Obj. ID: 39208  Passover cloth, Jerusalem, circa 1920

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Such printed textiles were made as souvenirs, as gifts from Jerusalem institutions for their supporters abroad and directly as ritual items. Such cloths are to be found in virtually every country in which Jews reside, having been sent their by institutions or purchased as souvenirs. The iconographic scheme usually centered around images of the Holy Sites with other Jewish symbols. The textiles were printed on a variety of fabrics ranging from simple cotton to silk. They were usually textiles either for the Pesach Seder table or for use on Shabbat and Holidays as challah covers with the appropriate prayers of the Kiddush of that event. The earliest examples, yet from the 19th century, were produced by the famous printers of that period in Jerusalem.

This is a fine example of the great many textiles that were printed at the behest of various institutions in Jerusalem for distribution to their supporters, mainly abroad. The use of Yiddish indicates its Ashkenazi orientation. This example of printing is represented in the Gross Family Collection on both blue and pink cloth.

Inscription: Lichvod Chag ha-Matzot......