Obj. ID: 55379
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Mizrah, Eretz Israel, circa 1935

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Printing in the Holy Land began only in 1841, but by the end of the century there were several printing houses and a large quantity of printed books and single sheets to serve a variety of purposes. A great many of these printed items were decorated by vignettes of holy places. This single sheet, a Mizrach printed on ruled paper for use in the Succah, is typical of many of the items prepared in Jerusalem.  They were often sent abroad as souvenirs or fundraising devices by the many Jewish self-help and charity organizations operating in the Holy Land.

Mizrah (Hebrew: מזרח "east") is the Hebrew word for "east" and the direction that Jews in the Diaspora face during prayer. Jewish law prescribes that Jews at prayer face the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, "Mizrach" refers to an ornamental wall plaque used to indicate the direction of prayer in Jewish homes. In a synagogue, that direction would be obvious as it is the side of the building on which the ark was placed. But in a home or Sukkah the direction had to be indicated. It is customary in traditional Jewish homes and the Sukkah to mark the wall in the direction of Mizrach to facilitate proper prayer.

The page bears the stamp of "B. (S.?) Schulmann, Rabbiner, Tiberias Palastina, Heiligen Landen".

Signed Rabbi:                 Rabbi Schulmann