OBJECTS OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONIAL 23 



over the doors and windows of their homes. Philadelphia, Pa. 

 (Cat. No. 154446, U.S.N.M.) Gift of David Sulzberger. 



72. Mezuzah. — Manuscript written on parchment. Palestine. 

 (Cat. No. 216161, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of S. S. Rowland. 



73. Mezuzah. — Manuscript written on parchment. Inserted into 

 a tin case. Height, 3 inches. Washington, D. C. (Cat. No. 158353, 

 U.S.N.M.) Gift of Miss Ottenberg. 



74. Mezuzah. — Manuscript written on parchment. Zurich, Swit- 

 zerland. (Cat. No. 329454, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Rev. Paulus Dwor- 

 kowicz. 



75. Ode of a siyum. — Written on parchment and richly illuminated. 

 With the orthodox Jews the study of the Bible, and especially of the 

 Pentateuch or Thorah, is considered a religious duty as well as a means 

 of culture. As soon, therefore, as the young scholar has mastered 

 the elements of Hebrew he studies in school the Pentateuch with 

 some standard commentaries. His first reading through of the whole 

 Pentateuch is sometimes the occasion of a family festival, called siyum, 

 that is, completion. The young student recites passages from the 

 Pentateuch, or makes a short speech, and receives presents from rela- 

 tives and friends. This also takes place sometimes after the finishing 

 of a tract of the Talmud. This ode by an unknown poet celebrates 

 such a siyum of a young student of a prominent family in Rome, 

 named Isaac Berachjah, son of Mordechai Raphael. After an intro- 

 ductory historical note the ode relates the merits and virtues of the 

 family of the student, and extols the advantages of the study of the 

 sacred law of God. The singing of the ode was distributed to differ- 

 ent voices, which are marked at the various stanzas. The margin 

 contains, besides the arms of the family and some symbolical figures, 

 the last parashah or periscope, which is read in the synagogue on the 

 last Sabbath of the year, Deuteronomy xxxiii-xxxiv (the blessing of 

 Moses and the record of his death). Height 23^2 inches; width, 18 

 inches. Rome, Italy. (Plate 6, Cat. No. 154637, U.S.N.M.) 



76. Delegate's card of the First Zionists' Congress. — Engraved with 

 the Shield of David, symbolical figures, and the w^ords in Hebrew: 

 ''Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!" (Psalm 

 xiv, 7.) "Zionism" is the name given to the movement among the 

 Jews which aims at establishing for their people a publicly and legally 

 secured home in Palestine. It was organized and held its first con- 

 gress in 1897, in Basel, Switzerland. Measurements, 5)^ inches by 

 S% inches. (Cat. No. 158458, U.S.N.M.) Basel, Switzerland. 



77. Delegate's card of the Second Zionists' Congress. — Engraved with 

 the Shield of David, symbolical figures, and the words in Hebrew: 

 "Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, 

 and bring them into their own land." (Ezekiel xxxvii, 21.) Measure- 



