This is a postcard with a picture of a young boy visiting his grandparents on Shabbat. The boy is standing in front of his grandparents, who are sitting down. The grandfather holds an open Hebrew book on his lap, while the grandmother is reaching her arms out towards her grandson. The grandfather seems to be testing the grandson on his knowledge of the book. To the right of the grandmother is a table with a tablecloth and a black cat underneath. Behind the grandparents is a piece of furniture with candlesticks and what appear to be other Judaica on it. The grandson is wearing a long coat and fur trimmed hat, the grandmother is wearing a long skirt and a bonnet, and the white bearded grandfather is wearing a dark suit and a black kippah. The postcard is from the early twentieth century. Similar scenes of a young child being tested by parents or grandparents on Shabbat were painted by other Jewish artists of the time, such as Moritz Oppenheim, and most likely reflected their memories of childhood.
At the bottom of the postcard there is text in German or Yiddish, Hebrew, and Russian, reading: “The Shabbat Visit.” In addition, there is a notice in German saying: “Reprinting prohibited.” The name of the artist L. Krestin also appears underneath the picture.
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Shabbat – Shabbat is the Jewish name for Saturday, the Jewish day of rest. According to Jewish tradition, this day commemorates the final, seventh day of God’s creation of the world. Shabbat is observed from just before sunset on Friday night until the appearance of three stars on Saturday night. The Talmud devotes an entire tractate to the rules of Shabbat and derives 39 types of forbidden activities. These include using electricity, writing, and other actions that are considered forms of creating. Shabbat is, instead, a day for family, community, prayer, and reflection. Traditionally Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles, reciting the blessings over wine, Kiddush, and over the two loaves of special Shabbat bread, challah, and enjoying a festive meal. Shabbat is marked in the synagogue by a special additional prayer, known as Musaf, and the reading of the weekly Torah portion. The end of Shabbat is marked by the Havdalah ceremony. In Israel, secular Jews also enjoy Shabbat by eating Friday night dinner with their family and friends and spending time together in the countryside or on the beach. Most workplaces are closed on Shabbat.
German Jews in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries – After many centuries of oppression, segregation from the general population, and poverty, the German Jewish community went through major changes. Germany, together with other European countries, began to adopt liberal ideas about religious equality and civil emancipation. This was also the time of Enlightenment, and many German Jews received a secular education and began to integrate into general German society. The late eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries mark the transition of the Jews to modernity and the integration of many into Germany’s cultural, scientific, and financial elite. Moses Mendelssohn is an example of an Enlightenment thinker who aspired to bringing secular culture into Jewish life. These social changes also brought about a transformation in the identity and practices of the German Jews, as exemplified in a famous saying of the time: “Be a man abroad and a Jew in your tent.” Due to these changes, this period saw both the foundation of Orthodox Judaism and the birth of the Reform Movement in Germany, a movement that aimed to adapt traditional Judaism to modern times. This period did not, however, see an end to the discrimination or riots against the Jews, as can be seen by the 1819 Hep Hep riots, tax legislation against Jews, severe limitations on marriages, dismissals from public office, anti-Semitic literature and preaching, more. This discrimination led to many Jews emigrating, in particular to the United States.
