Torah Ark

Description:

This is a carved plaque section of a Torah ark, made in the late 19th or early 20th century, that was dismantled from a former Philadelphia synagogue.

Religious affiliation or connection to a religious group was an important social, economic, and ideological component of ethnic identity, especially for turn of the century America. Religious affiliation helped immigrants by welcoming them into the communities, assisting with their transition socially and economically.

Those practicing Judaism sought to create a balance between European traditions within a new American setting. By 1900 there was a large population of both reform and Orthodox Judaism. Decorative Torah arks such as this were found in synagogues around the country and are most likely a link to the elaborately carved decorations of their former synagogues in Europe.

Date Made: ca 1880 - 1920

Place Made: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Subject: JudaismImmigration

Subject:

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Religion, Cultures & Communities, Religion, Artifact Walls exhibit

Exhibition: Artifact Walls

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Related Publication: Grossman, Grace Cohen, with Richard Eighme Ahlborn. Judaica at the Smithsonian: Cultural Politics as Cultural Model, Nation of Nations, A

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: CL.315408.01Catalog Number: 315408.01Accession Number: 315408

Object Name: plaque

Physical Description: wood (overall material)paint (overall material)nails (part material)Measurements: overall: 36 3/4 in x 33 3/4 in x 9 1/2 in; 93.345 cm x 85.725 cm x 24.13 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-16dd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_667712

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