Sets of burial shrouds for a man and a woman. [Germany, first decades of 20th century].
Linen and cotton fabrics.
· Man's shrouds which consist of: hood, robe (sargenes), feet coverings, bag of soil from Eretz Israel, and an additional piece of fabric.
· Set of woman's shrouds which consists of: rectangular piece of cloth to cover the face, large robe, a shawl for covering the shoulders, a large apron (wrapped as a wrap-around skirt around the body and closed on the side), small decorated apron (placed over the large apron, in the center), feet coverings, triangular shawl, and two additional pieces of fabric.
Size varies. Very good condition.
This unique and characteristic set of burial shrouds was common among Jewish congregations in Hessen, Bad Württemberg and Bavaria (Germany), in Alsace (France) and in Switzerland. The shrouds were sewn by women members of the burial society (Chevra Kadisha), and the lace decorating some parts of the shrouds were crafted by the owners of the shrouds. In the past, it was customary to prepare shrouds for a man and for a woman towards their wedding, but later, the custom in Alsace was to continue and complete the man's shrouds during the first year after his marriage while the woman ordered her shrouds when she was about forty. The shrouds were part of a person's possessions and they accompanied him throughout his lifetime. Parts of the shrouds were worn on other ceremonial occasions, such as on Yom Kippur. The fact that a person got his shrouds at an early stage of his adulthood was meant to remind him that he is mortal and should plan ahead. (See: Corinne Zeevi-Weil, Shrouds from Alsace. In: Alsatian Jewry: a Rural Community Between Tradition and Emancipation, editor: Esther Muchawsky-Schnapper, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1991, pp. 41-45; Israel Museum Collections, items: B87.1066, B91.0671).