Obj. ID: 50009
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts  Alphabet chart for the teaching Hebrew to young children, Yemen, circa 1920

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Literacy has always been a primary goal for Jews throughout the Diaspora. Even during he dark ages the knowledge of reading and writing was maintained. The study of the Holy texts was impossible without these skills and such study was the goal of every Jewish male. Education began at an early age. There are many books and single sheets in the Gross Family Collection that are testimony to the efforts made for teaching.

The importance of literacy among Jews for the purpose of reading the Bible and other sources has been a foundation of Jewish life for millennia. The teaching of Hebrew was required of all Jewish male children. One of the aids for this was the Aleph-Bet chart used in the classroom. By their ephemeral nature and their continual use, only a few have survived. Among the things illustrated on such charts are the letters with all the different vowels and various blessings relevant to children. Such charts were hung on the wall of the school. Since Aleph-Bet books for the teaching of Hebrew only became widely available in the last half of the 19th century, such charts were essential aids in teaching the language

 An unusual specimen of an alphabet chart for the teaching of Hebrew to young children, this example is done by hand.  In Yemen there was no printing press until well into the 20th century, so all necessary material that was normally printed was either imported or done by hand, as in this case.