‘Flannel Flowers And Brass Tray’, 1931 - Grace Cossington Smith (1892–1984)

Mur des Lamentations (The Wailing Wall), 1880, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Israel Museum

A Decorative Synagogue Plaque Indicating the Times of Prayer, [detail], by Abraham Pavian, Hermannstadt (Sibiu), Romania, (1878), multi-coloured paint on paper with metal dials set in a wood and glass frame, 40.6 x 55.9 cm, private collection. The five manual clocks designate the times of the daily morning and afternoon prayer service as well as the times of the services for the Sabbath prayers. The Hebrew inscription around the border, comprised of verses from the book of Psalms (88:13-17), alludes to the morning prayers, source: sothebys.com.

Happy Sukkot to all my jewish friends 🙏🏼! Had a lovely lunch in at the #Deloitte Sukkah in the city today! Great food and very friendly people ☺️ #Jewish #festival #Sukkot #sukkah #jewishherritage #jewishheritagefestival #healthybody #healthyfood #healthymind #gratitude #realpeople #london #city (at Deloitte)

Jean-Étienne Liotard, The Chocolate Girl, 1744-45, pastel on parchment, 82.5 x 52.5 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden. Source

Jean-Étienne Liotard was a Swiss-French painter specialising in portraits and figurative scenes. This is one of his most famous works and was created using pastels on parchment. Liotard will be the subject of a major exhibition at the Royal Academy this autumn.

On Wednesday, July 29, over 700 people attended the members’ opening at The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) for Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait and the companion exhibition, You Know I’m No Good which are on view through November 1, 2015

Dark paths. Edinburgh, Scotland

original travel photography by- mbphotograph

Breaking News: Halachic Prenup Backed By Major Haredi Rabbis Jew in the City was founded in order to break down stereotypes about the Orthodox community and publicize all the positive news about religious Jews that rarely makes the news. But about a year ago I realized that some of the negative ideas people have about our community aren’t based on “bad apples” or misconceptions. They’re based on real problems which WE need to fix. We can’t just make the Orthodox world LOOK good, we have to make sure the Orthodox world IS good.

Now it’s kind of hard to tackle communal-wide problems (especially when you’re trying to run and grow an organization!), but then I heard that for one of the issues which has gotten worse in the last year, there is a (nearly) foolproof solution! I am speaking about the agunah crisis…

Read more: http://jewinthecity.com/2015/03/historic-backing-of-halachic-prenup-by-haredi-rabbis/#ixzz3VzLilCaN

Happy Mother’s Day!

Jewish Art in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium

“In the first centuries C.E., Jewish communities could be found in every corner of the Roman empire, from Sardis (Turkey) to Ostia (Italy), from Hamman Lif (Tunisia) to Intercisa (Hungary). The archaeological remnants and literary attestations of more than 150 synagogues throughout the empire make clear that Jews were integral to the urban landscape of late antiquity, well beyond the borders of Roman Palestine. In early Byzantine synagogues, specifically Jewish symbols—shofarot (ram’s horns), menorot (branched lamps), and Torah shrines—might appear alongside pomegranates, birds, lions, and fountains. Asia Minor, in particular, boasted numerous, and often prosperous, Jewish communities. The third-century synagogue in the Roman garrison town of Dura-Europos, like the Christian meeting house and the shrine devoted to the Persian god Mithras that stood just yards away, was adorned with sumptuous painting. Splendid murals with narrative scenes from the Bible covered the synagogue’s walls; painted tiles of zodiacal symbols ornamented its ceiling. Plaques with dedicatory inscriptions give some indication of the individuals and families who funded the building of such synagogues. ”

“This tragic and appalling story emerges well from this volume. It is a most important contribution to a little-known aspect of the genocide of the Jewish people during the Second World War and will become the standard work on the subject, illustrating clearly the whole character of the Romanian genocide.”