Past

Jewish Ceremonial Art from The Jewish Museum

May 23, 2024 – May 18, 2025

The Jewish Museum and The Cleveland Museum of Art partner to showcase Judaica from the Jewish Museum’s renowned collection.

The Jewish Museum has partnered with The Cleveland Museum of Art, famous for the quality and breadth of its collection, to display a group of Jewish ceremonial objects from our world-renowned collection. The pieces are shown in six permanent collection galleries at The Cleveland Museum of Art, representing the diversity of Jewish cultures throughout the world and time. Among the objects are silver Torah ornaments from Italy, France, and Georgia; a rare German festival lamp; and spice containers made in Ukraine and the United States. They convey the creativity of Jewish communities and artists from different backgrounds in which they adapted traditional forms of Judaica to changing fashions, styles, and needs, often drawing on broader cultures. Visitors can explore the artistic and cultural significance of these objects and learn about the rituals for which they were created.

Ornate silver Torah case with intricate floral and architectural designs, topped with two decorative finials, displayed against a plain white background.

Torah Case with Finials, c. 1870. Maurice Mayer (French, active 1860s–70s). Silver, partial gilt, wood, textile; overall: 61.6 x 36.5 x 34.9 cm (24 1/4 x 14 3/8 x 13 3/4 in.). The Jewish Museum, NY. The H. Ephraim and Mordecai Benguiat Family Collection

Exhibition highlights

  • Pair of ornate silver Torah finials with multiple tiers of intricate floral designs, bells hanging from chains, and detailed engraving on the stems, displayed against a neutral background.

    Torah Finials, early 1700s. Italy, Mantua. Silver; overall: 54.6 x 14 cm (21 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.). The Jewish Museum, NY. Gift of Samuel and Lucille Lemberg

  • Ornate silver and gold spice container with elaborate floral, architectural, and symbolic details, including a sunflower-shaped top, bells, a crown, and intricate base engravings, displayed against a neutral background.

    JM 34-51, Spice Container, , Photographer: John Parnell, Photo © The Jewish Museum, New York

  • Pair of silver Torah finials with spherical tops, hanging bells, and intricate engraved patterns, displayed upright on a black base against a light gray background.

    Torah Finials, 1880. Georgia, Tbilisi, Surami community. Silver; overall: 41.9 x 13.7 cm (16 1/2 x 5 3/8 in.). The Jewish Museum, NY. Purchase: The Abraham and Mildred Goldstein Memorial Fund; Gift in honor of Susan Braunstein, Senior Curator of the Jewish Museum from 1980 to 2018

  • Ornate silver hanging spice container with a human figure holding two flags at the top, multiple bells, decorative figures and grape motifs, and a suspended vessel with a pinecone-shaped finial at the bottom.

    Sabbath/Festival Lamp, 1680–1720. Johann Valentin Schüler (German, 1650–1720). Silver; overall: 56.5 x 37.5 cm (22 1/4 x 14 3/4 in.). The Jewish Museum, NY. Jewish Cultural Reconstruction

  • Ornate silver Torah crown with intricate floral and scrollwork designs, featuring small decorative shields and a scalloped top edge, displayed against a plain background.

    Torah Crown, 1764–77. Giovanni Maria Ronchi (Italian, active 1764–1801). Silver, partial gilt. The Jewish Museum, NY. Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman

  • Modern polished silver vessel with smooth, flowing curves and three spouts at the top, creating a sculptural, abstract form, displayed against a neutral background.

    Spice Container, 2004. Chunghi Choo (American, born Korea 1938). Copper alloy, silver plate; overall: 15.2 x 10.8 x 10.8 cm (6 x 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 in.). Jewish Museum Centennial Commission; Purchase: Gift of Silver Family in honor of the birthday of Stuart Silver © Chunghi Choo