Jüdisches Ceremoniel
Paul Christian Kirchner
Jüdisches Ceremoniel (Jewish Ceremony)
Nuremberg: P.C. Monath, 1726
The European Enlightenment that began in the 17th century and extended into the 18th demonstrated an increased openness toward Judaism and curiosity about Jewish society and customs. During this time, the Jewish population still continued to live in a segregated and enclosed world within larger cities, with numerous legal restrictions imposed upon them. Ironically, because of this isolation, the most detailed accounts of Jewish life came from recent converts to Christianity. Paul Christian Kirchner wrote his book in 1717 after his conversion in 1709. He then collaborated with the German Christian Hebraist Sebastian Jugendress in 1724 on an updated edition that corrected Kirchner’s earlier mistakes and language. This new edition included detailed copperplate engravings by Johann Georg Puschner the Elder (1680–1749) with meticulous annotations, making it an exceptional historical document. The Library’s edition from 1726, presented here, is a later exact reproduction of the 1724 version, reflecting its popularity at the time. Other reproductions followed in subsequent years.
The copperplate etching from Jüdisches Ceremoniel that is on display is a rare visual depiction of the Ashkenazi Jewish wedding ceremony, accurate in every intricate detail. It refers to the custom of breaking a wine glass toward the conclusion of the ceremony, a signal for the guests to celebrate the new couple. We can see a bride and a groom facing each other in the synagogue courtyard. The crowd of guests is gathered behind the bride in joyful anticipation, while the violinist on the left is playing a melody suitable for the occasion. The groom is stepping out from under the portable canopy (khupah) on the right while throwing the wine glass against the special stone with the nine-pointed star known as treustein, or “marriage stone,” embedded in the synagogue wall. The custom of throwing the glass against the wall was a tradition particular to Ashkenazi Jews in Germany; it had the additional meaning of scaring evil spirits away from the bride and groom.
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