Jewish Worlds Illuminated: A Treasury of Hebrew Manuscripts from The JTS Library
Jewish Worlds Illuminated: A Treasury of Hebrew Manuscripts from The JTS Library
September 17–December 27, 2025
Grolier Club
47 E 60th St.
New York, NY 10022
Jewish Worlds Illuminated features over 100 manuscripts and books offering a world tour of Jewish literary creativity across many centuries and thousands of miles. The exhibition explores the diversity of cultures in the lands in which Jews resided, including Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Yemen, Iraq and Iran, Italy, France, Spain, and Germany. Curated by Professor David Kraemer, Sharon Liberman-Mintz, and Dr. Marcus Mordecai Schwartz, and drawn from the important rare book collection of The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary, exhibition highlights include a fund-raising letter signed by the great rabbi and philosopher, Moses Maimonides; a monumental decorated prayer book for the Jewish High Holidays, created in Germany in 1290, which opens with an elaborate Gothic portal inviting the reader to enter and engage in the prayers; a richly illustrated Passover Haggadah from Renaissance Italy by the master scribe-artist Joel Ben Simeon; and a 1875 Haggadah from Baghdad, written in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic. Made possible by support from the David Berg Foundation and the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation.
Attend a Lecture
The Decoration of Hebrew Manuscripts with Sharon Liberman-Mintz and Emile Schrijver
Monday, October 20, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Jews as Citizens of the World with Dr. David Kraemer
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Tour the Exhibit
Monday, September 29, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
Monday, November 3, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
Monday, December 1, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
Tour registration will be available at a later date.
Sunday Openings
October 19, November 2, November 16, and December 14 at 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
