Hand Washbasin
Unusual Objects from Our Core Exhibition Tell Stories of Jewish Life
Before the priestly blessing is made in the synagogue, the hands of those making the blessing are ritually washed.
Hand washbasin, manufacturer: S. & D. Loewenthal, Frankfurt am Main, 1895/96, silver; Jewish Museum Berlin, accession 2005/307/0, photo: Jens Ziehe
This ceremonial wash basin is from the synagogue of the Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main. It was donated by Hermann Meyer in 1896, in memory of his father, Salomon, who had died the previous year. The priestly benediction is taken from the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 6:24–26) and used in Jewish ritual and liturgy.
The blessing is traditionally recited in synagogues by the kohanim, descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron, who served as priests in the ancient Temple. Salomon Meyer performed this honorary task in the Frankfurt community for forty years. In most progressive communities today, this ritual is no longer practiced.
Further information on this object can be found in our online collections (in German).
Core Exhibition: 13 Objects – 13 Stories (13)
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13 Objects – 13 Stories
A Torah shield, a sculpture, a cushion: 13 unusual objects of our core exhibition tell 13 stories of Jewish life. What would a museum be without its many objects, some small, some big, each rich in meaning? You can get a sneak peek of the objects here on our website.
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Shevirat ha-Kelim (Breaking of the Vessels) by Anselm Kiefer
This installation can be found in our core exhibition in the Libeskind Building, on level 2
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L’amitié au coeur (Friendship of the Heart)
by Étienne-Maurice Falconet (1716–1791), Paris, 1765, marble
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Finds from the Memmelsdorf Genizah
Memmelsdorf (find site), ca. 1725–1830, paper, ink, fabric, leather, porcelain
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Torah Shield
donated by Isaak Jakob Gans (1723–1798), Hamburg, 1760–1765, silver
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Manheimer Family Portrait
by Julius Moser (1805–1879), Berlin, 1850, oil on canvas
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Puppet Show
King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Käte Baer-Freyer (1885–1988), Berlin, ca. 1924, plywood, metals
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Decorated Cushion
“ISRAELI, JEW, and now SEVERELY DISABLED ...,” Daniel Josefsohn (1961–2016), Berlin, 2014/15, textile
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Silver Formerly Owned by Jews
Provenance: up to 1939 unknown Jewish owners, 1939 Hamburg Tax Authority
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Going-away Present
Bruno Heidenheim, Album to bid farewell to Margot (1913–2010) and Ernst (1898–1971) Rosenthal, Chemnitz, 1936
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Hand Washbasin
Manufacturer: S. & D. Loewenthal, Frankfurt am Main, 1895/96, silver
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No Longer in the Country
Unclaimed membership cards for the Jewish community Frankfurt am Main, 1949
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Composition
by Otto Freundlich (1878–1943), 1938, tempera on cardboard
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Yellow Star
of the Lehmann family, Berlin, 1941–1945
