Shared History: 1700 Years of Jewish Life in German-speaking Lands:  https://sharedhistoryproject.org/

2021 marks the 1,700 anniversary of the earliest evidence of a Jewish presence in the Roman provinces of the Rhineland (mentioned in a 321 edict of Constantine the Great as preserved in a 6^th century manuscript at the Vatican library).  The Shared History Project will use 58 objects located in several dozen collections presented chronologically to create a multifaceted historical narrative of the complex coexistence of Jews and non-Jews in German-speaking lands over 1,700 years. Each object will illustrate a facet about  Jewish history and everyday life which was and still is deeply interwoven with the peoples, regions, and countries of Central Europe. Each week in 2021, a new object will be released (you can sign up for a weekly reminder), with daily entries during the week of November 10,  each object is accompanied by two brief essays & a provenance note, embedded in a time-line, featured on a map, and will also be placed in a virtual exhibition room which will open this week.

Last week, the 14^th century Jewish wedding from Colmar was featured, held by the  Musée de Cluny in Paris, which was very recently (exactly pre-pandemic ….. sigh, those were the days )  presented at the Cloisters/ Metropolitan Museum as the highlight of the exquisite Colmar Treasure exhibition.

SHP Object 8, released Feb 21, 2021

https://sharedhistoryproject.org/object/jewish-ceremonial-wedding-ring

Throughout the year, events and lectures will accompany the online project.
During our first event last week, three experts on late antiquity discussed archeological and historical evidence surrounding Jewish life in ancient Roman provinces north of the Alpes (mainly related to the archaeological sites in Cologne (Germany) and Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), the recording was just placed on LBI’s Youtube channel: Jewish Life in Late Antiquity: From Colonia Agrippina to Augusta Raurica,

We would be delighted if you could join and follow this project -  and spread the word 

Thanks

Your collegagues at the Leo Baeck Institute New York | Berlin

Posted by:

Renate Evers

Director of Collections

Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History