“Etrog: The Wandering Fruit” in the News

September 30, 2023/in About, Museum, Temple Emanu-El /by Bryan Limon

Have you ever wondered about the journey of the etrog? The Bernard Museum of Judaica dives deep into this topic in time for Sukkot with its groundbreaking exhibit “Etrog: The Wandering Fruit”,which is already creating a buzz in the press.

This week, “Etrog: The Wandering Fruit” was highlighted in “A NYC exhibit explores the etrog’s journey around the Jewish world” from the New York Jewish Week (reprinted in Times of Israel) and a brief “Learn About the Etrog for Sukkot” blurb in the New York Times.

Showcasing over 100 unique etrog-related artifacts, the exhibit features contributions from 20 different lenders. Notable contributors include the Jewish Museum, the New York Botanical Garden Library, and the American Numismatic Society. The display boasts a diverse collection, ranging from etrog containers to documents about the etroger (a Yiddish term for a Jewish merchant who sold etrogs). Additionally, visitors can view illuminated pages where the etrog makes its appearance, both originals and facsimiles.

Don’t miss this fascinating exhibit, which runs September 5 – November 20 from Sunday through Thursday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

An Illuminating Path at the Crossroads of Sefarad

August 23, 2022/in Temple Emanu-El, Bulletin, Community, Learning, Membership, Museum Lifelong Learning, Religious School, Worship /by Bryan Limon

By Jenny Silber When you think of what it means to be Jewish, lox and bagels on a Sunday morning or matzah ball soup on Passover may be some of the first things to come to mind. The commonality of sharing these traditions can make us feel like we know a Jewish person before we …

Hey Alma: I Never Thought About Being Jewish Until I Left New York

July 13, 2022/in Temple Emanu-El, Community, Learning, Membership, Museum /by Bryan Limon

July 13, 2022 Read this terrific article in Hey Alma by Religious School teacher Sophia Garcia Maier about her Sephardic heritage, and how her experience on our Lifelong Learning faculty has been a meaningful part of her Jewish Journey. “I am a New York Jew, the Jewish daughter of two unabashed New Yorkers, and I …

Museum Donation

February 18, 2022/in Temple Emanu-El, Bulletin, Community, Membership, Museum /by Bryan Limon

Inscription: “For in this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins that are before you, before you shall be cleansed” (Leviticus 16:30) In honor of Temple Emanu-El’s 175th anniversary, the Men’s Club donated a 19th century Yom Kippur Belt Buckle to the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum. We …

Past Exhibitions

December 18, 2020/in Museum /by Bryan Limon

January 31 – March 28, 2023: Violins of Hope: Every Violin Has A Story

March 24, 2022 – November 15, 2022: At the Crossroads of Sefarad: In the Footsteps of the Crypto-Jews

October 2019 – June 2020: Hello Gorgeous, a Barbra Streisand Exhibition

February – August 2019: The Guiding Hand: Torah Pointers from Past to Present

April – November 2018: Home: Lens on Israel

October 2017 – February 2018: Semi[te] Sweet: on Jews and Chocolate

May – September 2017: Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating Twenty Years of the Bernard Museum of Judaica

November 2016 – February 2017: All About Golda

February – June 2016: Boi Kalah, Here Comes the Bride: Wedding Dresses Embroidering the Story of the Jewish People (traveling)

April – October 2015: Visualizing the Bible: Works by David Wander

May 2014 – January 2015: Justify Your Existence, Graphic Posters from the Moldovan Family Collection

April – September 2013: The Writing on the Wall, Early Modern Broadsides from the Valmadonna Trust Library

March – October 2012: Bezalel: Art, Craft & Jewish National Identity

November 2008- February 2009: Past Perfect: The Jewish Experience in Early 20^th Century Postcards (traveling)

November 2007 – February 2008: Houses of Life: Jewish Cemeteries of Europe

December 2006 – March 2007: Sanctuary Revealed: The Restoration of an Architectural Icon

August – November 2006: Woven Abstraction: Milton Avery, Paul Jenkins and Jack Youngerman in the Tapestries of Gloria F. Ross

May – August 2006: Culture and Costume: Depictions of Jewish Dress across Five Centuries (traveling)

November 2005 – March 2006 : Scattered Among the Nations: Jewish Communities of India, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Peru and Uzbekistan

April – August 2005: Traveling the Holy Land Through the Stereoscope (traveling)

November 2003 – January 2004: Kabbalah: Mysticism in Jewish Life

May – September 2004: Roman Vishniac: Remember the Days of Old

February – May 2003: Works on Paper: Israel Prize Winners from the Burston Graphics Center

April – July 2002: Borders and Boundaries: Maps of the Holy Land, 15^th – 19^th Centuries

April – July 2001: To Have and To Hold: Decorated Jewish Marriage Contracts

November 1999 – March 2000: Building a Vision: Louis Marshall, Temple Emanu-El and New York City, 1929

Reflections of our past as we build toward our future

May 30, 2020/in Community, Membership, Museum, Temple Emanu-El /by Bryan Limon

Reflections of our past as we build toward our future This page includes posts from the Bernard Museum of Judaica spanning Temple Emanu-El’s history in New York City. In April 2020, Temple Emanu-El celebrated its 175th anniversary, and we will continue to celebrate this milestone with special events, posts, and more. The below posts are …

‘175 Years Ago Today’: A Message from Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson

April 13, 2020/in Community, About, Giving, Learning, Membership, Museum, Temple Emanu-El /by Bryan Limon

Dear Friends, One hundred seventy-five years ago today, April 13, 1845, thirty-three German immigrants, refugees of the despotism surging in Western Europe, founded Temple Emanu-El in a small rented facility downtown on the corner of Clinton and Grand streets. It was the city’s first Reform synagogue, and soon became the model for Reform congregations around …

Hello, Gorgeous

September 10, 2019/in Museum /by Bryan Limon

Return to the Museum We are thrilled to announce that Temple Emanu-El’s Bernard Museum of Judaica will be re-opening for a limited time from Tuesday, October 13 through Friday, October 30. Please note, the museum will ONLY be open to Temple members for exclusive guided tours with social distancing for up to four people at a time. Tours will take …

The Guiding Hand

December 4, 2018/in Museum /by Bryan Limon

Return to the Museum Exhibition dates February 6 — August 11, 2019 Temple Emanu-El, 1 East 65th Street Museum hours: Sunday – Thursday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM For thousands of years, Jews used simple tapered wooden sticks to point the way through the densely written text of the Torah without touching the fragile parchment. …