah le-shivaq peri hadar (Citrus Marketing Board), n.d.(ca. 1960)Offset litho

2014.0.7 b1

2.2 be-khol yom be-khol shaah qlementinah mehanah (Everyday at every hour a clementine is enjoyable)


2014.0.7 b2

2.3 eshkolit - peri taim ve-bari (Grapefruit: A tasty andhealthy fruit)


2014.0.7 b3

2.4 la-hadarim heydad (Hooray for the citrus)


2014.0.7 b4

2.5 limon tari yail le-kol tavshil (A fresh lemon is effective onany dish)

Tel Aviv, Israel, Omanim Meuchadim (United Artists) for Ha-moatzah le-shivaq peri hadar (Citrus Marketing Board), n.d.

(ca. 1960)Offset litho

2014.0.7 a1

2.6 tabure bikure tapuche zahav: peri taim bishel ve-asis(Early navel oranges: delicious fruit, ripe and juicy)

Tel Aviv, Israel, Omanim Meuchadim (United Artists) for Ha-

moatzah le-shivaq peri hadar (Citrus Marketing Board), n.d.(ca. 1960)Offset litho

2014.0.7 a2

2.7 hagashah naeh shel peri-hadar le-iruach (A lovelypresentation of citrus fruits for having guests)


2014.0.7 a3

2.8 afiley-hadarim (Late citrus varieties)Tel Aviv, Israel, Omanim Meuchadim (United Artists) for Ha-moatzah le-shivaq peri hadar (Citrus Marketing Board), n.d.(ca. 1960)Offset litho

2014.0.7 a4


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3. OSEM

In 1942, Osem Investments Ltd. was established in Bnei

Brak, Mandatory Palestine, by seven co-founders, who joined

forces in marketing the pasta products of the factories theyeach owned. The companys name (Heb. osem, or plenty)is based on the words pronounced by the High Priest on the

Day of Atonement: may this year be a year of plenty.

3.1 hayom-yom pasta(Today is Pasta Day)

Calendar for the year 5737 (19761977)Israel, Osem, 1976Offset litho

2014.0.8 b

3.2 bissli(Bissli)

Israel, Osem, n.d. (ca. 1970)

Offset litho2014.0.8 f

3.3 falafel piqanti be-taam mizrachi amiti (Spicy falafel withtrue oriental flavor)

Israel, Osem, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.8 c

4. CARMEL AGREXCO

Originally known as Agrexco, Carmel was established in Israel

in 1956 as a state-owned agricultural export company. Its

name means, in Hebrew, Gods vineyard.

4.1 Tamar. Dates, Datten, Dattes. Carmel: Produce of Israel

Hebrew, English, German, and FrenchTel Aviv, Israel, United Artists Ldt. for Carmel, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.1a

4.2 Zach Advertising

Avocado. Carmel: Produce of Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel, United Artists Ltd. for Carmel, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.1e

4.3 [Watermelon]. Carmel: Produce of Israel

Israel, E Lewin Epstein Ltd. for Carmel, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.1 b

4.4 Zach Advertising

[Strawberries]. Carmel: Produce of Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel, United Artists Ltd. for Carmel, n.d.Offset litho

2014.0.1c


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The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and LifeThe Bancroft Library I University of California, Berkeley

Gourmet Ghettos: Modern Food Rituals | Exhibition Catalog (2014)

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