Home
   Under Reconstruction!
Art Alone

Img. ID: 31511

© Center for Jewish Art, Photographer: Unknown,

The narrow rectangular plaque is surmounted by an arched wavy top, with an opening for hanging. The plaque is titled with a Hebrew inscription:

נדבות / לחלק לכל קופות

"Donations for distributing to all the donation boxes."

The plaque is inscribed with a list of the Levi and Mosigliano families and their first names, written on a paper attached to the right. The left side is pierced with 30 rows of holes, 12 holes in each row. Hebrew letters are inscribed alphabetically above the first row. The letters are divided into two groups: soldi and litrin, which are names of small Italian coins.

Within most holes are threads knotted on both ends. Each second row of the holes is empty.

The following is the list of the Levi and Mosigliano members of the community:

Benjamin Levi

בנימין לוי

JudahLevi

יהודה לוי

Michael Levi

מיכאל לוי

Mordechai Levi

מרדכי לוי

Menahem Levi

מנחם לוי

Jonathan Levi, son ofJudah

יונתן לוי ב(ן) יהודה

Jonathan Levi, son of Raphael

יונתן לוי ב(ן) רפאל

Isaac Levi

יצחק לוי

Joseph Levi, son of Salomon

יוסף לוי ב(ן) שלמה

Jonathan Levi, son of Isaac

יונתן לוי ב(ן) יצחק

David Mosigliano

דוד מוסיליאנו

Salomon Mosigliano

שלמה מוסיליאנו

Jonathan Mosigliano

יונתן מוסיליאנו

Samuel ? Mosigliano

שמואל ? מוסיליאנו

David Mosigliano

דוד מוסיליאנו

Name/Title
Plaque for alms' donation (Luah Menadvim le-Zedakah) | Unknown
Object Detail
Description
Settings
Unknown
Date
18th century
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown (Unknown)
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Congregation
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period Detail
Collection
Italy | Sc_530
| 26
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Material / Technique
Wood, paper, ink, parchment
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
317 mm
Length
Width
260 mm
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Subject
Unknown |
Condition

The plaque is in good condition.

 

Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
0
Ornamentation
Custom
In most Jewish communities around the world, it is customary that a man who is called up to the Torah in a synagogue, pays an amount of money to the synagogue for the honour. This custom can be problematic since on Sabbaths and festivals it is prohibited to deal with or even to mention money.
This was the reason for the development of plaques such as the one described below. This plaque was used for registering the "sale" of Torah readings and other donations on Sabbaths and festivals – to avoid directly speaking of monetary matters. The plaque allowed the sum of money which was to be paid on a weekday by the members of the community accorded an honour, to be marked in a clever way: A list of the community members was set beside a vertical row of holes with attached threads, inscribed with a sum of money. During the "sale" of the Torah readings, the threads were then drawn out in order to mark the specific sum donated, corresponding to the name of the donor.
It is still unknown when the communities in Piedmont started this custom. The earliest plaque documented dates back to 1703, and is inscribed with names of members who prayed in the Mondovi synagogue (Sc.530-25). Apart from representing the custom, these plaques provide a valuable genealogical list of the families, who lived in Piedmont from the early eighteenth century. arranged according to the synagogues Moreover, a comparison of lists from different periods reveals the development or the decline of a specific synagogue, as for example the two plaques of Asti, point to the diminishing number of its members who read the Torah during the service in the nineteenth century (Sc.528-39).
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Summary and Remarks
Remarks
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Bibliography

-       Biddau, Niccolò. Gli Spazi della Parola: Synagogue in Piemonte. Torino: Elede Editrica SRL,2002. In Italian and English.

-       Sacerdoti, Annie, and Annamarcella Tedeschi Falco. Piemonte Itinerari ebraici: I luoghi, la storia, l'arte. Venezia: Marsilio Edition,1994. In Italian.

Sacerdoti, Annie, and Luca Fiorentino. Guide to Jewish Italy. New York: Israelowitz Publishing, 1999. 

Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Type
Documenter
Eliad Moreh | 07.00
Author of description
Ariella Amar | 06.04
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
Ariella Amar | 06.04
Language Editor
Judith Cordozo | 11.07
Donor
UNESCO |
Negative/Photo. No.
S112914