London – The Vatican has loaned a 9th century prayer book considered to be the oldest Hebrew publication in existence to the Jewish Museum in London.
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The Museum persuaded the library to allow the biblical commentary feature in its Hebrew Treasures from the Vatican and Major British Collections display, a three-month show which is the first major temporary exhibition at the centre since it reopened in March following a £10 million rebuild.
In an impressive set of fellow artefacts, a decadently-illustrated bible from 15th century Spain and an image of the Temple of Solomon, the architectural inspiration for the Sistine Chapel, come as further highlights.
Oxford’s Bodleian Library has provided 11 of the 24 manuscripts and books in the show, with eight coming from the British Library. The Vatican and Lambeth Palace Library have contributed three each, revealing religious tolerance and cultural interaction between Jews and non-Jews in the Muslim and Christian Worlds from the Middle Ages onwards.
Designed by Metropolitan Museum of Art collaborator Patrick Kinmouth, the exhibition contains illustrations and decorative designs reflecting styles from gothic Northern Europe to Italy and Spain.
Historian Simon Schama and the BBC’s Alan Yentob launched the show at a private view positioning Cherie Blair as the guest of honour. Her visit was backed by her famously spiritual husband, who said he hoped it would prove “another small building block in strengthening Jewish-Catholic relations in this country.”
“At a time when religious issues are often portrayed as creating division and unrest around the world, this exhibition demonstrates how positive connections can be made between Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” added Rickie Burman, the Museum Director.
“It is a reminder that in many cases our shared experience is stronger than our differences.”
How do you ‘lend’ a stolen item?
Why ‘loaned’? Shouldn’t it be ‘returned’ to its rightful owners, the Jewish community? All the Jewish manuscripts belong to the Jewish nation!
Anyone out there knowledgeable about this area of cultural icons have any idea about the chances for such an exhibition coming to NY?,,,I know it is probably next to none, but would appreciate hearing from anyone involved in the art world…thanks…gringen taanis
What about the real treasures in the Vatican?
How and why does the Vatican have a Hebrew prayer book? What else do they have and will it go on display as well? This really belongs in a Jewish museum!!!!
I haven’t heard your name in many years did u go to Bais?
Those thieves are lending us our own book! That they stole through bloodshed!
how about they return the kylim and menoireh from the bys shynee that we know they have (as was evidenced by the engraving on the arc of titus)
Didn’t the Vatican ask Israel to transfer ownership of Christian sites in Israel to them? I propose a trade. The entire Vatican Judaica collection in exchange for ownership of the Christian sites in Israel. That seems like a fair trade to me.
Just to point out…this is not a printed book, its a manuscript.
Prinring started only hundreds of years latee
They no longer have most of the things they took from the Bais Hamikdash. There was a major fire in the Vatican, and many things have been looted over the ages. Regardless, anything they took belongs to them until the yimos hamoshiach, because that’s how wars worked.
The stuff belongs to them.
Anything Jewish that the Vatican owns was stolen and should be given to Israel as custodian for world Jewry.
There is no authentic proof that they have the keilim. It does not mean that they don’t have them.
However since the time when a tanna say the poroiches with blood habging in rome a lot has happened and things have changed hands many times.
Again all I am saying is there is no concrete evidence that they have any items of the beis hamikdash.
Ganifs !!! The Church murdered Holy Yiddin — whole Towns — and stole Am Yisrael’s most treasured Torahs, Seforim and tashmishei kedushah and they have the chutzpah to “loan” only one siddur to a MUSEUM ??? They are ganifs and rotzchim. Enough of this already. It makes me sick.
i say, let a group of leading scholars into the Vatican.
problem solved!
>All the Jewish manuscripts belong to the Jewish nation!
Except for the ones which were bought and sold. Plenty of manuscripts in libraries and the like got there through completely above-board circumstances. For example, the core of the Bodleian’s Hebrew collection was the famed library of R. David Opppenheim, rab”d of Prague. It was put up for sale and no one bought it for almost a hundred years. The Bodleian then purchased it, fair and square.
Nusach Ashkanaz?