Small exhibition of the 50 Jewish Objects in the Rylands gallery (Nov 2021-Apr 2022)

Four objects from the '50 Jewish Objects' are currently on display in the Rylands gallery. I was asked to participate in curating a small exhibition in collaboration with other researchers whose projects use items from the Rylands collections.

‘Researching at Rylands’ showcases innovative research exploring the sciences and humanities. Through the items on display in this gallery, you can see the collections through the eyes of researchers and explore the questions at the heart of their projects.

The cases I curated, called 'Looking in, looking out: Judaism through objects', focus on the one hand on items that show the shared developments of Jewish and non-Jewish societies, and on the other on those that draw attention to private and internal traditions peculiar to Judaism. If you visit the Rylands you will have the opportunity to observe two beautiful books: the handwritten Leipnik Haggadah, produced in the 18th century possibily for an English book collector, and the Meshal ha-Kadomoni by Isaac ben Solomon, one of the first illustrated printed books in Hebrew (for a similar example see here). In a second case, two everyday objects are on display: a large panel used as a calendar for the Shabbat service, and a circumcision wimple, an embroidered linen produced after the circumcision of a baby boy.

Head to the John Rylands Research Institute and Library between November 2021 and April 2022, and follow them @TheJohnRylands to know more.