Jewish Aesthetics

[gliklofhameln]

Bride and groom holding a kiddush cup under the chuppah, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960s. Photograph: Jean Mohr.

[milksockets]

shot by leonard nimoy in american photo magazine september/october 2002

[vmures]

The museum at my undergrad hosted a photography exhibit by Leonard Nimoy around 2002 or 2003 featuring photographs from his Shekhina series (which is the series the above pic comes from). It's a gorgeous and powerful series.

He was a very talented photographer. If you're curious about his photography, check out this page over at R. Michelson Galleries:

[halfmoonworkshop]

Earrings by Half Moon at Half Moon Workshop. Note: our older stock is still available on Shopify while we finish the transition over to Etsy.

Pomegranates are one of the sacred species in Judaism and have deep significance and symbolism in Jewish culture, and why not? They're beautiful and delicious. If you look through the Half Moon Workshop, you'll see quite a lot of pomegranate motifs depicted. Some are charms or beads, like the earrings pictured here; others are woven into Celtic knotwork or other designs inspired by medieval illuminated manuscript. There are realistic pomegranates and stylised pomegranates, wearable pomegranates and kissable* pomegranates and decorative home pomegranates. It's a lot of pomegranates.

*Mezuzah cases. Don't make it weird.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Rosh Hashanah

Polish vintage postcard

[drguyphoto]

The last photo of mine of the former site of Dublin Hebrew Congregation, Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. This site was sold to developers and the synagogue is being demolished, and in its place housing is being built. This picture was taken on Fujicolor 200 35mm film using a Nikon F80 SLR and Nikkor 50mm f1.4G lens, and developed using Arista C-41 chemistry.

[gliklofhameln]

Embroidered towel for the mikveh

Late 19th-early 20th century

[postcard-from-the-past]

Street scene in the Jewish district of Marrakesh, Morocco

French vintage postcard

[hiddurmitzvah]

Sukkot plaque from the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The item is from Sopronkeresztúr, from the early 20th century.

[bluesardine]

I keep seeing the following image linked on TikToks about the rights of Afghan women, and how in the past they were allowed to walk freely in skirts and now are unable to even leave their homes. And yes, absolutely, this is something we should be loud in addressing. But it’s also important to not spread disinformation and this image is a clear example. The street signs and taxis are clearly in Hebrew. A quick google search reveals Luntz St is in Jerusalem (maybe this street is a different one, I don’t recognize it, but it’s definitely in Israel, right?).

[aprettyjewishyear]

Esther. photographs of Bri Watson, Elliot Porcher, Sage Cassell-Rosenberg, and Rachel Sadaty-Ellerson by Luis Mercedes Winter for the "Flowers for Our People" exhibition, 2026. the exhibition was directed by Sage Cassell-Rosenberg and produced by Is Perlman with assistance from Ariella Cohen. Saffron Mala Kaplan provides a written reflection for this piece:

While not a queer narrative at first glance, the story of Queen Esther is powerfully relatable to anyone who has ever been in the closet, unable to reveal their true selves. Born Hadassah, the future queen goes by Esther: a non-Jewish name, related to the goddess Ashtoreth, to help her blend into her Persian surroundings. Esther is also connected to the Hebrew root s-t-r, meaning “to hide.” As she enters the royal household, Esther is forced to keep her Jewish identity hidden, though she is eventually required to out herself in an act of incredible bravery in order to save her people. To all the members of the LGBTQ+ who are still closeted, know that you are incredibly strong. We pray that one day we will live in a world where everyone is free to express their true selves.

[jewishaesthetics]

[bialerwochenblat]

One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen - cover of a Yiddish art journal titled Milgroym (Pomegranate), published in Berlin between 1922 and 1924. Thanks to the efforts of The National Library of Israel issues of Milgroym were scanned and published online. To find this beautifully edited and extremely elegant journal please visit the following link:

http://web.nli.org.il/sites/JPress/English/Pages/Milgroim.aspx

Don’t forget about other Yiddish newspapers from all around the world  published online at The National Library of Israel:

http://web.nli.org.il/sites/JPress/English/Pages/default.aspx

[postcard-from-the-past]

Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Palestine

British vintage postcard

[rachamemories]

Beeswax havdalah candle. Want to bite forbidden fancy spaghetti

[postcard-from-the-past]

Sukkot celebration booth at the Grand Synagogue of Paris

French vintage postcard

[hiddurmitzvah]

Yiddish advertisement for Professor Abraham Hochman’s Clairvoyancy services. Reprinted in ‘Der shlisl tsu der nevu’e’, 1909. YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

[hiddurmitzvah]

Amulet to protect a woman and her newborn son, with invocations of Adam and Eve, Lilith, and several angels; Podolia or Ukraine, late nineteenth or early twentieth century.

The Russian Museum of Ethnography, St. Petersburg, Russia

[heartpeacenquiet]