Living by The Book: The Jewish Bible and the Everyday Power of Text
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way
(Opening Reception)
The Bible is a constant in Jewish life, in all the varied forms it has taken around the world and across history. Biblical texts stand at the center of the Jewish experience. Jews keep biblical time, cultivate biblical bodies, and build and imagine biblical spaces. Living by The Book brings together scrolls, ritual objects, clothing, furniture, and tourist memorabilia from The Magnes Collection. The exhibit expresses culture in biblical terms with remarkable diversity and creativity, showcasing the ways that text can serve as an archive of possibilities and a powerful platform for shaping everyday life.
Francesco Spagnolo, Curator
Daniel Fisher, Ph.D. Candidate, Near Eastern Studies
Presented by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life. Co-sponsored by The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion, the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program, and Digital Humanities at Berkeley.
Exhibit on view Thursday, August 27, 2015 – Friday, June 24, 2016
Image: Jonah and the Whale in Haifa Port. Courtesy of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life.