Images(16)

Commemorative

Object number2023.110.4 a-j

MediumWood; Paint; Metal; Glass; Paper; Ink; Graphite; Colored pencil

Credit LineGift of Beth Israel Congregation

DescriptionYahrzeit board comprised of wall case, six double-sided paper memorial boards, blank sheet of paper, key, and screw. Yahrzeit board wall case. Rectangular light blue-green painted wooden wall case. Front has hinged door with colorless glass window; keyhole on viewer's left center and two hinges along viewer's right edge. Back and interior are painted black. Back has one hole at top and bottom center. Interior of back has latching metal chain across center for containing memorial boards. Interior of door has two metal hooks at top for hanging single memorial board. Six (6) double-sided Yahrzeit memorial boards. Each board is an off-white (discolored) sheet of heavy paper edged with silver-gray sheet metal affixed with one grommet in each corner. Each has two additional grommets along top metal member. Front and back of each paper has handwritten red and black Hebrew and English person listings on the top portion of the page; lower portion of the page has hand-drawn graphite grid lines. Rectangular off-white (discolored) sheet of paper. Paper is blank and undecorated. Key. Chrome metal key. Openwork bow has five openings: two circles and a triangle down center flanked by two crescent shapes. Hollow cylindrical shaft with flat, rectangular bit. Key for wall case. Screw. Flathead screw. Round head with tapered base. Cylindrical shaft with threaded bottom two-thirds and pointed tip. Found loose inside case.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a): 21 x 17.125 x 1.875 in. (53.3 x 43.5 x 4.8 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b): 19.125 x 15.188 x 0.125 in. (48.6 x 38.6 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (c): 19.125 x 15.188 x 0.125 in. (48.6 x 38.6 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (d): 19.125 x 15.188 x 0.125 in. (48.6 x 38.6 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (e): 19.125 x 15.188 x 0.25 in. (48.6 x 38.6 x 0.6 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (f): 19.063 x 15.25 x 0.125 in. (48.4 x 38.7 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (g): 19.125 x 15.25 x 0.125 in. (48.6 x 38.7 x 0.3 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (h): 19.5 x 15.25 x 0.063 in. (49.5 x 38.7 x 0.2 cm)
Height x Width x Length (i): 0.813 x 0.313 x 2.25 in. (2.1 x 0.8 x 5.7 cm)
Height x Diameter (j): 1.5 x 0.313 in. (3.8 x 0.8 cm)
Inscriptions(b-g)
Each sheet has handwritten people listings in Hebrew and English in red, black, and blue ink and colored pencil. For a full listing of names, see 2023.110 object file.
Historical NotesThis Yahrzeit board is from Beth Israel Congregation. A yahrzeit, Yiddish for “time of year,” refers to the anniversary of a death on the Hebrew calendar. In most Jewish congregations, it is customary for congregations to announce these dates publicly in some fashion and for descendants to recite special prayers during worship services. In time, it became common for congregations to create memorial boards listing all these yahrzeitn. While most boards are made of bronze, this is a rare early example of a paper board, housed inside a wooden case. Each page represents one Hebrew month and would have been rotated throughout the year by the sexton. Beth Israel Congregation was founded in Washington, Pa. in 1890. The congregation initially rented meeting space until dedicating a synagogue in the downtown area in 1902. With the growth of the local Jewish community, the congregation dedicated a new synagogue in 1955 designed by Alexander Sharove. Spiritual leaders of the congregation include Rabbi Jacob Goldfarb, Rabbi Maxwell Berger, Rabbi Israel Goodman, Rabbi Jakob Patuchowski, Rabbi Jacob Sober, Rabbi Daniel Lowy, Rabbi Marc E. Samuals, Rabbi David J. Matzner, Rabbi Aryeh Weinman, and Rabbi Albert A. Goldman. As the Jewish population of Washington County began to decline starting the 1960s, Beth Israel Congregation increasingly became the home of Jewish families in nearby communities, such as Canonsburg.

Related institution Beth Israel Congregation

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