Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center presents the exhibition Becoming Jewish: tradition and everyday life in Jewish childhood. The display will present rituals, games, and artifacts that define the world of childhood in a Jewish family.
Traditional cultures are built from rites and ceremonies, which shape the mentality, create the sense of belonging to one’s nation, and build bridges between generations. Jewish traditions and practices are transmitted inside the family through entertaining stories, rites, gifts, and other memorable events. Many of the life stages of a child a ritualized — circumcision, redemption of the firstborn son, first haircut, first day of school, coming of age ceremonies.
Once a child grows older, parents start introducing them to the Jewish festivities. Children play active part at the Passover Seder — special family dinner in the beginning of the Passover; they spin ratchets during Purim; they parade with small flags to the synagogue on the Simchat Torah — the day that marks the end of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings; they get presents and money for Hanukkah; girls burn candles during the Sabbath evening on Saturdays.
Child memory is selective and associative, it keeps everything unusual. Everything that goes against the usual way of life: taste of a festive food, special Passover kitchenware, sounds of klezmer and Purim spiel costumes. It is through childhood memories that the collective knowledge of culture is constructed.
The exhibition will be incorporated into the permanent display as a playful, entertaining space gradually presenting different aspects of the coming of age, parenting, and education: from the birth to the bar or bat mitzvah (Jewish coming of age ceremony). Games, books, and traditional artifacts of the rites and rituals will be available to try on and touch; they will be on display along with the first editions of children’s books illustrated by El Lissitzky, Isaak Rybak, Meer Akselrod. The exhibition will present historical objects from different communities from XVII century to the present day.
The exhibits will be presented by the Museum of Jewish History in Russia, Petersburg Judaica Center, Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, and private collections.
Curators: Liya Chechik, Maria Kaspina, Arel Grinberg.
Traditional cultures are built from rites and ceremonies, which shape the mentality, create the sense of belonging to one’s nation, and build bridges between generations. Jewish traditions and practices are transmitted inside the family through entertaining stories, rites, gifts, and other memorable events. Many of the life stages of a child a ritualized — circumcision, redemption of the firstborn son, first haircut, first day of school, coming of age ceremonies.
Once a child grows older, parents start introducing them to the Jewish festivities. Children play active part at the Passover Seder — special family dinner in the beginning of the Passover; they spin ratchets during Purim; they parade with small flags to the synagogue on the Simchat Torah — the day that marks the end of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings; they get presents and money for Hanukkah; girls burn candles during the Sabbath evening on Saturdays.
Child memory is selective and associative, it keeps everything unusual. Everything that goes against the usual way of life: taste of a festive food, special Passover kitchenware, sounds of klezmer and Purim spiel costumes. It is through childhood memories that the collective knowledge of culture is constructed.
The exhibition will be incorporated into the permanent display as a playful, entertaining space gradually presenting different aspects of the coming of age, parenting, and education: from the birth to the bar or bat mitzvah (Jewish coming of age ceremony). Games, books, and traditional artifacts of the rites and rituals will be available to try on and touch; they will be on display along with the first editions of children’s books illustrated by El Lissitzky, Isaak Rybak, Meer Akselrod. The exhibition will present historical objects from different communities from XVII century to the present day.
The exhibits will be presented by the Museum of Jewish History in Russia, Petersburg Judaica Center, Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, and private collections.
Curators: Liya Chechik, Maria Kaspina, Arel Grinberg.