by Susan Danielson
Upon thy Gates, the Elaine and Norman Winik Collection, the first traveling exhibit of Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, is on view until April 23, 2023, at The Museum at Eldridge Street in New York City. In keeping with the commitment to share the museum’s growing collections with a wider audience, the traveling exhibition features 72 of the 169 mezuzahs from the OJMCHE collection.
THE COLLECTION
Upon Thy Gates, The Elaine K. and Norman Winik Mezuzah Collection consists of 169 mezuzahs from around the world and was bequeathed to OJMCHE in 2017. Forming a collection was not the Winiks’ original aim; Norman had gifted Elaine many of these treasured mezuzahs to commemorate their travels, and they gradually realized they had formed a wonderful, important collection.
Elaine K. Winik’s deep passion and commitment to the Jewish people defined her and her children’s lives. An extraordinary and admired leader who inspired generations, Elaine distinguished herself as the first female president of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater New York. Norman Winik graduated from Yale University in 1943. During the Second World War, he served in the Marine Corps as a captain and went on to become a successful businessman. Elaine and Norman traveled widely, with numerous visits to Israel and Jewish communities in Denmark, England, Ethiopia, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Yemen, as well as the United States. Norman Winik passed away in 2009. Following Edith Winik’s death in 2017, OJMCHE received the collection.
Kenneth Helphand, the Winik’s son-in-law, became the curator of this exhibit, researching many of the mezuzahs for their country of origin, the dates, the material used, and even identifying some of the designers of the more contemporary mezuzahs. He was instrumental in realizing the traveling exhibit, even designing the boxes and crates that enabled the mezuzahs to travel safely to New York and lecturing on the collection at Eldridge Street Museum. A recording of the lecture can be found here. Helphand is the Philip H. Knight Professor of Landscape Architecture Emeritus who retired from the University of Oregon and has served for eight years on the Board of OJMCHE.
WHAT IS A MEZUZAH?
Mezuzah (from the Hebrew word for doorpost) originally referred to the case that Jews often affixed to their doors and entryways, marking a transitional space between the inside and the outside as a symbolic guardian for their homes. Over time the rabbis encouraged people to insert a handwritten, kosher (e.g., written by a trained scribe using specific instruments and ink) scroll containing a central liturgical prayer, the Shema (Deuteronomy VI-IX), inside the decorative case. Among the oldest of Jewish traditions, mezuzahs serve as a constant reminder of God and as a symbol of one’s Jewish identity. Over time the word “Shaddai” (one of God’s many names) could be found on the reverse side of the scroll and could be viewed through a small hole in the case. These “miniature works of art” are to hang on the upper third and on the right of a doorpost; Ashkenazi Jews place the mezuzah at a slant with the top facing into the house or room; Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews place the mezuzah in a vertical position. A simple ceremony of blessing accompanies its placement. This tradition and the title of the exhibition come from a mandate in the Torah to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions…and inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Although the prayer, its preparation, and its placement are strictly defined, the cases themselves vary widely and are not constrained to any particular size. Most are made of silver, ceramic, or wood and employ the dual techniques of repoussé and engraving.
Many of the mezuzah in Upon Thy Gates feature the long-standing and important Judaic tradition of silversmithing throughout Europe and Northern Africa. For many centuries, these artisans were the exclusive producers of fine gold and silver thread featured so prominently in traditional mezuzot. While the record of Jewish metallurgical creativity has mostly been lost after recurrent expulsions and the destruction of community archives, we do have records of Jews as the primary minters of money. And the widespread Jewish names such as Silver, Silverstein, and Silversmith speak to the important role of Jewish artisans in these trades over the centuries.
A few of the mezuzot in the OJMCHE collection deserve special mention. The largest mezuzah of the traveling exhibit is from Morocco. It is made of the traditional silver and has the name of its owner, Esther Lecovi, below the Shaddai (one of many terms for God in the Hebrew bible). Rather than inserted, the klaf (parchment made of specially prepared, tanned, split skin of a kosher animal—goat, cattle, or deer) would be rolled and placed behind the metalwork. Then the scroll would be placed over a colorful textile and placed inside the home, probably for protection. This mezuzah was likely made in the city of Fez.
Perhaps the most important and poignant mezuzah in the Winik collection is from the Theresienstadt concentration camp. It is signed on the back, Edith Simon 1941. There were three Edith Simons at the camp, but non survived. The imagery on the case is iconic: a wall of Jerusalem, a crown with figures like the woman’s gallery in an orthodox temple, and the western wall, with a huge flower growing out from the wall.
Over the last century, new artists have reimagined the mezuzah and placed their individual stamp on their work. Upon Thy Gates hosts a few of these contemporary mezuzahs, such as Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert (October 1900 – November 1981), who is celebrated as the first artist to design Judaica in modern styles. Though born in Germany, he lived primarily in Israel and the United States. He was deeply influenced by the Bauhaus movement, as his works use little decoration, and instead rely on clean, geometric shapes.
About The Museum at Eldridge Street
Originally, and for many years a thriving synagogue, The Museum at Eldridge Street is a fitting inaugural sight for OJMCHE’s first traveling exhibit. Built in 1887 with the vision and skills of the Eastern European immigrant communities of lower Manhattan, the synagogue was aptly known as “an architectural marvel.” In America, these new arrivals could display Stars of David on the rooftop, announcing their new found religious freedom
With the introduction of the 1924 Immigrant Quota Laws and the exodus of more settled immigrants to outer boroughs and states, the synagogue began to decline. A small but committed group of congregants relocated the synagogue to the lower-level chapel, closing off the grand main sanctuary. In 1986 this hidden sanctuary was rediscovered and the preservation project began. As repairs were being completed, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996 as well as receiving recognition from the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Finally, in 2007 the building restoration was complete. It was rededicated as the Museum at Eldridge Street, featuring concerts, lectures, and traveling exhibits such as Upon Thy Gates (visit www.eldridgestreet.org/events for future programs and events).
Upon Thy Gates was produced by the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education with generous support from the Andy Fund, established in loving memory of Andrea M. Bronfman by her children. Mounting of the show and related programs at the Museum at Eldridge Street are made possible, in part, by the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Upon thy Gates was first exhibited at OJMCHE in 2018 and has been redesigned for travel to other museums. The exhibition includes 72 mezuzahs and is generously supported by the Andy Fund, established in loving memory of Andrea M. Bronfman by her children. Andrea Bronfman was the beloved niece of Elaine Winik. If you are interested in hosting the exhibition, please contact Anne LeVant Prahl, curator@ojmche.org.