We wanted to launch Jewniverse with a bang. And what better way to do that, than to give you a great new way to view the history of the Jewish people?
History tends to be thought of as a written chronicle or a list of dates, but as YIVO’s remarkable online encyclopedia shows, we can learn a lot from images–even when those images are on greeting cards and posters.
Here you’ll find everything from a tuberculosis warning encouraging Weimar Jews to cover their mouths when sneezing, to an early attempt at soothing Jewish infighting–a Rosh Hashanah greeting card with the Yiddish encouragement:“German or Hasid, rich or poor/Be brotherly and shake hands!/May you be inscribed for the new year/Whoever or whatever you are!”
History books can tell you about the events our ancestors lived through, but these amazing images can give you an idea of how our ancestors actually lived.
