Objects Tell Stories: Rosenbaum’s Mizrah Across Six Generations
<p>What would you give your child if you knew you might never see them again? Israel Dov Rosenbaum, my paternal great-great-grandfather, gave his daughter Bessie papercut artworks he made by hand. They are now considered to be among the greatest surviving examples of Jewish paper cutting. Art is a vessel for our knowledge, values, and cultures. It can also be a gift of love that connects the generations. One of the paper cuts was a <a href="https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/2460-mizrah" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">mizrah</a> (מִזְרָח), designed to orient Bessie East, toward Jerusalem, from wherever she landed in the diaspora. Another was an <a href="https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/29759-amulet-amulet-for-expectant-mother" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">amulet for expectant mothers to protect their descendants.</a> Since Israel’s Hebrew name contained the letters of one of the names of God, he reshaped the lines of a <em>lamed</em> (ל) into a<em> lamed-aleph</em> (ל-א) in his signature to protect its sanctity. Six generations later, these gifts to his daughter continue to inspire new stories.</p>
<p><a href="https://stories.thejewishmuseum.org/objects-tell-stories-rosenbaums-mizrah-across-six-generations-cd435a9b6a54"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>