April 2024
Matzah Cover
Linen, Embroidery, crochet lace
Late 19th century, Austro-Hungarian
14 13/16 x 18”
B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection of the Cincinnati Skirball Museum
This April, we look forward to the holiday of Passover, and we will be featuring various Passover-related Judaica. Passover is a spring holiday for the Jewish people when families and communities gather to celebrate the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom. Various foods eaten throughout the meal are representative of aspects of this ancient story, and as a result, various pieces of art have been created to hold these foods, such as special cups and plates. But for our Object of the Month, we are kicking things off with something a little different.
This matzah cover is a spectacularly well-preserved piece of textile culture from the 1800s, and it showcases women’s contributions to beautifying the Passover table. The artist—possibly the ‘Muki Terėz’ whose name is embroidered at the top of the cloth—has used cross-stitch to create a beautiful design in rich scarlet and bright blue. The cloth is covered in detailed floral and geometric patterns, and it would have been used to cover matzah, the Passover flatbread, during the meal.
Most striking about the piece is the Hebrew embroidered around it. In blue, we have the words ‘matzah,’ ‘Pesach’ (Passover), and ‘maror’ (bitter herbs), referencing both the Hebrew name of the holiday and its two major symbolic foods. The center text in red reads ‘Hallelujah!’ Starting from the right and reading counter-clockwise, the red text reads, ‘B’chol dor vador, chayav adam lirot et-atzmo k’ilu hu yatza miMitzrayim’—in each and every generation, a person is obligated to see oneself as if one left Egypt. This is one of the main ideas of Passover—that each Jewish person relives the ancient story as if it happened to them personally. It allows for connection between the generations, going back to the time of the Exodus.
This post was written by Rachael Houser, a fourth-year rabbinical student at HUC-JIR Cincinnati. She is thrilled to work as an intern on behalf of the Skirball Museum this school year.
Matzah Cover
Linen, Embroidery, crochet lace
Late 19th century, Austro-Hungarian
14 13/16 x 18”
B’nai B’rith Klutznick Collection of the Cincinnati Skirball Museum