Collection Highlights The Museum is constantly looking for items to expand its collection and to document the richness and diversity of the American-Jewish experience. To inquire about donating objects to the collection, please contact Claire Pingel (215-923-3811 x 124). Tzitzit (1821) This tzitzit was thought to have magical powers by the residents of Koval, Poland, where its owner, Louis Joseph, a very religious man, was born in 1821. His great-granddaughter, Lillian Abrams Greenwald, who donated it to the Museum, said villagers would put the tzitzit - a ritual garment with fringes worn during the day by observant males - on babies if they were sick because they thought it had healing powers. Joseph joined his son in Titusville, PA in 1878, where the tzitzit served a similar function. The tzitzit is an example of how Eastern European traditions were preserved in America by Jewish immigrants.   Trading Card (1938) This unusual American chewing-gum trading card from 1938 depicts Viennese Jews being brutally flogged by Nazi Storm Troopers following the Nazi invasion of Austria.the "Don't let it happen over here," warned the back of the card, stating that America's freedoms had been won through hard struggle, and it urged consumers to collect the rest of the series "and show them to everyone."   Ad Blotter (1936) This ad blotter from 1936 was produced by the American Express Company to advertise its foreign remittance service to Yiddish-speaking customers. The copy urges Jewish immigrants to extend the familial feelings of the Passover holiday by wiring gifts of money to their relatives and friends "back home" in Europe. Acquired through the Myrna and Ira Brind Purchase Fund.   Havdalah Spice Tower (1935) William Cohen, a founding member of the Jewish farming colony in Alliance, New Jersey, received this silver havdalah spice tower as a birthday present in 1935. His daughter, Elizabeth Colen, donated the spice tower to the Museum.   Boxing Trunks (1993) These boxing trunks with the Star of David insignia were worn by the Jewish prizefighter "Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt of Malden, Mass. Rosenblatt wore the trunks in his 15th fight, a one-round KO of Dan Mitchell in Baltimore, Md., on September 11, 1993.   Canasta Deck (c. 1960) These playing cards produced by Hadassah, the women's Zionist organization, are an example of the everyday objects that the museum collects. The deck was purchased by the museum from a Philadelphia Judaica dealer.   Shohet's Knife and Sheath (early 20th Century) This shohet's knife belonged to a member of the Brooklyn, N.Y., Association of Shohets. The knife was used to slaughter mid-size animals, such as sheep. Nothing is known of the owner or why he chose to express his patriotism by using an American flag to fashion a sheath for his knife. Homepage || Exhibitions || The Museum || The Museum Shop || Fun Page || Calendar || Timeline || Sign our guestbook || Links Copyright 1998-2003 by the National Museum of American Jewish History