Torah Shield

Welcome to the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg, Russia. This museum was originally founded in 1932 under Communism, when religion was meant to be a thing of the past. But now that Soviet Communism is a thing of the past, the museum celebrates different religious traditions, housing artifacts from many times and cultures – including that of the Jews.

Join award-winning author Matti Friedman as he takes us on a rare tour and a glimpse of Jewish history and culture as they appear in the treasures of the State Museum of the History of Religion.

Beit Avi Chai presents the seventh episode of Let Objects Speak: Jewish Artifacts in Russian Museums series that focuses on a Torah shield used for decorating the Torah scroll. This shield is unique in its beauty and artistic value. It was made by a famous Berlin master in the early 19th century. Why does the Torah shield from the Museum of Religion depict anthropomorphic figures? What do the two doves symbolize? How did a decoration donated to a Berlin synagogue end up in a museum in St. Petersburg?

Script: Julia Idlis

English Script: Matti Friedman

Director: Nina Guseva

Producer: Daria Shtyrkova

Videographer: Maria Falileeva

Academic expert: Alla Sokolova

Voice-over: Matti Friedman

Music: Maria Logofet

Sound Mix: Alexander Nadezhdin

Animation: Vadim Tugeev, Galina Palchik

Editor: Evgeniy Todich

Beit Avi Chai is grateful to the State Museum of the History of Religion in St. Petersburg for permission to film the artifacts.

Beit Avi Chai: Dr. David Rozenson, CEO; Dr. Simon Parizhsky, Educational Director of Ideas Without Borders; Svetlana Busygina, Administrative Director of Ideas Without Borders.