Conserving Judaica

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Conserving Judaica 07/02/2012 by Courtney Jason 2012 has brought an unusual increase in religious artifacts arriving at Museum Textile Services, in particular Jewish textiles. These revered objects are used and preserved by families and many have traveled thousands of miles over the course of their life span.

Detail of tallit before conservation. A tallit is a Jewish prayer shawl, made almost exclusively of white or cream-colored silk with purple stripes. At the four corners are fringes, or tzitzit, the purpose of which is to remind the wearer of the laws of God. The tallit we recently treated also bears an embroidered panel on the atara, or collar, containing the prayer that is to be recited before putting on the shawl: “Blessed are you, God, Master of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves with the fringed garment.�


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