Lecture Series in the Israel Museum,
December 1995-January 1996
The Center continued its winter tradition of offering the general public a series of
lectures focusing on its most recent research in Jewish art.
Mordechai Narkiss Prize Ceremony,
December 24, 1995
This annual ceremony held at the Israel Museum paid tribute to Mordechai Narkiss, founder
of the Bezalel National Museum which became the core of the Israel Museum. The recipient
of the prize was Center researcher, Dr. Boris Lekar.
Lecture Series in United States,
February-March 1996
Professor Bezalel Narkiss lectured on various aspects of Jewish art in New York, Boston,
New Hampshire, and Los Angeles. Among the places where he appeared were Harvard University
and Mishkan Tefila Synagogue in Boston, the Friedman Society and the American Friends of
Hebrew University’s Presidents Council in New York, and the Los Angeles
Collector’s Club.
Jewish Faith, Jewish Life: Jews and Judaism in the City
and University of Goettingen,
April- May 1996
The Center for Jewish Art’s documentation of synagogues in Niedersachsen was
prominently displayed at the exhibition which was held at the University of
Goettingen. See article.
The Holy Path Will Call You: Pilgrimage in Art and
Architecture
The Society for Jewish Art held its 28th annual Passover conference at the Israel Museum
with over 300 participants. The conference featured scholars from the Hebrew University,
the University of Haifa, the University of Pisa, and experts from the Israel Museum and
other institutions. The rich variety of lectures and tour of the museum examined the
pilgrimage from a Jewish perspective, from the First Temple period to modern times, and
also its representation inChristian and Moslem art. Of special interest was the
lecture on the Sigd (renewal of the covenant) tradition of the Jews in Ethiopia to
symbolically reenact the pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple.
Judaica Fair,
May 5-9, 1996
The Center’s 35 publications were on display at this international gathering held
every two years in Jerusalem.
Course, Hebrew University Rothberg School for Overseas
Students,
Spring 1996
Ruth Jacoby, the Center’s deputy director, conducted a course on Art and
Architecture of the Synagogue from Antiquity to Modern Times for sixteen students
from ten different countries. In this course they shared their own personal
experiences and different cultural heritage in exploring the development of the synagogue
in Jewish communities around the world. The students visited museums and synagogues
in Jerusalem to compare and contrast the artistic and architectural traditions of various
Jewish communities in Israel.
Fifth International Seminar on Jewish Art,
June 16-21, 1996
Dedicated to The Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Art, the
seminar was an unprecedented success with 120 lectures, and 450 participants from 24
countries. See article.
Jewish Art Seminar at the St. Petersburg Jewish
University,
June-July 1996
The Center held its third intensive seminar on Jewish Art for students, educators and
community leaders in Russia. See article.
Lecture Series, England,
July, 1996
Professor Bezalel Narkiss lectured to friends of the Hebrew University on Jewish Identity
and Art at the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery and on Preserving Jewish Heritage at the
Jewish Museum in London.
