Collections
Keys to the Collection offers an inside peek at JMOF-FIU’s vast collections From the Collections of the Jewish Museum of Florida, originated by Marcia Jo Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director.
Featuring artifacts related to Rosh Hashanah and our two upcoming exhibits, Mark Podwal: All This Has Come Upon Us and Discovery and Recovery: Preserving Iraqi Jewish Heritage.
Zodiac Calendar by Bette Batya Weiser, Delray Beach, 1997. This zodiac sculpture, by Bette Batya Weiser, depicts the lunar Hebrew calendar and its relation to the solar calendar. Made in the baked clay technique, the calendar’s design is influenced by imagery from the Babylonian exile, which is the subject of one of the drawings in the Podwal exhibit titled, “EXILE,” Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept as we remembered Zion. Bette dedicated this sculpture to her late husband, Archie Weiser, who was stationed in Miami Beach while serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. After the war, Archie relocated to Miami Beach, where he owned and operated one of the first kosher hotels.
Title page from the Mishna tract on Rosh Hashanah from the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, 1921. This copy was printed in Poland in 1921 by the Romm Brothers publishing house, which was founded in 1789. Romm initially published an edition of the Talmud in 1835, which was highly contested by many Rabbis but was ultimately accepted. In 1886, Romm published a new edition, which is still used throughout the world today. This Talmud belonged to Jeffrey Gilbert's great grandfather on his mother's side, who arrived in the U.S. from Poland in the early 1900s. He settled in Atlanta and opened the first kosher deli in the Southeast. Gift of Jeffrey and Marsha Gilbert, Miami Beach.
Psalm Book from the London Arms Hotel, Miami Beach, c. 1940s. Prior to coming to Miami Beach, Jacob Schechter and his partner, Leo Gartenberg, had managed hotels in the Catskill Mountains in New York. Upon arriving in Miami Beach in 1939, they rented the London Arms Hotel, which previously allowed only Gentile clientele, and they turned it into a kosher hotel. This prayer book, found in the hotel, is open to Psalm 10:7 (left-hand page, towards the bottom) as seen in one of the drawings in the Podwal exhibit: Psalm 10:7 His mouth is full of curses, deceit and oppression; on the tip of his tongue are mischief and evil.
It’s important to remember that the museum would not have its extensive collection if it weren’t for so many of you who have graciously donated your family’s memorabilia to be preserved and available for future generations. To add items about the past and current Florida Jewish experience to the museum’s collection, please contact the registrar at 786-972-3167. Learn more about our latest Keys to the Collection
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TILES | Newsletter of the Jewish Museum of Florida – FIU | September 2015