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Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Rome
Ardon Bar Hama digitized the Codex Vaticanos, the oldest existing Christian bible, and the four Hebrew manuscripts the Vatican lent to the Israel Museum. This collection included part of an illuminated Mishneh Torah by Maimonides copied in 1457, the first complete edition of the Arbah Turim by Yaacov b. Asher from 1475, an illuminated book of Psalms from 1294, and parts of an Italian illuminated Bible from 1286.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (www.deadseascrolls.tv)
This prestigious Israeli institution is home to a precious collection of Dead Sea Scrolls, the 2000-year old writings found in caves at Qumran. Invited into the museum’s vault, Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Temple Scroll, and many other Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Bar Hama helped the Israel Museum’s Dorot Foundation Dead Sea Scrolls Information and Study Center put the Great Isaiah Scroll online with ‘scroll-turning technology.’ Bar Hama also photographed several exhibits, including “Beauty and Sanctity” as well as the museum’s permanent collection in advance of major construction.
The Juilliard School, New York (www.juilliardmanuscriptcollection.org)
One of the finest private collections of music scores to be amassed in the last century was recently gifted by Bruce Kovner to the Juilliard Library. Among the 140 items are the lost manuscript of a transposed continuo part for J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 176 and the lost autograph manuscript of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge for string quartet, in the composer's version for piano four-hands, Op. 134. Funded by George S. Blumenthal, Ardon Bar Hama digitized a sample of the works, inspiring Juilliard to undertake the digitization of the entire collection.
New York Public Library, New York
At the Dorot Jewish Division of the New York Public Library, Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed several historical treasures including an illuminated Josephus from 1492, a Samaritan Bible from the 14th century, and a very elaborate Scroll of Esther from the 16th century.
The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles
The Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center houses special collections of original documents and objects from the Renaissance to the present. Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed the institute’s nine volumes of 18th century engravings by Picard. The project, which produced 4500 images, was sponsored by the Library Without Walls.
Museum of the City of New York
A recent exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York displayed portraits of Jews in Colonial America. Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed the entire collection. In addition, at the request of Ambassador John Loeb, Bar Hama created life-size reproductions of five famous oil paintings to be displayed at the museum.
The Jewish Museum, New York (www.jewishmuseum.org)
The Jewish Museum has a rich collection of Jewish art and material culture, including paintings and sculptures, photography, prints, drawings, antiquities, ceremonial art, installations and time-based art. Ardon Bar Hama digitized a portion of their permanent archaeology exhibit and their beautiful ketubbah collection for display on their website with “zoom” and “rotate” options. In addition, Bar Hama digitally recreated a special interactive sculpture by renowned artist Tobi Kahn (Saphyr, 2002).
Chicago Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago
At the Chicago Oriental Institute, Ardon Bar Hama photographed a collection of archaeological objects found at Megiddo, Israel in the 1920s. The excavations had been funded by John D. Rockefeller and yielded some very important finds. Bar Hama digitized their Senachreb Prism, an extra-biblical source describing the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem.
Jewish Theological Seminary, New York (www.jtslibrarytreasures.org)
JTS’s Library Treasures are a unique expression of Jewish creative legacy. Funded by the Center for Online Judaic Studies, Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed a selection of these manuscripts, including an illuminated Hagaddah from Spain (circa 1300) and a Mahzor from Germany (1290). The books were photographed in their entirety and the site allows the user to literally “turn the page” of these rare volumes. In addition, the site has a handwritten document signed by Maimonides in 1168, one of two existing signatures in the world. Bar Hama also digitized JTS’s 60,000 Cairo Genizah fragments for archival purposes.
Yeshiva University Gottesman Library, New York (www.yu.edu/libraries/pragueBible.asp)
Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed the beautiful Prague Bible at Yeshiva University’s Mendel Gottesman Library in NY. The Prague Bible is an illuminated manuscript from 1489 in three volumes: Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim (Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographa). The Bible was at one time in the hands of Moses Mendelssohn and it was later owned by Abraham Geiger. The library’s site allows the user to view the entire Bible, page by page.
Yeshiva University Museum, New York (www.printingthetalmud.org)
In 2005, Yeshiva University Museum presented an exhibit entitled, “Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein.” The display provided a complete cultural history of the Talmud, from its origins through the present day. Ardon Bar Hama created a digital record of the exhibit and presented it online. The site includes essays, manuscripts and videos from the exhibit and its accompanying volume: Printing the Talmud: From Bomberg to Schottenstein.
American Jewish Committee, New York (www.ajcarchives.org)
The AJC archives represent a rich, varied and extensive collection that brings modern Jewish history to life. Sponsored by the Center for Online Judaic Studies, Ardon Bar Hama digitized many of AJC’s rare documents, trained AJC staff to digitize more, and created AJC’s interactive timeline. The AJC archives include Henry Ford’s Dearborn Independent newspaper and other items that document anti-Semitism and race relations in the US. In addition, AJC’s collection includes valuable films, cartoons, radio broadcasts, and TV shows from 1939 to the present.
Terra Sancta Monastery, Jerusalem
The archives at this Franciscan monastery include the official seal of every pope beginning in the 13th century. Also housed there are 8000 letters in Arabic sent between the Vatican and Islamic rulers of the Holy Land since the year 1290. Recently digitized by Ardon Bar Hama, the letters illuminate seven centuries of the complex relationship between Christian and Muslim leaders. The Vatican has initiated a research project to translate and archive the documents.
Central Zionist Archives, Jerusalem (www.zionistposters.org)
The Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem has a spectacular collection of over 3000 posters related to Zionism and the formation of the State of Israel. Themes depicted include culture, politics, and Zionist thought. COJS digitally photographed these posters as well as the personal handwritten journals of Theodore Herzl (1895).
Yad Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem (www.aleppocodex.org)
Dated to the 10th century CE, the Aleppo Codex is the oldest existing manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The manuscript is owned by the Yad Ben-Zvi Institute in Jerusalem. Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed each leaf, has made the entire text available online. The site allows the user to view every page, zoom to specific words or letters, and search by chapter and verse.
Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem (www.towerofdavid.org.il)
Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed the galleries of this extraordinary museum located in a restored citadel in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. The museum’s collection includes objects related to the history of Jerusalem from the Canaanite period all the way through the creation of the State of Israel and the modern period. A selection of the images is displayed on the museum’s website.
HUC-Skirball Museum, Cincinnati
At the HUC-Skirball Museum, Ardon Bar Hama digitized 80 rare manuscripts, including the oldest known complete commentary written by Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi (known as Rashi) on The Five Books of Moses. The manuscripts were penned 100 years after his death in 1105.
Westminster College, Cambridge
Westminster College, a theological college of the United Reformed Church, holds a unique collection of Cairo Genizah fragments. Discovered in Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue in 1896 by the College’s benefactors, the documents were brought back to England and preserved by the College. Dating from 870 to 1880, the Genizah fragments are essential in understanding social and economic Jewish history. The collection was digitally photographed by Ardon Bar Hama.
Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Ardon Bar Hama digitized a selection of the museum’s prize holdings. The items included a 40-ft sukkah cover and a letter from Ferdinand and Isabella written days after their expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.
City of David Foundation, Jerusalem
Ardon Bar Hama filmed high-definition footage of the City of David excavations in Jerusalem, narrated by Doron Spielman, Director of Development, for their fundraising efforts.
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York
Dedicated to East European Jewish history, YIVO Institute has a vast archive covering Ashkenazi Jewry and the Holocaust. Recently discovered among its holdings is a set of letters from Otto Frank (Anne Frank’s father) showing that he and his family desperately tried to find refuge in the U.S. before and during WWII. Otto Frank was the sole survivor of the family. Ardon Bar Hama digitized the collection of 82 letters for the museum’s digital archive.
Jewish National and University Library, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Ardon Bar Hama digitally photographed a selection of the Jewish National and University Library’s treasures. Among these is the oldest known Talmudic fragment in existence, dating back to the 9th century. Other items include 1500 Cairo Genizah fragments and a collection of German aerial photographs of the Holy Land from 1917.
Mathematisches Institut, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen (www.librarieswithoutwalls.org/klein.html)
Late in 2006, Libraries Without Walls received a grant from the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts to digitize the scientific notebooks ("protokols") maintained by mathematician Fritz Klein from 1872-1912, while Klein was doing advanced mathematical research at the Mathematisches Institut in Göttingen, Germany. The notebooks reveal the astonishing mind of one of the foremost researchers of the contemporary era. The entire collection of 29 volumes was digitized by Ardon Bar Hama in a marathon effort that took only 4 days and produced 8000 images.
Imperial War Museum, Bristol, England
The Imperial War Museum displays 20th century photographs, film and artifacts relating to war and its effects on people and places. Among its collection are Zionist archives and documents from the early British Mandate period in Palestine. These important items were digitally photographed by Ardon Bar Hama. A selection of the images will be used by the Board of Jewish Education in Toronto in an online educational project on Zionism and the State of Israel.
Private Collections
Shlomo Moussaieff Collection, London, England
This vast private collection focuses on Jewish material culture and archaeological finds. Items photographed by Ardon Bar Hama included menorahs, Jewish symbols, and ancient coins.
Rene Braginsky Collection, Zurich
Rene Braginsky is one of the foremost private collectors of Jewish manuscripts. Of special interest are three collections: one of ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts); one of Talmud manuscripts; and one of Book of Esther scrolls. Ardon Bar Hama photographed over 600 manuscripts (8000 images) for display online.
Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Collection, New York (www.loebdanishartcollection.com)
This unique collection presents special works of 19th and 20th century Danish art. The works were gathered while John L. Loeb served as U.S. ambassador to Denmark from 1981-1983. Ardon Bar Hama digitized the entire collection and its accompanying book, The Ambassador John L. Loeb Danish Art Collection. The collection is now viewable in both book form and online.
Moldovan Family Collection, New York
Bill Gross Collection, Tel Aviv
Additional Institutions
Biblioteca Palatina, Parma, Italy
Palestine Exploration Fund, London
Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw, Poland
Archivio Capitolare, Modena, Italy
Archivio de la Curia Vescovile, Cesena, Italy
Archivio di Stato, Bologna, Italy
Archivio di Stato, Modena, Italy
Archivio Storico Comunale, Bazzano, Italy
Archivio Storico Comunale, Imola, Italy
Archivio Storico Comunale, Modena, Italy
Estense Universitaria, Modena, Italy
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